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Posted by: enforcer Mar 12 2009, 11:38 AM

Hey fellow GMCers,

As some of you may be aware of it but my friend from who I'm used to lend the video camera sold it due to economical problems So I need a cheap video cam to record SI video lessons and my lesson attempts. The crucial point here is that the video cam should be cheap, with a firewire dumping ability to simplify things. Maybe a webcam which can record at high fps' can be useful too. Anyway, I await your opinions about the subject.

Cheers

Posted by: Kristofer Dahl Mar 12 2009, 12:59 PM

I think this is a good topic - we need recommendations for cheap but working video equipment for the upcoming REC program as well.

Unfortunately I haven't got any recommendations myself. Let's see if others can help us.

Posted by: Marek Rojewski Mar 12 2009, 01:05 PM

I have VP-D361 Samsung camera, the quality of the image can be seen on videos in the upload section or following the Youtube link in my signature. Considering I haven't set anything in it, just use it how it came ( I bought an used one because of much lower price ), most probably the quality could be improved in many ways. Also using multiple light sources that I don't have. So I can recommend it, although maybe there are cheaper ones that will do the trick on equal level.

Posted by: Sensible Jones Mar 12 2009, 04:54 PM

Hey Can, I have the same problem and was chatting to Fran about it, this is his advice about Cameras:-

"The 8 MP are probably interpolated, so forget about that. As I said 2 real MP is probably more than you'll need, and even 640x480 (which is like half a MP) is already a pretty good size for REC purposes.

Quality of image is what you need The thing is that webcams that provide a decent image quality will most certainly feature 1 or 2 real MP resolution "

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Logitech-2-0MP-Quickcam-Webcam-Notebooks-Pro-9000_W0QQitemZ390036599091QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_ComputerComponents_Webcams?hash=item390036599091&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1690|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318 is the one that Fran and some of the other Instructors use/recommend!!!

Posted by: Matt23 Mar 12 2009, 05:06 PM

I have Canon Md-235. It works well and is quite cheap. the only drawback is the picture starts to grain a bit in low light. For your SI lessons it should be alright as long as you don't use a black background.

The only general advice I have about cameras is get a Mini-Dv one. You get a lot more for your moeny that way and they don't compress you're video like a flash card or DVD one would.

Posted by: Fran Mar 12 2009, 06:14 PM

QUOTE (Sensible Jones @ Mar 12 2009, 04:54 PM)

Hey Can, I have the same problem and was chatting to Fran about it, this is his advice about Cameras:-

"The 8 MP are probably interpolated, so forget about that. As I said 2 real MP is probably more than you'll need, and even 640x480 (which is like half a MP) is already a pretty good size for REC purposes.

Quality of image is what you need The thing is that webcams that provide a decent image quality will most certainly feature 1 or 2 real MP resolution "

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Logitech-2-0MP-Quickcam-Webcam-Notebooks-Pro-9000_W0QQitemZ390036599091QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_ComputerComponents_Webcams?hash=item390036599091&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1690|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318 is the one that Fran and some of the other Instructors use/recommend!!!

Posted by: enforcer Mar 12 2009, 06:36 PM

All of you, thank you for your help, and ofcourse the more are the ideas, the better is the outcome

Posted by: Caelumamittendum Mar 12 2009, 06:40 PM

Not a new idea. Logitech quick cam 9000 for me as well. Works great.

Posted by: DeepRoots Mar 12 2009, 06:47 PM

Toshiba H10 for me, one of the cheaper models offering HD. Its nice that it records to the SD card and links up by usb for transfer- lovely

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Mar 12 2009, 10:28 PM

Logitech quick cam 9000 is a good deal, but if you want a instructor lesson video quality, it is best to use mini DV camcoder. They are cheap now, and any will do the job. They have better lenses than webcams, which is very important, cause the bigger and more quality the lens is - the better it will absorb the light and direct it to the CCD chip, thus giving a more realistic image. Good lightning is also very important, at least 2x500W lights will give you optimal results, but three lights are minimum in a good lightning setup. My suggestion would be:

2x300W in front of you, left and right
1x150W light in the back for creating a good edge on you.

Posted by: Bogdan Radovic Mar 12 2009, 10:31 PM

I can recommend SONY DCR-HC51 MiniDV Camcorder.Its as simple as it gets and very good quality and reliable.You transfer the footage via firewire either directly when shooting or after from the miniDV tape.Its really a best buy (cheap) cam here when I think about it....I definitely recommend a miniDV cam for far superior results in relation to any webcam.MiniDV is old but proven and still in use (on TV etc) standard so you can find these cams fairly cheap.



http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/1061956/art/sony/dcr-hc51-minidv-camcorder.html

Posted by: enforcer Apr 23 2009, 04:18 PM

Thanks people and sorry for late answer, I think I'll go for a SONY DCR-HC51 MiniDV Camcorder.

Thanks for your help!

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Apr 23 2009, 09:21 PM

No prob mate, glad to help! That Sony cam will I think give you a great picture, nice choice!