Sony camcorder

[fireblade05]

Hi all,

I'm trying to get convince myself (and my wife!) to buy a camcorder for recording short movie clips of our 2 little tots. While I have some background with DSLRs, I'm a complete noob when it comes to camcorders.

I predict I will be taking alot of indoor and outdoor shots so a add-on flash and fast lens would be necessary in low light conditions for my kids.

Would prefer to use a HDD system due to it's capacity (seriously I've no idea how much recording time I would get with a 80gb HDD @ the highest possible resolution - any clues? )

Is it possible to mount a additional microphone as well ?

Last but not least, I do quite abit of fishing at night as well and am keen towards the Sony camcorders because of the nightshot feature. Is Sony the only brand that offers this ?

What other factors (other than budget) should I consider ? I don't mind spending abit more because I'm hoping this camcorder will last for at least 5 years....

[obfuscate]

You will probably need to consider the software and hardware to process the movies, especially it is recorded in a format like AVCHD.

Canons like the HF100 is pretty good and cheap now although there is no nightshot kinda mode.

[tSkye]

I'd recommend Panasonic camcorders. I have been using one MX400 for quite some time. With its 3 CCDs, it really shows vibrant colours.

Since you're willing to spend a bit more, try looking at the Panasonic HDC-HS30. It's the highest resolution camera on the market so far, with 120GB capacity and 50 hours of recording time to fill up that space.

[Roark Stiggs]

Originally Posted by obfuscate You will probably need to consider the software and hardware to process the movies, especially it is recorded in a format like AVCHD. Canons like the HF100 is pretty good and cheap now although there is no nightshot kinda mode.

Yeah, agreed. AVCHD can be a little troublesome for editing. Wouldn't be too much of an issue if you don't intend to do a lot of editing though.

I'm using a HF11 regularly. Quite similar to the HF100 other than faster bitrate due to the new encoder. Would be able to capture fast-moving stuff (kids?) with less blur, but would be a little on the steep side as compared to HF100.

I do think that Sony's touchscreen interfaces on their camcorders are more user-friendly though.

[fireblade05]

How is the resolution "measured" in the video world ? Megapixiels or sensor size ? or something else completely different ?

This AVCHD format .... hard to convert as in the processing time takes a long time like tape ? i.e one hour recording = one hour play time to convert to other media? Is this format used by Sony only ? Seriously, i don't think I'm too concerned with the format so as long I can play the videos on my PAL TV and laptop easily.

I also do a fair bit of travelling due to work commitments (now lesser due to the crisis) and I don't want to be bogged down by accessories or media (additional cards, tapes etc etc), that's why thinking of the harddisk models.

Thanks for the replies so far, sorry if I sound like a newbie ... cos I really am

[Roark Stiggs]

Originally Posted by fireblade05 How is the resolution "measured" in the video world ? Megapixiels or sensor size ? or something else completely different ? This AVCHD format .... hard to convert as in the processing time takes a long time like tape ? i.e one hour recording = one hour play time to convert to other media? Is this format used by Sony only ? Seriously, i don't think I'm too concerned with the format so as long I can play the videos on my PAL TV and laptop easily. I also do a fair bit of travelling due to work commitments (now lesser due to the crisis) and I don't want to be bogged down by accessories or media (additional cards, tapes etc etc), that's why thinking of the harddisk models. Thanks for the replies so far, sorry if I sound like a newbie ... cos I really am

Resolution isn't really important in consumer video cameras as they usually come in just a few common resolutions. For example, older cameras that are on DV and miniDV tapes record in 720 x 576. Newer HD cameras, which you are probably considering, can shoot in either one of two HD resolutions - 1366 x 720 or 1920 x 1080 (i.e. "full HD"). Most HD cameras are able to scale the videos down in resolution when you are capturing it to the PC, but that kind of defeats the purpose of having a DV camera.

AVCHD is not used by Sony only, and yes, capturing from the camera is easier because you can drag and drop the .mts files directly from the camera. The disadvantage is that not many editing software support this format now. According to Wikipedia, a few common ones that do now are Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, Premiere Elements 7 and above, Sony Vegas 7 and above and Apple Final Cut Pro 6 onwards. AVCHD is also more troublesome to edit as it takes more processing power to decode the video.

If I'm not mistaken, AVCHD cameras usually run on flash memory instead of hard disks since the .mts files are smaller in comparison to say, .avi HD footages. So you wouldn't have to worry about damage to the hard disk.

If you wanna know, I'm still a fan of miniDV and HDV tape formats. Currently being bogged down by AVCHD footage that I can't edit!

[jaegersing]

There are some "discrepancies" about HD resolutions in Roark's post.

The most common HD resolutions are:

1280x720
1440x1080 (HDV)
1920x1080 (Full HD)

And file size is not dependent on file extension. What's important is the amount of compression used and the codec. Just knowing that a file has an AVI extension doesn't tell you what codec it is using or how much compression. And in fact, some mp4 formats including AVCHD use AVI for the file extension.

[Roark Stiggs]

Originally Posted by jaegersing There are some "discrepancies" about HD resolutions in Roark's post. The most common HD resolutions are: 1280x720 1440x1080 (HDV) 1920x1080 (Full HD) And file size is not dependent on file extension. What's important is the amount of compression used and the codec. Just knowing that a file has an AVI extension doesn't tell you what codec it is using or how much compression. And in fact, some mp4 formats including AVCHD use AVI for the file extension.

Thanks for pointing out my mistakes.

[Paladin]

I bought the Sony HDV cam recently at the HN warehouse sale...just 900. But it uses miniDV but i heard HDV format is less compression compared to AVCHD.

[TsQ]

miniDV is good as storage.. it can last 15 yrs at least if u keep it in dry cabinet..

while with HDD type.. which i am using also no.. u need to hv a good backup system ..

[fireblade05]

Hm ... alittle confusing for me.

So more compression = good or bad?

I guess I should be looking at something that can record 1920x1080 (Full HD) at least ?

Like I've said, i'm slanted towards the Sony models cos of the nightshot modes... any recommended models ?