Which Camcorder to Buy

[Bird]

I have an old Olympus D460 Zoom digital camera for still photos. It's old but still serves my purposes. However, several years ago, I sold my Super 8 movie camera:laughing:, so I don't have any way to make moving pictures. I know almost nothing at all about camcorders or video cameras, but want one of some kind. I just want to be able to make decent videos, both indoors and outdoors, which can be transferred to this computer.

Naturally, I don't want to spend a lot of money. So what do I look for? Brands? Features? Things to avoid?

 

[brin]

Bird,

I bought one of the old VCR tape video cameras when they first came out , then I bought one of the mini- DV video cameras when they came out...The VCR camera was great since after you shot your video you could immediately take the tape out and play in your VCR ..

The mini DV camera was a pain..had to convert it to a movie on the computer and then to DVD...

The new cameras they have now...well, I have been studying them..they have Hard drives and that would be nice..just plug into the computer and make a dvd...but they are pricey...they have another smaller video camera with a memory card of up to an hour or more which is more than enough and you plug it into your computer and make a dvd and they only cost from $99.00 to $149.00 for the ones I have seen and fit in your shirt pocket...I don't know which way to go ...I hope some others chime in with ideas..I like the inexpensive and small one...for the little bit of video I would do...

 

[Bird]

Bird,

I bought one of the old VCR tape video cameras when they first came out , then I bought one of the mini- DV video cameras when they came out...The VCR camera was great since after you shot your video you could immediately take the tape out and play in your VCR ..

The mini DV camera was a pain..had to convert it to a movie on the computer and then to DVD...

The new cameras they have now...well, I have been studying them..they have Hard drives and that would be nice..just plug into the computer and make a dvd...but they are pricey...they have another smaller video camera with a memory card of up to an hour or more which is more than enough and you plug it into your computer and make a dvd and they only cost from $99.00 to $149.00 for the ones I have seen and fit in your shirt pocket...I don't know which way to go ...I hope some others chime in with ideas..I like the inexpensive and small one...for the little bit of video I would do...

Bob, I used to have one of the mini-DV cameras, but it came with an adapter, to I could take the mini- cartridge out, put in the adapter and play if on my regular DVR machine.

I went and looked at a few cameras this afternoon at Walmart and Best Buy. I guess I'm a little partial to Nikon because a Nikon was my first (actually only) 35 mm film camera and I have little Nikon binoculars. Anyway, the Nikon S8100, S9100, L120, and P500 all looked pretty good, but since I really didn't know what I was doing . . . well, you know how that goes.

 

[brin]

Bob, I used to have one of the mini-DV cameras, but it came with an adapter, to I could take the mini- cartridge out, put in the adapter and play if on my regular DVR machine.

I went and looked at a few cameras this afternoon at Walmart and Best Buy. I guess I'm a little partial to Nikon because a Nikon was my first (actually only) 35 mm film camera and I have little Nikon binoculars. Anyway, the Nikon S8100, S9100, L120, and P500 all looked pretty good, but since I really didn't know what I was doing . . . well, you know how that goes.

Bird,

Those look great but I already have a digital camera for stills and some short videos...I put a link below of one on Wal Mart...just a small Hard Drive video camera and the price is right...I have no idea how good it is...but I would not be shooting Hollywood movies anyway...See what you think..

Walmart.com: Flip UltraHD U260 Black Video Camera with 2" LCD and 1 Hour Recording Time (3rd Generation newest Model): Camcorders

 

[Bird]

Bob, I haven't ruled anything in or out yet, but that Flip camera in your link looks like the most logical thing for me to buy. However, I'm not always logical:laughing:; been doing a lot of reading and right now I'm leaning toward the Nikon L120, although as I said, no decision yet.

 

[2manyrocks]

you should check the reviews on Canon video cameras before you buy. If you get one with a SDHC card as the recording media, you can just plug the camera into your pc via USB cable and it will load on your pc. Even with a fairly fast PC, it's going to take some time if you have recorded in HD or near HD quality because of the size of the files.

 

[Western]

Bird, we used an 8mm (borrowed from my mother). Only thing I don't like about them is you need the recorder to use for playback. They come with the proper connection wire for a T.V.

After I returned the camera I figured I could find an "adapter" to play the 8mm in my VCR. I finally found out there is no such adapter. Bummer, so now I have to use moms to view, get them put on DVD or likely just buy one at some point too.

 

[jinman]

Bird, I think your L120 is a fine camera for both stills and movies. The 21x optical magnification will allow you to really "reach out and touch" things at a substantial distance. Our 10x optical zoom Canon is good, but 21x would be great. You'll probably have to use a tripod for those long shots though. Things get shaky in a hurry at long zoom ranges.

Let me tell you what I would not get. I have a Sony Handycam DCR-DVD108 with 40x zoom. It recourds directly to a mini-DVD. Each DVD is 30 min per side and you can flip them if they are double-sided discs. When you complete a recording, the DVD can be finalized and is ready to play, but if you want .avi, .wmv, or some other format, you have to load and convert the video. I'd much rather have my video on a SDHC card. DVDs are nice for rentals and viewing movies, but they are certainly not my preferred format for editing or distribution. They certainly don't work well for posting video to the web. This video camcorder was a gift from my daughter and a swell gift, but not something I would have purchased for myself.

 

[Bird]

Thanks, Jim. I already have a good tripod; just haven't used it in awhile.

As I mentioned earlier, a lot of purchases are more emotional than logical. Before I bought my current Olympus digital camera, I first ordered a Sony direct from Sony. When it came, the flash did not work. And by the time I managed to get it sent back and get a refund, I had tired of dealing wiht those folks, and I decided I would probably never own a Sony product.

Now I figure logically, they make some good stuff, but I've still never owned a Sony product, and never even consider them when shopping.:laughing:

 

[EddieWalker]

I wanted a video camera and after looking around, realized that a decent point and shoot camera does everything a video camer does, but also takes amazing pictures. My Canon SX30is had a 35 power optical zoom, Image Stabilizer, tons of features and can take hours of video. It is the SDHC format, so there is no tape or disk. Just a card the same size as a SDS card, but capable of holding 32 gigs of memory. I have a 16 gig card in mine and don't think I will ever be able to fill it up.

The video quality is very good. It's easy to use and simple to download onto my computer. There are cables to watch right on the TV also.

What really makes it an amazing camera is how simple and easy it is to take really great pictures. It's a point and shoot camera, so it's all there and you never have to change lenses. While a pro will get better pics then I will, I don't think any hobby photographer can do much better, and after the are done fumbling around changing lenses, or working with the limits of the lense they have on their camera, I'm taking macro to zoom pics of objects miles away. My moon pics are clear and detailed!!!! My scenery pics are great, and I'm able to get some quick shots on wildlife because it's such an easy camera to operate.

The less you have to carry around, the more likely you are to carry it, and the more likely you are to use it.

Eddie