handycam
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1. presume its used, how much is it?
2. you checked around for prices of non tape based HDvidcams?
3. are you comfortable with conversion of content from tape to digital format?
4. are you going to do editing after recording or just record and convert to digital format? if former, than tape or non tape does not matter
just sharing my questions that ran through my mind last year, when i transited from PC1000E(non HD dv tape) to CX12(flash based HDvidcam), never looked back at tape based cams again because of convenience. if you can spare 1.7K or so, go grab an old digicam and trade in to get a flash based HD videocam. quite worth it for a new cam IMHO
2. you checked around for prices of non tape based HDvidcams?
3. are you comfortable with conversion of content from tape to digital format?
4. are you going to do editing after recording or just record and convert to digital format? if former, than tape or non tape does not matter
just sharing my questions that ran through my mind last year, when i transited from PC1000E(non HD dv tape) to CX12(flash based HDvidcam), never looked back at tape based cams again because of convenience. if you can spare 1.7K or so, go grab an old digicam and trade in to get a flash based HD videocam. quite worth it for a new cam IMHO
There are only cons for minidv models now.
Inflexible and inconvenient - loss of quality during conversion to dvds, max 90min/tape, no 5.1 surround, additional weight and bulk during travels, tapes prone to damage/mould, difficult to share, difficult to manipulate (editing, sharing, burning, etc)
Cost - You need to constantly buy tapes
enough?
Inflexible and inconvenient - loss of quality during conversion to dvds, max 90min/tape, no 5.1 surround, additional weight and bulk during travels, tapes prone to damage/mould, difficult to share, difficult to manipulate (editing, sharing, burning, etc)
Cost - You need to constantly buy tapes
enough?
Found this review hope it helps some 1 like my self :thumbsup:
HDR-HC5E
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Review by Ben Russell (Good Gear Guide) 04/04/2007 11:03:16
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Sony's HDR-HC5E MiniDV handycam is labelled as a "hi-def" camera, and while it certainly does deliver video in impressive 1080i resolution, it's important to note that this doesn't necessarily guarantee that your movies will look like true high definition video. The HC5E handycam is slightly let down by some of its features, and its colour representation at times, but overall it is a great choice for anyone looking for high resolution video capture. The HC5E doesn't come cheap, but users prepared to pay will find that it delivers excellent video recording performance.
The big selling point of the HC5E is its ability to record High Definition, 1080i video, and in this aspect it definitely doesn't disappoint. Footage is sharp and well defined, even when displayed on large LCD and plasma screens through the camera's HDMI output. While there are still notable issues with quality, it's superior to the vast majority of what's available on the camcorder market. We did notice image noise in several shots, especially in darker areas, although this wasn't too pronounced. Colour representation is definitely one of the weaker points; despite using the new x.v.Colour international standard for space, designed to increase colour range, we still found that the camera was unable to accurately reproduce several colours, especially yellows. Reds and greens, by contrast, were slightly overemphasised. This isn't necessarily a bad point, as it makes a lot of scenery seem brighter and more vivid, but users looking for true-to-life colour might have a few issues. Night time or low light shooting produces much lower image quality, however the Nightshot filter does manage to combat a lot of this, delivering good quality video at the cost of colour reproduction (which is almost non-existent).
Although the handycam supports up to 80x optical zoom, digital zoom is limited to 10x, which may be a little short for some viewers. This is fairly standard with MiniDV cameras. Video quality dropped noticeably at high zoom levels, which is of course to be expected, however the high resolution of the camera made this less critical, and footage shot in full, 80x zoom was still watchable. Unfortunately the shake at this level of zoom makes getting a steady picture difficult without a tripod. Audio quality was good, and the camera's inbuilt microphone was powerful enough to pick up sound at over ten metres quite easily.
The HC5E is a little more bulky than several other models, due to its MiniDV format, but nevertheless rests comfortably in the hand, and at approximately 1kg with tape and battery, it isn't too heavy. Button layout is standard and the on-screen menu is very well laid out, with customisation options allowing users to set up their own "quick menu". The touch screen works well, with big buttons and words; we didn't find ourselves having to squint too much to see what we were selecting.
The camera comes with a full range of manual controls available, as well as automatic settings, which we found to be perfectly good in the majority of cases. The menus themselves are jam packed with dozens of functions, including picture effects, camera settings (such as turning beeps on and off), recording quality settings and digital zoom.
As usual with Sony, battery life is incredible at over an hour and a half, a lot longer than the recording time of a standard MiniDV tape. Recharging is quick and easy, and to top it off, Sony provides a great range of optional accessories capable of boosting battery life and recording time to even more impressive levels.
Overall, the biggest disadvantage of the HC5E is its price. While it outperforms the vast majority of the handheld camcorder market, it also carries a much heftier price tag. Regardless, for those who enjoy the idea of a camcorder and are willing to pay for the extra quality, it's a highly worthwhile product.
HDR-HC5E
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Review by Ben Russell (Good Gear Guide) 04/04/2007 11:03:16
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sony's HDR-HC5E MiniDV handycam is labelled as a "hi-def" camera, and while it certainly does deliver video in impressive 1080i resolution, it's important to note that this doesn't necessarily guarantee that your movies will look like true high definition video. The HC5E handycam is slightly let down by some of its features, and its colour representation at times, but overall it is a great choice for anyone looking for high resolution video capture. The HC5E doesn't come cheap, but users prepared to pay will find that it delivers excellent video recording performance.
The big selling point of the HC5E is its ability to record High Definition, 1080i video, and in this aspect it definitely doesn't disappoint. Footage is sharp and well defined, even when displayed on large LCD and plasma screens through the camera's HDMI output. While there are still notable issues with quality, it's superior to the vast majority of what's available on the camcorder market. We did notice image noise in several shots, especially in darker areas, although this wasn't too pronounced. Colour representation is definitely one of the weaker points; despite using the new x.v.Colour international standard for space, designed to increase colour range, we still found that the camera was unable to accurately reproduce several colours, especially yellows. Reds and greens, by contrast, were slightly overemphasised. This isn't necessarily a bad point, as it makes a lot of scenery seem brighter and more vivid, but users looking for true-to-life colour might have a few issues. Night time or low light shooting produces much lower image quality, however the Nightshot filter does manage to combat a lot of this, delivering good quality video at the cost of colour reproduction (which is almost non-existent).
Although the handycam supports up to 80x optical zoom, digital zoom is limited to 10x, which may be a little short for some viewers. This is fairly standard with MiniDV cameras. Video quality dropped noticeably at high zoom levels, which is of course to be expected, however the high resolution of the camera made this less critical, and footage shot in full, 80x zoom was still watchable. Unfortunately the shake at this level of zoom makes getting a steady picture difficult without a tripod. Audio quality was good, and the camera's inbuilt microphone was powerful enough to pick up sound at over ten metres quite easily.
The HC5E is a little more bulky than several other models, due to its MiniDV format, but nevertheless rests comfortably in the hand, and at approximately 1kg with tape and battery, it isn't too heavy. Button layout is standard and the on-screen menu is very well laid out, with customisation options allowing users to set up their own "quick menu". The touch screen works well, with big buttons and words; we didn't find ourselves having to squint too much to see what we were selecting.
The camera comes with a full range of manual controls available, as well as automatic settings, which we found to be perfectly good in the majority of cases. The menus themselves are jam packed with dozens of functions, including picture effects, camera settings (such as turning beeps on and off), recording quality settings and digital zoom.
As usual with Sony, battery life is incredible at over an hour and a half, a lot longer than the recording time of a standard MiniDV tape. Recharging is quick and easy, and to top it off, Sony provides a great range of optional accessories capable of boosting battery life and recording time to even more impressive levels.
Overall, the biggest disadvantage of the HC5E is its price. While it outperforms the vast majority of the handheld camcorder market, it also carries a much heftier price tag. Regardless, for those who enjoy the idea of a camcorder and are willing to pay for the extra quality, it's a highly worthwhile product.
so have you decided?
to help, if you really die hard fanatic abt quality, there is no doubt the tape based HD vidcams offers the best uncompressed recording. even when converted to HD clips, arguably still better than compressed avchd files recorded from flash/hardidsk vidcams. to me, that was the best part abt tape
however the latest HD vidcams legria or handycam has improved the sensors and algos(quality diff almost negligible) and maintained the ease of use and convenience
just think abt the space you save in the dry cabinet for tapes, time you save for trasnfer of data (tape conversion is real time! 1 hour tape means 1 hour import, vs usb transfer of clips from flash/harddisk).
also look at market directions, manufacturers are phasing out tape camcorders, parts and consumables inventory slowly depleting.
to help, if you really die hard fanatic abt quality, there is no doubt the tape based HD vidcams offers the best uncompressed recording. even when converted to HD clips, arguably still better than compressed avchd files recorded from flash/hardidsk vidcams. to me, that was the best part abt tape
however the latest HD vidcams legria or handycam has improved the sensors and algos(quality diff almost negligible) and maintained the ease of use and convenience
just think abt the space you save in the dry cabinet for tapes, time you save for trasnfer of data (tape conversion is real time! 1 hour tape means 1 hour import, vs usb transfer of clips from flash/harddisk).
also look at market directions, manufacturers are phasing out tape camcorders, parts and consumables inventory slowly depleting.
so have you decided?
to help, if you really die hard fanatic abt quality, there is no doubt the tape based HD vidcams offers the best uncompressed recording. even when converted to HD clips, arguably still better than compressed avchd files recorded from flash/hardidsk vidcams. to me, that was the best part abt tape
however the latest HD vidcams legria or handycam has improved the sensors and algos(quality diff almost negligible) and maintained the ease of use and convenience
just think abt the space you save in the dry cabinet for tapes, time you save for trasnfer of data (tape conversion is real time! 1 hour tape means 1 hour import, vs usb transfer of clips from flash/harddisk).
also look at market directions, manufacturers are phasing out tape camcorders, parts and consumables inventory slowly depleting.
If you're really picky about the cideo quality then I guess yea, Tape's still the best. But I personally feel that you're not losing much from the compression, and most (normal) people can't really tell the difference unless you point it out to them anyway.
Oh, about the Legria, I tested it's low light capability and it's pretty dissapointing. You get blue graininess, probably due to the sensor and/or processor overcompensating for the lack of light.
good for you. anyway, remember to get a head cleaner(its a DV tape). must have. you won't want to go out for excursion and realise for some reason the recording ended up having 'snow flakes'
I'd keep it in if I were to go to hot countries like Africa, just to screw around. Global warming! Snow in Africa!
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