Buying A Video Camera... But I Know Nothing About Them! |
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Buying A Video Camera... But I Know Nothing About Them! |
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Jul 2 2008, 11:01 PM |
Vacation time is near, and I'm thinking of getting a video camera, both to shoot some silly vacation vids, but also to maybe record some guitar stuff and post some small vids on youtube and whatnot...
But... I know NOTHING about video cameras I did some research and there seem to be three kinds: Mini DV (they record on a small digital tape), DVD (they record on a small size DVD), and HD (They record on... surprise!... HD). I don't want to spend much on a video camera, won't use it that often, and I'm unsure what to get. I guess HD cameras are the best, but they are quite pricey. The ones that use miniDV seem old, and the ones that use DVD might be good... but I have some doubts: What kind of file do these cameras record the movie in? normal .mpg? .avi? Other strange kind of file? I'd like a file that is easy to transfer to the computer so I can upload/change it's format easily. Is that possible with any kind of camera? Can you take a movie from a mini DV camera and put it on your hard drive as an mpg? And from a DVD camera? Too many questions, I'll stop now Long question short: what camera to get for a newbie who wants to upload some stuff on youtube and shoot some vacation clips? -------------------- Guitars:
Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster, Ibanez RG2570MZ, Epiphone SG G-400 Amp: Vox AC4TVH head + V112TV cab Effects: Vox Satchurator, Vox Time Machine, Dunlop CryBaby, Boss MT-2, Boss CE-5, Boss TU-2, Boss ME-70 Recording: Line-6 POD X3 + FBV-Express, Pandora PX5D GMC wants YOU to take part in our Guitar-Wikipedia! Have a good time reading great articles and writing your own with us in our GUITAR WIKI! Share your playing and get Pro-advice from our Instructors: Join REC |
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Jul 2 2008, 11:22 PM |
-------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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Jul 2 2008, 11:44 PM |
I was also browsing for a cam and eas under the impression that a HD cam would be the best, which it probaly is qualitywise but the salesman explained to me that I can't burn it onto a regular DVD and play it. I have to have a PS3 (so I recon it requires a blueray) and if not I have to use the camera to connect to the TV to watch my recordings.
I've noticed my old brick camera was very good for recording when it was dark, my newer Hi8 cam was lousy. Picture went skippy and blurred and nightvision is just black/green like a dreadful IBM AS/400. Not fun when recording the kids schoolplay and shows since it's nearly impossible. One salesman said all cameras are like that if you want to record in the dark. The newer and smaller the less night quality shots according to him. ...I don't know. For my next cam (I got sick and tired of looking and gave up) I will check for a descent lux/lumen/candela whatever value for good night recording. Also, a must is a Harddrive in the camera and that it has a USB connection so it's easy to bring the film onto the computer. About the youtube there are cameras that record in what they call "youtube format". Beats me what that is, got it in our Canon snapshot that can also record flicks. - Harddrive - USB - Good specs on shooting in darkness Hope you find a good one! -------------------- My bands homepage
All time favourites: B. Streisand - Woman in Love, M. Hopkin - Those were the days, L. Richie - Hello |
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Jul 2 2008, 11:55 PM |
I would suggest MiniDV cam , it records on tape and than you can transfer it in your computer using firewire connection (in real time though)...DVD cams make dvd discs so its cool that way, but than it gets pretty difficult(and takes time) to convert such files in different format for editing etc..HD ones I guess save files on hard drive in .avi or mpg format..That seems very interesting option and fastest one...All those 1CCD cams will perform similar for your purpose so choose what you like
-------------------- For GMC support please email support (at) guitarmasterclass.net
Check out my lessons and my instructor board. Check out my beginner guitar lessons course! ; Take a bass course now! |
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Jul 2 2008, 11:59 PM |
Thanks guys for the advice/links.
I'm doing loads of reading, can't believe this topic is so dense! How can the rest of teh world upload stuff on youtube so easily! It takes a rocket scientist to figure out what format these different makers store their files in! I was finally looking at a hard drive nice JVC, but then I find out they store the files in MOD format, which seems to be the same thing as mpg if you just rename it! Now how weird is that?! The ones that record on mini DVD are not really good as they store the files as .VOB (like dvd films), and I wouldn't like having to convert them to .mpg (to upload the on youtube). Then we have the miniDV (tape) recorders... and these ones seem to need a firewire connection, which I don't have (First thing I ever find to need a firewire! haven't these people heard of USB 2.0!!?) OMG, can't believe it's so complicated. I guess my easiest solution is to get a hard drice recorder that actually records in .mpg directly, if such thing exists!, but then again, they are a bit pricey... at least for a camera that I won't use that much in the first place. -------------------- Guitars:
Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster, Ibanez RG2570MZ, Epiphone SG G-400 Amp: Vox AC4TVH head + V112TV cab Effects: Vox Satchurator, Vox Time Machine, Dunlop CryBaby, Boss MT-2, Boss CE-5, Boss TU-2, Boss ME-70 Recording: Line-6 POD X3 + FBV-Express, Pandora PX5D GMC wants YOU to take part in our Guitar-Wikipedia! Have a good time reading great articles and writing your own with us in our GUITAR WIKI! Share your playing and get Pro-advice from our Instructors: Join REC |
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Jul 3 2008, 12:35 AM |
Buying firewire psi card that you insert in your computer is very cheap , like 15$
Its a great connection... -------------------- For GMC support please email support (at) guitarmasterclass.net
Check out my lessons and my instructor board. Check out my beginner guitar lessons course! ; Take a bass course now! |
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Jul 3 2008, 12:42 AM |
Avoid JVC if you can. They have a history of being bricked after the guarantee expired. It just gives a cryptical error number, google for "E03 safeguard mode". Ouch! I'll stay away from JVC then Buying firewire psi card that you insert in your computer is very cheap , like 15$ Its a great connection... Problem is I usually work with laptops, and I'm afraid I can't get a firewire card for a laptop. Besides having to wait the length of the film to put it in the hard drive seems like a drawback. Will investigate the firewire adapters for laptops though, just in case. -------------------- Guitars:
Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster, Ibanez RG2570MZ, Epiphone SG G-400 Amp: Vox AC4TVH head + V112TV cab Effects: Vox Satchurator, Vox Time Machine, Dunlop CryBaby, Boss MT-2, Boss CE-5, Boss TU-2, Boss ME-70 Recording: Line-6 POD X3 + FBV-Express, Pandora PX5D GMC wants YOU to take part in our Guitar-Wikipedia! Have a good time reading great articles and writing your own with us in our GUITAR WIKI! Share your playing and get Pro-advice from our Instructors: Join REC |
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Jul 3 2008, 12:51 AM |
Take the miniDV mate, it is far the best option. Firewire PCI expansion card is very cheap as well.
-------------------- - Ivan's Video Chat Lesson Notes HERE
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Jul 3 2008, 01:33 AM |
Well its a set back having to wait for transfer from miniDV to computer but remember that miniDV is a great format - still very much in use today for professional work (tv stations etc)....
Newer laptops should also feature firewire slots... -------------------- For GMC support please email support (at) guitarmasterclass.net
Check out my lessons and my instructor board. Check out my beginner guitar lessons course! ; Take a bass course now! |
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Jul 3 2008, 05:43 AM |
Avoid JVC if you can. They have a history of being bricked after the guarantee expired. It just gives a cryptical error number, google for "E03 safeguard mode". Some gets E01, E04 or E05 but it's the same problem. Lots of ppl have ended up with nice JVC bricks, I'm one of them It's just abit more than 2 years old and have been running for less then 10 hours in total, counting filming and transfering to a computer. The time and cost to fix it makes it better to go and buy a new of another brand. They have been sued for it and settled for a deal to avoid a trial. /edit: Oh. I didn't notice the fact that you don't want a miniDV, which I presumed. I would suggest a miniDV or some of the new HD-cams. Anyway, I will never buy a JVC of any kind again. I have a JVC that broke in that way too but they fixed it at no cost after the warranty time had run our. They told me it was such a common error they had to. I also found the error code on the internet together with instructions how to get it fixed and we managed right in time before the free period had passed. I think the last day the did it for free was Dec 31 -07 The problem if I remember well was with the shutter. But like you say, no more JVC. -------------------- My bands homepage
All time favourites: B. Streisand - Woman in Love, M. Hopkin - Those were the days, L. Richie - Hello |
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Jul 3 2008, 01:01 PM |
I was also browsing for a cam and eas under the impression that a HD cam would be the best, which it probaly is qualitywise but the salesman explained to me that I can't burn it onto a regular DVD and play it. One slight add to that Micke - any type of video can be converted to any format with some effort. If you want something you can take straight out of your camera and just sling in your DVD player and watch, the sales guy was absolutely right, but I would always edit my video anyway - cut scenes and maybe add captions etc. When you have done this with an editor such as Sony Vegas, you have a wide choice of export formats, and DVD is almost always an option with all software - the software will do the conversion for you. So, although HD can only be represented fully on Blu Ray, or in HiDef computer files, you can get it onto DVD quite easily. DVD, quality wise falls between HD and regular def video cameras like the other models mentioned. If you convert footage from a regular camera to DVD you won't get full DVD quality. If you convert HD to DVD you will get full DVD quality, although it will be a little lower quality than the HD camera is ultimately capable of if you burn it to BluRay instead. -------------------- Check out my Instructor profile
Live long and prosper ... My Stuff: Electric Guitars : Ibanez Jem7v, Line6 Variax 700, Fender Plus Strat with 57/62 Pickups, Line6 Variax 705 Bass Acoustic Guitars : Taylor 816ce, Martin D-15, Line6 Variax Acoustic 300 Nylon Effects : Line6 Helix, Keeley Modded Boss DS1, Keeley Modded Boss BD2, Keeley 4 knob compressor, Keeley OxBlood Amps : Epiphone Valve Jnr & Head, Cockburn A.C.1, Cockburn A.C.2, Blackstar Club 50 Head & 4x12 Cab |
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Jul 3 2008, 03:19 PM |
Ok, taking everything you guys told me and loads of reading around the net, it seems that the only camera thet doesn't need a firewire and records in mpg directly are Sony Hard drive cameras!
I found a nice one with a 40 GB harddrive, worth around 400 €, which is more that I intended to spend. I wouldn't mind getting a miniDV if only they didn't use firewire... my laptops don't have firewire. -------------------- Guitars:
Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster, Ibanez RG2570MZ, Epiphone SG G-400 Amp: Vox AC4TVH head + V112TV cab Effects: Vox Satchurator, Vox Time Machine, Dunlop CryBaby, Boss MT-2, Boss CE-5, Boss TU-2, Boss ME-70 Recording: Line-6 POD X3 + FBV-Express, Pandora PX5D GMC wants YOU to take part in our Guitar-Wikipedia! Have a good time reading great articles and writing your own with us in our GUITAR WIKI! Share your playing and get Pro-advice from our Instructors: Join REC |
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Jul 3 2008, 03:29 PM |
In my experience, Sony products are usually worth the extra if you can afford it ...
-------------------- Check out my Instructor profile
Live long and prosper ... My Stuff: Electric Guitars : Ibanez Jem7v, Line6 Variax 700, Fender Plus Strat with 57/62 Pickups, Line6 Variax 705 Bass Acoustic Guitars : Taylor 816ce, Martin D-15, Line6 Variax Acoustic 300 Nylon Effects : Line6 Helix, Keeley Modded Boss DS1, Keeley Modded Boss BD2, Keeley 4 knob compressor, Keeley OxBlood Amps : Epiphone Valve Jnr & Head, Cockburn A.C.1, Cockburn A.C.2, Blackstar Club 50 Head & 4x12 Cab |
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Jul 3 2008, 03:40 PM |
In my experience, Sony products are usually worth the extra if you can afford it ... I really can confirm that !You can't go wrong with Sony! |
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Jul 3 2008, 03:45 PM |
I agree, I like Sony, I usually buy most my stuff from Sony and Samsung. Didn't want to spend so much on a camera though, but I guess it's better to get something good once rather than buying some crappy thing and having to buy another one later than the road...
This post has been edited by Fran: Jul 3 2008, 03:46 PM -------------------- Guitars:
Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster, Ibanez RG2570MZ, Epiphone SG G-400 Amp: Vox AC4TVH head + V112TV cab Effects: Vox Satchurator, Vox Time Machine, Dunlop CryBaby, Boss MT-2, Boss CE-5, Boss TU-2, Boss ME-70 Recording: Line-6 POD X3 + FBV-Express, Pandora PX5D GMC wants YOU to take part in our Guitar-Wikipedia! Have a good time reading great articles and writing your own with us in our GUITAR WIKI! Share your playing and get Pro-advice from our Instructors: Join REC |
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