Hi,

Looking to buy my first camcorder and I've just become perplexed by all the different options available.

In terms of usage, it's going to mainly get used for dull old family/holiday shots for burning onto DVD. However on rare (and I stress rare) occasions I might want to use it for semi-professional multimedia projects as I do some freelance work in that area.

I started out thinking that I'd restrict myself to HDD cams for the simple reason that it seems obvious to me that that's the way the whole market is heading and that in a few years time miniDV and other formats will be effectively obsolete and it seemed crazy to be buying into a technology in it's death throes. So imagine my surprise when I discovered how few HDD cameras there were on the market!

So now I don't know which way to go. The HDD cam I had my eye on was the JVC MG-70, but I can get a panasonic miniDV GS400 for a similar price, and most reviewers seem to be raving about how good the GS400 is, while being very cool on the MG-70. I've also looked at the JVC MC-500 but that's more expensive, and more expensive still when I'd need to buy another microdrive.

So my questions are:
1) Is miniDV likely to be around as the leading format for a good many years yet?
2) Given my requirements - MG-70, GS-400, MC-500 or something else?

Cheers,
Matt

No one knows for sure. But I am betting on it. I will use MiniDV for at least five years. I've been exposed with the new formats since the late 60's. But that is just my opinion.

Rich

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FireWire Survey

I think that non-tape media are surely better than tape media (so that "digital tape" sometimes it seems to me like a sort of contradiction), but...
Digital video was born on DV and miniDV tapes, frail and already obsolete media, but it was finally digital.
At least, some new media appeared (DVD-R, solid-state RAMs, micro drives & HDDs) but these are new technologies, not always the best.
One more time, too, HD was born on (H)DV tapes, no matter for MPEG2 artifacts, it's so exciting!
HD needs new TV screen, new PC and new disc burner. More, are we sure that it will be the final HD standard?
Are we living in the future? Is our mind always there?
At the present, and this is the only time I'm really living, I still prefer a mature technology that works than a new performing promise.
MiniDV will not be forever, and soon it'll be no more "the leading format for a good many years yet", but cheap tapes will be still available for years (thanks to HDV,too).
Yes, HD solid state RAM camcorder (at least 20GB, of course, for 1 hour of HD MPEG2), maybe will be soon a big temptation. I'll like an HDD cam, too, but I prefer to find a removable HDD inside.
Tomorrow never knows, like an old song said...
Good luck with your troubles
olonoise

I disagree that miniDV tape is a) already obsolete or b) soon to be obsolete. It will be when disk-based camcorders can use removable drives that are as small as miniDV tapes and priced accordingly.

One thing many people seem to overlook is that hobbyists want, no, need to archive the footage they shoot. With a miniDV tape it is the archive. Once the video has been captured on a computer the tape is stored and never needs to be touched again barring a loss of the captured video. And it's small and easy to carry and store and extremely cost effective (a miniDV tape holds the equivalent of 13 GB of data).

With disk-based camcorders it is easy to copy the video files to a computer. But then the files are usually deleted from the drive to make way for more recording. Now there's only one copy. Unless you like to live dangerously, you'd be wise to immediately make a backup of your video. Choices are another disk drive, optical media such as DVDs, or, gasp! tape.

Plus you have to plan for a hard drive getting filled up while shooting in the field. You either need to carry a laptop to offload some video, which takes some time and occupies the camcorder while doing so, or you need to delete some files. Presumably you'd need to preview some of the files to determine which to delete or just take a chance. None of these options appeal to me compared to the ease with which a miniDV tape can be popped out and slipped into your pocket.

Sure, hard drive based camcorders are the future. As soon as they can record in DV format (and later HDV) and become cost effective, they take off. But I'm with Rich on this one. It'll be 5 years (at least) before anyone pronounced miniDV tape dead.

Just my 2 cents worth. As always, YMMV.

Good luck.

Dennis

I think MiniDV is a format that can be around for a long time. Heck, I still see VHS tapes for sale in stores. My guess is MiniDV will keep on going for some time. The good thing about MiniDV is the fact that the format is digital. This is good because picture quality doesn't deteriorate based on the medium. It's 0's and 1's. It's quality is just as good as anything written to hard disk or other medium. The only thing holding it back in my mind is the minimum size required for the tape transport and the fragile nature of the transport itself. Tendancies of eating tapes ect...

This has been the one big letdown with regard to the format, durability of the MiniDV camcorders themselves. I've had two so far. A Canon Optura Pi and Jvc DVM76. The DVM76 is still going fine, haven't used it too much, but the Optura became a tape eater. If you read enough of the forums you'll find that MiniDV cam breakdown is not an uncommon problem. A friend of mine that was an early adopter of MiniDV, had the original JVC matchbox camcorder has gone through 3 in a period of about 8 years. His current camcorder is a JVC HDD based one. He was sold on the fact that it would be more reliable. I'll be interested in seeing how he feels about the camcorder after a year or so of use.

From a review I've heard hard disks haven't been a very reliable medium for video or photos. One reviewer noted that IBM microdrives had a tendancy of failing after about a years worth of use. This is referenced from the DVSpot MC500 review. Also take a look at this interesting MicroDrive article. Considering that they aren't cheap, still 100's of dollars, I don't know that I would call that reliable. I was considering a JVC MC500 until I read that tidbit of information. The one good thing is that a drive can be replaced and the camcorder continue to work at a price lower than replacing a MiniDV transport. But what about the people who buy camcorders with unremoveable drives? Will manufacturers stick it to them with expensive replacement costs?

I think the jury will be out until we see how these new formats hold up under real world use. I'm waiting for a hard disk adapter type technology to come out in the future. My guess is someone will come up with a hard disk or solid state format drive that will be compatible with the MiniDV tape format. As drives become smaller and solid state memory become cheaper.

Mike

Adapter? FireStore "Direct To Edit Disk Recording"
http://www.focusinfo.com/products/f...e/firestore.htm



Rich

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I knew Firestore and others have solutions out today.
However, I was thinking of something more along the lines
of a drive that would fit in a MiniDV tape that could be
used to store video without any external unwieldly attachments.
Not to mention the firestore is a bit expensive and geared
for Pros.

I was also thinking maybe IPod would be capable of such a feat
somewhere down the road.

I've even seen some home brewed rig that use ultraportable
laptops.

Mike