DVD camcorder

[Bollux]

Have any of you used/have one of these? The gf decided to forgo her coach bag with the tax refund and we are probably gonna get a camera instead. I was looking towards the dvd cameras and was just curious if any of you have had experiences with them.

[jeffus]

While not the most tech-savvy here...I shopped for cameras last quarter and the DVD versions didn't seem quite ready for prime time yet.

I bought a Mini-DV videocamera and a firewire connection and I'm totally satisfied.

[keith021773]

I would suggest mini-dv. Then you can edit all of your movies and then burn a dvd from them.. Alittle more work for you, but hey, a better quality dvd with all of what you want on it and none of what you don't.

[chopperglide]

mini dv is the way to go.....the dvds def don't seem to be as reliable,yet ...we had one, and when the fourth one (disk) failed we bought a canon optura xi....suhweet...plus alot of computers won't play thedvd'd for some reason or another whether it is the size or compatibility.....which would only apply if you want to dabble in editing.

[Bollux]

Yeah i understand they are in the new phases, but the idea of more tapes just doesnt do it for me. I was looking into a dvd camera that has still photo capability as well. The big debate is to either go with the camera that has still photos and the built in light for flash.. or go for a sony with touchscreen and such but no built in flash for stills, but does take stills.

[chopperglide]

hmm...well for me it would be the latter for sure....i love the fact that while i am filming i can just snap a pic with this canon optura xi.....the pics are only two mega pixels but okay for our website to keep family informed....we are getting a canon rebel xt slr in a week or so...after tax refund posts...that is one bad boy there...i prolly won't do 1/10th what it is capable but at least i will look cool and that is the most important thing, right?

[chopperglide]

and btw i am new to posting here so at any time you boys can tell me to zip it and i will....i have been a member for a while but it took me a good six months to get used to being a sahd to three kids. now i can manage some computer time believe it or not...look forward to getting to know the board

[Bollux]

heh well welcome, we have a digital camera, but she complains the shutter speed is too slow and lose a good shot since you cant take it immediately. So i figured the dvd camera with still options would help that out. The stills can still be put on a mem card so as to not take up space on the disk. So that is helpful as can save seperate from the dvd

[stretch]

Just be aware that camcorders in general take very crappy stills. They're getting better, but are still not truly multi-purpose.

CNet (http://reviews.cnet.com/Camcorders/2001-6500_7-0.html?tag=cnetfd.dir) has some decent editorial reviews.

[Bollux]

she would still want to get herself another camera that was faster shudder speed. the one we have is fine she is just picky.

[Anonymous]

one last thing...i catch myself scrolling through that video catching still off of that....i thought that would be hard to do but not really....i used i movie (mac) for a while but a friend gave me final cut pro....taught me a few tricks and bingo..very cool

[chopperglide]

and i keep forgetting to log in when i post messages like the one above...lata

[Bollux]

Prolly gonna go check the choices out tonight.

[Jackson's Dad]

we have a digital camera, but she complains the shutter speed is too slow and lose a good shot since you cant take it immediately. So i figured the dvd camera with still options would help that out.

The stills taken by the video camera suffer the same problems as those taken by point-and-shoots. The problem with this cameras isn't the shutter speed -- it is the shutter lag. When you press the button, the camera needs to calculate exposure values and get the image in focus. The little cameras have small processor, which mean slower times. Also, quality suffers since the lens is so small, you need a decent flood of light to get a good exposure. Best solution to this problem is to get one of the cheaper digital SLRs like the Nikon D50. Faster processors, mechanical shutter, bigger lens, etc.

I also agree that MiniDV is a great format. Sure, it's tape, but its easy to find and use. And it is quite easy to import into the computer.

[Bollux]

Well, in the end I picked up the new Panasonic dvd camcorder. I took a quick video with it to see if it worked and now needless to say I have my son dancing to the hamster dance to blackmail him with for all time. lol I opted for a camera without any digital still capability as there was a 100 dollar difference between the version with and without the stills, plus the stills at best were 3.3 megapixels on the best dvd recorder. The current digital camera we have is the same quality so there really was no point in wasting the extra money.