First let me say Hi to all....newbie here I´m in trouble, i´m getting married and my friends want to give me a camcorder. The thing is that I would love to have a camcorder, except that I don´t understand nothing about all this recording types, xpto features, etc.. The budget is @ 1800 US$ so I guess that it´s enough for some decent gear. My only demand is that it as to be small (cause I travel a lot). Please help me with my choice.... Thank you all in advance
hi JoseRC and welcome to the forum. heres an article in my neck of the woods that may help you in choosing your camcorder: (from choice.com.au) Don’t worry too much about picture quality when shopping for a digital camcorder — it’s mainly their sound quality that sets them apart. Whether it’s that dream holiday or your kids growing up, a digital camcorder can help you preserve your favourite memories in high, never deteriorating quality. What you get If you’re thinking of buying a digital camcorder, you can expect: Picture quality that’s clearly better than that of highband analogue systems. Potentially hifi-quality sound. However, only a few of the built-in microphones realise that potential — the others usually can’t avoid recording the running noise of the camcorder’s motor. On most models this problem can be overcome by using an external microphone. Amazingly small and lightweight camcorders packed with generally easy-to-use menu-controlled features and functions. The ability to play back your recordings on your TV, and to transfer them to a computer for near-professional editing (if you have the necessary software) without loss of quality. The ability to take still photos either on the tape or (with most models) on a memory card. However, the photo quality is generally worse than that of a good digital still camera. What to look for Consider the following before you buy: Which system do you want? For example, if you’ve already used a Video 8 or Hi-8 camcorder, you may prefer one of the Digital 8 models you can play your old tapes on. Think about which connections to your TV and computer you’ll use, and make sure the model you’re interested in has them. Get all the necessary cables when buying the camcorder. Think about what features and functions you need, and make sure the model you’re interested in has them all. On the other hand, some models are packed with features you may never use, so there’s no point paying for them. Go to a shop and try out the models you’re interested in. Check whether you can comfortably hold them and reach the main controls (such as the zoom) at the same time, especially if you’re left-handed — all the tested models are designed for right-hand use. andmerr
Thank you andmerr It sure helps. I think the first decision is.. "Which system do you want?" and this is were I have most dificult to decide. I have one laptop computer (1.6 centrino, 256 ram, ati radeon 9600...) no video software (yet), so I relly dont know -- direct recrding to dvd??, minidv?? Hi8??, etc.. I´m really lost here Anybody else want to give a hand to this "poor" newbie.... Thanks Jose
Here are the criteria to take into consideration when slecting the type of camcorder. Hi-8: Don't, it's is old analog technology and the quality is not as good as the current digital types. MiniDV: currently the most common format and offering the best quality. Digital8: Same quality as miniDV, but with the advantage that you can also play your Hi-8 tapes on it. If you have loads of old Hi-8 tapes which you want to be able to play or transfer. The tapes are a bit bigger, so the camcorders are a bit bulkier. If you don't want a Digital8 and still want to transfer your old Hi8 tapes, looks for the option of "pass-through" on a miniDV camcorder (assuming that you also still have your Hi8-camcorder). DVD camcorder: Only if you're planning not to edit your video. Since the video is MPEG-2 compressed by the camcorder it is more difficult to edit. The quality will be a little less than miniDV. Microdrive camcorder: these are just hitting the market. Some of them record in MPEG-4, some in MPEG-2, so they have the same disadvantage as DVD camcorders. Bottom line: if you want good quality for a good price and you plan on editing your material on PC, I would recommend to go for miniDV.
