I finally want to step into the modern ages and get one them movin picture cameras. I know we got some video buffs on here so I need somebody to tell me Which ones are worth buying. I want somethin not already outdated with the night feature on it, cheap as possible but deffinately not over $800. I don't know anything past that. All opinions welcome.

 

We have a Sony miniDV (a small tape, but digital). We have had it about 2 1/2 years and really like it. Paid about $1000, they should be cheaper now. If I were to get one now, it would be the type that uses DVD's as the recording media. With ours, capturing the video from the player to PC to burn DVD's takes a while. It has the night shot feature which is cool, but I never use.

~Rob

 

I will answer this as best as I can, but I seldom work with consumer end video products:
~Sony makes good products.
~Panasonic makes good products.
~Stay away from "Digital8"; Get MiniDV
(MiniDV works from the same architecture as professional DVC)
~Always use Panasonic MiniDV tape, or Sony tape if you must (I don't feel like giving an explanation of it here, but trust me, its better for your camera than the others)
~Make sure the camera is comfortable for you to use. Go to a store and try them all out. Find what is the most comfortable for you to hold steady, operate the zoom and record controls (and focus if applicable).
~Try to get a manual focus option. This will allow you to override the often inaccurate "Auto Focus".
~Plan on getting an extra battery pack. The one that comes with the camera usually isn't worth beans.
~Nightshot is one of the things that is just one more feature that you will likely never use for anything.
~Watch out for "Optical Zoom vs. Digital Zoom" you want more Optical Zoom. Do not count Digital Zoom because it actually decreases the resolution of your video when you are using it.
~Cameras that record onto DVD (small versions of a DVD disc) have not been completely worked out yet. You often see dropped frames and pixelation on them still. Tape is still the way to go.
~If you plan on capturing your video to your computer, it may be wise to invest in an External Hard Drive for your computer. This will allow you extra space to store video files which can be very large.

Good luck in your hunt/purchase.

--Trey

 

Thanks Durasmack, that's some of what I was looking for. You mentioned going to MiniDV, but said to stay away from DVD, are these different from each other?

 

Mini DV and DVD are different. Mini DV is a small videotape. About half the size of a regular 8MM tape. Here is a picture of the difference:



DVD is just that. A small version of a DVD that fits into the camera.

Here is the camera that we have.

Sony DCR-TRV19







We have had this camera for about 2 years and it has been a very good camera. You will notice the boom microphone that I added. I added this to the camera to reduce the interference that you get with wind and it also “zooms” with the zoom function of the camera.

You can buy this camera on eBay right now for $250, which is a very good buy. I paid almost $700 when it first came out.

eBay Auction

Hope this helps some.

Britt

 

I don't know jack about these things but at that price it looks like a heck of a deal. Hopefully somebody will jump in and tell me if were wrong.

 

Looks to me like a good camera to start with. At that price, you can find something different if you do not like it. Or if you really get into it, like I did you can save up money and spend as much/more than you did on your truck on one of these.

 

Looking at similar other cameras on e-bay it looks like this will probably hit the $4-450 mark before it sells, so the question is, is it still worth buying it used at that price. Thanks for the replies, I know the questions are petty but money is hard to come by around this house so I wanna spend it right the first time.

 

The auction that I posted was a buy it now for $250. But I do understand where you’re coming from with the money issue though. To me it would be worth it but I am biased toward something that I've already purchased. Good luck in your search. There are plenty of good ones out there so whichever one you choose I think you will be happy with it.

Britt

 

Hey T-7, don't I feel like the fool. I didn't pay attention to the buy it now price on your link. But I am stumped. I went to ebay and went through all camcorders listed and didn't even notice that I didn't see that one you listed while I was looking. Your link still shows it as available, but when I go back to ebay even when I narrow the search field down to just sony MiniDV that camera still doesn't show up. I think you found a ghost camera. I put an offer on a fancier version of the same thing, if that doesn't come through I will just hit the buy it now on that Camera you sent me. Again thanks for the help.

 

Oh man… no worries! Here is the search that I ended up with. I just searched for my camera and this Is what I came up with.

eBay Search


I’m certainly not saying that mine is the “best” camera out there. It isn’t. But it does everything that I want it to do nicely without all of the extras that you will never use. It takes great video without all of the confusing extras. It is really just a point and shoot camera. I like the idea of just hooking it up to the T.V. and watching a video of my daughter or a trip that we just took without any problems.

Once again.. good luck in your search!

Britt

 

- try going to an electronics store, go face-to-face with the camera expert there, find out what you like the best; Then hit Consumer Reports for reliability reports, repair history, etc. - then buy it online, you'll save a load of $$$

 

When I just did the search for camcorders none of those from this last link came up. ebay a great thing but to much on it to find what you want. Now I wish I hadn't put in the other offer so quick.