I have an early model higher-end Sony Digital8 that I've been happy with. Would I notice a large difference in fidelity between this and a newer model mini DV? Is it worth upgrading? I'd kind of like to wait until a smallish HD-DV camcorder get around 1500 and upgrade then. -fm
im sure someone will corect me if im wrong..... but if you are happy with the quality of the recording then i would not worry to much the main advantage of the mini dv is the size and transfer methods to the pc, if the size dosnt matter to you and the quality is acceptable to you i would hang on. get the most for you money out of your old camera as like computers the depreciation is pretty drastic
I really want high quality video. I guess my thinking was that it would be worth it for a decent jump in quality. But if its not that noticable, I could wait. -fm
If you get a miniDV camera that has at least 1 megapixels for the video, then you will see an nice increase in your video recordings. If you're a Sony fan (you note that's what you have now) then take a look at the DCR-HC85. It has an excellent lens and has a quality "look and feel" about it. It's one shortcoming is that it comes with a battery that's just too small. Larger generic batteries are available, with stand alone chargers, for not all the much cost. It should produce output that is much improved over your older Digital8.
If it aint broke dont fix it. I had a similar problem but eventually bought mini dv. why? My friend with a similar camcoder had his break down and was unable to access any of his material as only sony make digital 8 and the quality of the camcorderds vary. So you may end up with a stock of hi8 tapes( albeit recorded as digital 8) and nothing to play them with I found the choice of camera far too limited. You can spend £300 0r £2000 on a mini dv camera from various manufacturers (not just Sony)( both of which use the same tape ) but get fantastic results with the higher end camera from the same tape. You have access to better optics ,better resolving ccd chips, better low light capabilities, use of 3 ccd chips etc. Even the new hd cameras use mini dv tape and are capable of recording sd very well (ie Sony FX!). So if you dont have a large stock of hi8 tape (and I did) move into 2005! good luck!
a related question is where are you going with your output? If you intend to burn to DVDs, get into HD, etc you might want to hang onto your money for a few months, as all sorts of changes are coming... for example, AVID has released AVID FREE, a stunningly powerful free editing program- that works great with the Digital8 Firewire capable camcorders- using them as an input deck.
Digital8 and miniDV use the same compression to record to tape. The difference being that D8 camcorder can play analog Hi8 tapes. But there's no difference in the digital format itself. Generally, miniDV camcorders tend to be higher quality than D8 because they're often aimed at the more serious hobbyist or professional (as they go up in price). So by getting a newer miniDV cam, you're likely to see better/bigger CCDs, more manual controls, plus other bells and whistles. I've seen some stills from the new Sony HDV camcorder, and the increased resolution makes them look beautiful. I've been listening to comments about the camera, and find people are generally hesitant about it though, due to its lack of progressive scan, 24 fps, and issues with tape dropouts extending for 15 frames (because of the compression method). None of this may matter to people who just want the resolution bump. Word on the street is, wait to see what NAB (National Association of Broadcasters trade show) unveils next month...apparently HD is going to feature pretty big. Might be a long wait until they fall down to the $1500 range, though. hope that helped.
Thanks . I did not mention that given similar optics and ccd chips digital 8 and miniDv output are virtually identical but you have butressed the point of limited camera choice. Also a new budget minidv camcorder can cost less than fixing an out-of-warantee faulty digital 8 camera . It is true there are some issues with the new HD cameras and perhaps even truer to suggest that this current crop may not ever drop to the 1500 mark.Sonys' vx2100 (more than 18 months old) is still £1700. Does anybody know if the hd cameras do sd better than a good sd camcorder?
one last thought- Digital8 cameras are so cheap on eBay right now that repair is not your only option... ah well, another thought- given the huge advantage of easy digital cut-in editing, what might improve your videos more than anything is adding a second camera 'unit'...
