I've decided to get Canon ZR-100 or ZR-200. I think they are pretty similar. What do you think?

Or how bout JVC D250?

hi i need help before i fight with my wife
she wants a new dvd camcorder and i prefer minidv
who is right..?
i am afraid of scraching the dvd like we did with the cds
also i want to transfer 100 old tapes to dvd by bying a dvd
recorder
can anyone give a good advise ,i would spend 700$ i am
a sony fan but i stared to look panasonic
thanks for all juan

If you plan to do any editing to remove unwanted shots and arrange clips to tell a story or to add effects, music, narration, titles, etc. get a miniDV.

If you want to be able to record then pop a DVD into a player and see what you recorded a miniDVD will be fine.

It all depends on what you want to do.

There have been several discussion threads here about this very subject. A search should turn them up if you want to dig in more.

Good luck.

Dennis

Hey Elmago,

Like Dennis said there's really no right or wrong, it's mostly how you use it.

Personally I would never go with a DVD camera as there's never a time when I would want to have the raw video be my finished product.

Even if I want to create a DVD, I will edit the footage first, then bring it over to iDVD or DVD Studio and create some menus, and chapters first.

If you want to recapture the footage from the DVD camera in order to edit it, it would be a much more complicated task I would imagine.

With $700 you could get a fairly nice consumer DV camera. Look for a 3CCD camera and you'll be off to a good start.

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defkon.com

I went with the Sony DVD403 (can be had for $750 at B&H, for example) because I wanted the ease of transfer to my PC and archiving of original footage on a full-size DVD-R. Plus I can finalize a mini DVD-RW from the camcorder and pop it into my home entertainment center and see it now.

Editing can be an issue due to mpeg-2 format. But newer versions of software packages are now supporting that format. Caveat: I'm new to all of this and have not really done much editing yet.

I wouldn't worry too much about scratching the DVDs if you are reasonably careful. I've seen full size DVDs (e.g., from the local library) which look terrible but play OK.

So no one is "right"; it depends on your use and preferences. If you are heavily into editing and doing productions from your raw footage, the conventional (and accurate) wisdom is to go miniDV.

Phil

For anyone searching for a new camcorder, I'd recommend the smallest, least expensive MiniDV camera you can buy with either 3-CCD's -OR- an RBG primary color filtered single-CCD and optical image stabilization and a true 16:9 widescreen mode and as many exterior controls and in/out ports as you can find.

Example: Canon Optura 50 (US$445)

A complementary color (Cyan, Magenta and Yellow - CMY) filtered camera provides good image brightness and low luminance noise at the expense of color fidelity and higher color noise. Alternatively, a RGB primary color filtered CCD provides improved color fidelity and reduced color noise compared to a CMY filter but at the expense of a dimmer image and a higher signal-to-noise ratio. Many of Canon’s camera models tout Canon’s proprietary “RGB color filter” which works in concert with Canon’s “DiG!C DV” DSP to manage image noise and further refine the image signal. A single-CCD camcorder using an RGB filter can often approximate the color quality of a 3-CCD camcorder. Obviously, this is true for all camcorder brands, not just Canon. Canon’s low-end Elura and ZR-series camcorders still use CMY color filtering while the more expensive Optura series uses an RGB color filter and the DiG!C DV chip for improved imaging. Sony’s upper-end single-chip HC90 & HC96 camcorders also use a primary color filter.

3-chip cameras (both CCD and CMOS sensor-types) offer the best color resolution, color-fidelity and signal-to-noise ratio and, as such, are typically used in professional-grade video equipment. The downside is cost – 3-chip cameras are more expensive to produce than equivalent 1-chip cameras. Just as Canon aggressively markets its RGB filter technology to consumers, Panasonic has been aggressively marketing the benefits of 3-CCD technology through its mid-range and high-end consumer cameras. Unfortunately, there is always a trade off – the money spent on producing a 3-CCD camera has to be taken away from other aspects of the camera such as the lens, stabilization system, display, etc.

Regarding whether or not Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) is that much better than Digital/Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) - if you're buying a Sony camcorder perhaps not. Buy any other brand and there will likely be a noticeable difference...
Link to article

The following web sites have a great deal of useful information for camcorder buyers. Some of them have full-resolution frame-grabs, photo samples, and even video downloads available. Four of them have audio downloads from camera noise tests.

DVinfo.net
Panasonic 3CCD User
VideoZona.ru
MagazineVideo.com
SimplyDV.co.uk
CNet.com Digital Camcorders
EasyCamcorders.com
SonyHDVinfo.com
DVspot.com

hey guys, so i have decided on my new/first camcorder...the Sony HC42.

i love and have a lotta need for making small video clips and merging, editing and other nick nacky things. Iv been using a kodak easyshare dx7630 6.1 megapixel camara (the video feature) for bout 1 1/2 years now...................i know i know, please dont ban me PONCHO...i have descraced all of you with my pathetic attempt to make video with a digital camara. im truely sorry for any pain i might have cuased you.

so anywhay just thought id share the great news as i am extremely excited and await the arrival <starring out the window for the FedEx truck>

But i had a question, what would be the best software, that has alot of features, but at least some what user friendly?

thanks guys!

PONCHO has only banned spammers.

You might want to consider:
Sony Vegas Movie Studio + DVD List US $89.95

Good luck on your adventure WhiteWizard!



Rich

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FireWire Survey

Hi, I'm new to the camcorder world, and new to this forum. I think I've decided to get the Sony HC90...now, about the media, is this compatible with tapes with a memory chip? I heard that tapes with the chip feature allow you to download specific segments of the video onto your PC (as opposed to having to download the entire contents)..is that true?

I use the JVC GY-DV300U. This is a 3 CCD camera using 1/3" chips. It has both auto and manual audio level controls and has xlr microphone inputs. It has performed well for me in low light. It is JVC's lowest priced professional camcorder. It does not have things like digital zoom and still pictures found on most consumer and prosumer cameras.

Kent McVety

I am in the process of looking for a camcorder that I plan on keeping for some time. My requirements are simple. I am looking for something that is durable, good in low light condiotns and is quick and steady in it's auto focusing abilities. If anyone has any suggestions I would be most obliged. I have done some research, but thus far have not found anything around the $500-650 range that effectively combines all three features.

Hi,
Not to long ago our house got robbed. I had a sony trv280 that got robbed, and our insurence company is going to pay us for the camera, but I'm not sure if I want the same one. I have about five hi8 tapes from the camera with important things on them and don't want to lose them if I get a mini dv camera, but I would rather get a mini dv camera because they are smaller and probably have better quality. Is there any way I can get my hi8 tapes onto vcr or dvd for less than like $20.
Thanks

Hello everyone. Christmas is closing in and Im planning to buy myself a camcorder. Ive got a 1000 euro budget, so thats about 1300 U.S dollars. Ive been checking out the Canon and Sony camcorders and I think I should go with the Canon Opteron 600. What do you guys say, and what do you think would be a good camera for me?
The camera would go to making short documentaries and films, so I would need good low-light qualities and preferrably not a "point and shoot" interface.

Thanks a lot

Thanks for the help ktnr2. The Canon Optura 50 seems like a well rounded model and is right up my price range-- "Rather your problem is how to get professional lighting and sound within a budget that barely buys a decent consumer camera let alone much else." --It seems like the Optura is a pretty decent consumer camera and i was thinking of putting an external mic if i get this model which i will research more. Thanks for the help.

The Optura 50 certainly isn't perfect and there are any number of higher-priced cameras which outperform it. However, the feature-set and performance for the current $445 price makes the Optura 50 an excellent value.

The automatic white balance on the Optura 50 is more easily fooled in difficult lighting than rival cameras so you may frequently find yourself manually choosing a white balance setting. It's not a huge problem since the controls are easily accessed but it’s something to be aware of. Low-light is not this camera’s strong suit due to image noise.

A more serious issue is that a minority of units exhibit higher than normal tape transport noise. Several people including myself have had to exchange cameras that were much louder than they should have been. I haven’t heard of anyone who got two bad cameras in a row though.

Strengths:
Optical Image Stabilization (unheard of at this price-point)
Easily accessed controls
True, high-resolution 16:9 widescreen mode
Microphone-in port with manual audio level control (unusual at this price-point)
Accessory shoe (cold)
Tilting, extendable viewfinder

Weaknesses:
Other cameras provide a better image in low light
Automatic white balance could be both more accurate and more consistent.