PV-GS180 Questions (new buyer)

Hi,

Read most comments and review here about this camera. Still had a few questions about MiniDV cameras, as I was interested in DVD cameras before.

1. How fast is the firewire or usb connection tranfer times to PC? I will be archiving everything on dvds.

2. Can tapes be re-used over and over? Is there a limit when tapes will start degrading

3. With the GS180, at max recording resolution I assume a tape will give yuo 20-30min or recording time. Is this true?.

4. What is an equivalent DVD camera?. I was looking at the Sony DCR-DVD105, but from the review on this site I gather the Panasonic is a better choice, is this right?.

Thx,

1) You have to use firewire, usb will not work. Transfer time is real time.
You transfer 1 hour of video, it will take 1 hour.

2) Yes, tapes can be re-used over and over. How many times?? I don't think anybody knows for sure. I don't re-use my tapes. I keep them as the original back up. That way I have full quality original for everything I shoot. Tapes last longer than dvds as well.

3) You can record 60 min in SP mode. 90 minutes in LP mode with a standard mini-dv tape. It is best to shoot in SP.

4) DVD camcorders are a whole different beast. In general, the quality is not as good. Record times are shorter. There are a lot less editing options out there. You would have to pay a lot more to get video quality that would rival the GS180.

1. Transferring video from MiniDV to computer takes one hour for one hour of video. Firewire is required for the majority of MiniDV camcorders. I do not consider archiving to DVD's a good idea, I consider MiniDV to be more reliable.

2. Tapes can be reused an unknown number of times, a highly discussed issue. I would guess a maximum of 10 times, others will have different opinions. I do not normally reuse tapes, they are my permanent archive.

3. All MiniDV camcorders record one hour using the standard SP mode and standard MiniDV tapes.

4. I don't know. I use MiniDV and prefer the format because of the type editing I do. It is a highly discussed subject. Different people prefer the various formats for a variety of reasons. This page has a list of threads where the subject is discussed:
MiniDV vs DVD camcorders vs Hard Drive vs Memory Cards (http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/showpost.php?p=159488&postcount=3)



Rich

Thx for replies.

One thing I still haven't been able to grab is the transfer to PC of miniDV. I understand it is real time transfer and can only be done via firewire. However, the process of archiving it to DVD's (ultimate media for storage in my case) is fuzzy..

1. Is there freeware avail to let you import video from tape to PC?.
2. Once transfered to PC, what is format of video???
3. Encoding to mpeg2 (dvd qual); is it a long process? As I see it, I'd have to transfer video from tape to some XXX format in PC, (this is the realtime transfer) and then I'd have to encode to dvd (not a short process). Is this right?.

This camera is mostly baby camera, and need to send dvd's to parents and in-laws.

1. I use WinDV to do the transfer of video. DVIO is another good utility. They are both easy; small; free and do not use a lot of computer resources: Easy Capture Program (http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/t105595.html)

2. If done properly it is DV AVI.

3. Depends on your computer, my encoding to MPEG2 takes about 1.5 times the video time, actually less.


If you plan on creating DVD's which can be played back on a stand alone DVD recorder you need to buy some decent software. You might want to read through this thread: Sticky: How involved is it to take footage from mindv and put it on DVDs??? (http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/t112471.html)


Rich

After further reading;

It seems DVD will be my choice - for my expected use of camera. However, I've come to think that miniDV is "better" - the only thing that keeps me away from it is the transfer and authoring process.

So, in terms on DVD cams, what panasonic cam do you guys reccomend as having the same "quality" as the GS180?. VDR-D300? D100?

I don't really know, all three camcorders are listed on the Camcorder Ratings (http://www.camcorderinfo.com/ratings.php) page which has the camcorders listed with overall rating "2005 & 2006 Ratings Rubric" The previous overall ratings "2004 and Before Ratings Rubric" with links to the individual camcorder reviews. You might want to read through some reviews and through the appropriate threads. Note that some of the camcorders on the list may no longer be available.



Rich

let me tell u this, i bought the d100 becuz it was small, had manual controls and was pansonic, i regret it very dearfully, its quality is absolutely disgusting, it was grainy, the colours bleed wen u move it, it was just awful. I can even say, my 11 year old JVC vhs camcorder has better qual than tht, the d100 has the worst performance under low light, the colours luk so fake.
I wanted to get the d300 becuz its got 3ccds and is rated better than the sony dvd cams, but i wanted gud low light perfomance, so im goin with mini dv (pv-gs180).

Hope i helped