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Does anyone know much about HD camcorders?
Can they still be played back on a regular telly?
Would I need any special software on the pc in order to upload/edit my filming?
Will probably upgrade my telly to an HD one before I replace this new camcorder so figured I may as well get an HD one now.
Any advice would be great....i'm watching a couple on fleabay, so soonish would be even better lol
Yeh i know quite alot. Which models were you looking at exactly? They work in different ways.
With most you'll be able to capture, edit and export as normal, and will work fine on standard tvs. but the files are alot larger. What spec is you computer also?
I'm not sure which models - kinda need guidance on that too!
But i'm doing it on a budget so trying to keep cost down without giving up too much quality.
There are a few on ebay at the moment - Sony's seem to be the best but the prices soar as the auctions end so I have to sit them out!
There is one on there finishing tomorrow eve... RRP £780 - currently at £185 Sony Cam
Not sure exactly what you need to know about the laptop but...
Dell Inspiron 1300
Intel Celeron M
1.60GHz
1.24GB RAM
Running XP H.Ed
Your laptop would struggle with digitalising HD work. Does it have to be HD? what about a 3CCD camera? I'm just about to pop out so can't go into much. Let me know your budget and requirements and I'll have a search round for you later/tomorrow!
Is my laptop a bit pants then?!
TBH, I have next to zilch knowledge about camcorders!!
I had only thought about getting HD because I thought it might be the way to go, but the prices are a little over my limit.
I'm going to start saving and it may mean that it ends up being a xmas prezzie for him it if means saving for that long for something more worthwhile.
The camcorder that he just broke was pretty ancient and had basic functionalities so anything would probably be an improvement!
Are there any basic guidelines to follow...minimum megapixels's etc?
No your laptops not that bad, but it will struggle rendering, capturing and storing HD files, they're massive. HD cams normally record onto an onboard HardDrive on the camera, or compress HD footage down onto a MiniDV tape. When it's transferred onto your computer (Digitalised) it expands, and unless you've got a pretty top end computer you'll struggle to do anything with them.
If your just looking for a worthy replacement of a camcorder than I'd look at getting a 3 chip cam.
Basically look for cameras that have 3CCDs. A CCD is the chip in a camera that effectively turns light and colour into picture. A camera with 3CCDs (3 chip) contains 3 different chips, each one for each primary colour. Most cameras have 1 chip, so a 3 chip has alot more clarity in image and colour compared.
Once the bench mark is set at 3CCD, look at other features that make the camera stand out. Large optical zoom, Number of ND filters, progressive scan capabilities, manual white balance functions, full colour LCD screens are all plus'.
I would imagine size comes in as a large factor also?
Unfortunately i'm quite old fashioned when it comes to camera equipment, so I'm not too clued up on latest releases.But I'msure there are alot of very portalbe sized 3 chip cameras by the likes of Panasonic and Canon.
My recommendations would be along the lines of boarder line broadcasting quality cameras from the early 2000s. But they're probably not very much use to you as they are not very portable in size. if you come across a Sony TRV900, the Vx2100 or the Canon XM2 on eBay or something I'd strongly recommend these.
Other than that, have a search around for something in your price range and run it by me if you like.
Tim, you are a star. Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out.
I've found one that I like the look of.....what do you think?
The model is JVC GZ-MG330 and I like the look of it.
Here's the spec:
Hard Drive Hard disc drive - built-in - 30 GB
Display 2.7" wide, 112k-pixel
Optical Zoom 35 x
Digital zoom 800 x
Record Format SD-VIDEO Entertainment Video Recorder Profile: Video: MPEG-2-PS / Audio: Dolby Digital (2ch), Still: JPEG
Storage Media 1.8" Hard Disk Drive (Embedded), microSD Memory Card
Focal Length 2.2 - 77.0 (35mm film equivalent: 36.0 - 1260.0)
Camera CCD 1/6"
Effective Pixels 400k-pixel
Video Recording Time (max.) 7hr 10min (ULTRA FINE) / 37hr 30min (ECO)
Interfaces USB2.0 High-Speed Transfer
Dimensions (WxHxL) 54 x 68 x 113 mm
Weight 315 g
There's one on fleabay - If the price stays low enough then i'll go for it - unless you tell me its not worth it of course! (it's currently at £47 with 19hours left to go)
Yeh that camera looks pretty good. It works with an onboard HardDrive (as you probably well know) so you can dip in and out of your footage, without scanning through it all like you do on tapes. Great for on teh move kind of stuff. do you know if it's expandable memory? That's always a plus, but not essential.
They retail as low as £210 new, so it maybe an idea to ring that company and offer them £150 or so for that camera. For as said in the description, it's not 100% brand new.
