11 replies to this topic

[OfAllTheNerf]

So, I've been looking for a good camcorder in the $300 range. After a preliminary search I found this, and was wondering if it was any good/worth the money.

Also, I was wondering if it would be better if I just bought a $300 digital camera, so I could take good stills too.

I don't know if there are any serious photographers/people who film things here, but I thought I might as well ask.

-OfAll'

[Flaming Hilt]

Also, I was wondering if it would be better if I just bought a $300 digital camera, so I could take good stills too.

2nd.

[sam]

I got this baby for Christmas and love it. 10x optical zoom is awesome, plus it has a record feature. I'm not sure how good the record feature is but, I will be testing it out in the near future. It says its $350 on that website, but you should be able to find it for cheaper. I got mine for about $250.

[OfAllTheNerf]

Okay, thanks you two.

Also, I was wondering if it would be better if I just bought a $300 digital camera, so I could take good stills too.

2nd.

Have you had any experience with filming on a Digital Camera? Mine sux0rz, and it skips every couple second (misses a large chunk of frames). It is a crappy 5.1 megapixel thing though.

[Flaming Hilt]

I have. I don't have my camera around but I believe it's a 7.1 MP Elph, and anybody will tell you Elphs are pretty nice cameras. I got it for Christmas.

Anyways, when filming I just always have it on the "fast frame rate" setting, which produces almost unbelievable crisp recordings. I've got a short video up on photobucket, but... well it's hosted by photobucket so it's not nearly as good as it is on the camera itself.

[General Cole]

Sony Handycam with a digital card. Works fine. I like mine and have had no problems, well, except when the person taking video forgets to record to the CARD and not the TAPE, but its really nice and has built in IR LEDs.

[OfAllTheNerf]

Hmmmm...

Now the decision is hard. Is there a large difference between the resolutions of a digicam/camcorder of the same cost?

If there is I'm probably just going to go with the camcorer, just because I already have a relatively nice camera.

Are there any other pros/cons that I should worry about?

[imaseoulman]

It all depends on what you're using it for. I have and love an RCA Small Wonder (similar to Flip Video). It's very small and lightweight, but it's meant for youtube type videos (it's automatically compressed as an MP4). If you're just looking to record things for memory/sharing sake, it's the best bang for your buck.

On the other hand, if you want something for making high quality movies to watch on a large screen TV, it's not a good idea. For that you should get something similar to what your preliminay search turned up. Keep in mind that if you get MiniDV you're going to need a FireWire and they can be pretty expensive (they can also be very cheap if you search online). Getting a camcorder that records directly to DVD is nice, but they are bit pricier. You should be able to find one for $300 (but not much cheaper).

I personally don't like the camcorder feature on most digital cameras because of the way the audio sounds. But again, if you only want to make videos to share online and watch on your computer, it's fine.

[bpso86]

I've been using my camcorder, Panasonic PV-GS80 for a little while now. It's a mini-dv, and like imaseoulman said, you need a firewire cable to transfer the videos. It takes great footage, has optical image stabilization for surprisingly still footage, and it's relatively inexpensive (list is 250ish, deals range from quite a bit cheaper though).

http://www2.panasoni...000000000005702

I'd recommend purchasing a camcorder if you've already got a camera. The one I have also has a 32x optical zoom, which is way more than you need. It's a great little camera, very portable, long battery life, and the semi-more pricey models have quite a few options to choose from, if you need.

[shadowkid33]

Honestly, don't use a basic digital camera to record video. You will regret it, trust me. I have a
Canon Elura 100 I got a few years back as a Christmas gift. I'd recommend it, but it's not available anymore. You'd need to buy it used.

[CaptainSlug]

Have you had any experience with filming on a Digital Camera?

I do, with a Canon Powershot A530. Video quality is pretty good at 640x480 in MJPEG.
I've recorded all of my videos in the past year with it.
Almost all Canon digital cameras now record at 640x480 @ 30fps

The quality of the video recorded by a digital camera is entirely dependent upon the quality of the camera. The only brands I would recommend for digital are Canon, Olympus, and Minolta (in that order.)
You can get a Canon Powershot Pro S5 for around $300.
http://www.amazon.co...05155337&sr=8-6

Edited by CaptainSlug, 10 March 2008 - 08:25 AM.

[OfAllTheNerf]

Okay, after thinking it over and reading various articles on the web (and taking into account all your comments), I've decided to just get a camcorder. I already have a camera too, so I thought it wasn't a bad idea to get whatever extra resolution I could.

Thank you everyone for your advice.