Thread: Digital Video cameras

well i just bought the wife a fuji finepix s6500fd 10x zoom digital camera that also takes video with sound

i seem to think its a good camera that does both plus with 10x zoom you can zoom in on video,s as well check out my video i thought it came out ok

want a dedicated video camera. i have a hp945 that takes video as well but with the grandkiddie landing at the end of the month my better half is demanding a movie taker.....

Most of it, in my opinion, is personal choice.

I like Sony stuff, it's reliable, good warranty, and loads of features.

I bought the wife s Sony DVD Video Cam, and it's so easy to transfer the 'films' from the DVD R/W straight onto the pc for editing.

USB to PC is good, but not really needed if you record direct to mini DVD

Lense quality in my view is paramount.

Ladas

I went down this path 12 months back. The 2 choices are Sony or Panasonic and the Panasonic is the better I felt. I Bought a GS400 which is now replaced by the GS500 and a friend bought that 3 months back. Both are excelent. I've used the JVC with the HDD at work and it isn't a patch on the Panasonics (even the GS200 series) in easy of use.

Personnally I'd steer clear of the DVD units if you are taking them anywhere dusty, wet etc as they don't seal as well as the tape units. The HDD is the way of the future, but you must then also take something else to store the video on if you are travelling for a while.

There is a really good site on the web for reviews of video camers, I've lost the link though. If I can remember it I'll post it here.

it may have all been sales gobbledy gook, but I just bought a miniDV (tape) Canon which was on sale from $2k down to $600 (floor stock).
The salesman gave me the story that the tape still gives superior picture quality and when you see film crews switch to HD or DVD then they are worthwhile. HD or DVD are convenient though. I can really only compare mine to a much older style of camcorder though so don't know if this is fact or just sales b******t, but playing back the film on my 96cm rear project TV, IMO it has better quality than my brother's $2k Canon 6mp digital SLR.

Originally Posted by ladas

Lense quality in my view is paramount.
Ladas

ditto.

Originally Posted by incisor

What the best video camera to get these days?

i would like to get the hdd variety unless someone knows of a real downside to them....

sony better than jvc or panasonic ?

any clue appreciated!

I have heard that the quality is low compared to DV tape cameras.

Also, where are you going to store all the data? Video cameras that use DV tape capture about 14GB an hour.

Originally Posted by Captain_Rightfoot

I have heard that the quality is low compared to DV tape cameras.

Also, where are you going to store all the data? Video cameras that use DV tape capture about 14GB an hour.

14GB - keep dreaming, the GS400 is closer to 17GB and the GS500 is a measly 30GB. Best storage option is a network attached unit in a RAID5 configuration.