I'm looking to buy a new digital video camera...and wanted to see if anyone could give me any tips on what to look for when shopping for one? What types of things are really important to consider when deciding between models/brands? Any help would be appreciated...

5/9/2006 3:28:43 PM

it seems very tempting, but do not get a dvd cam

5/9/2006 3:44:25 PM

look for the highest resolution that you can zoom in on for titties

5/9/2006 3:44:44 PM

^ and good low light ability

5/9/2006 4:01:42 PM

why not get a dvd cam?

5/9/2006 4:17:16 PM

You definitely want a miniDV camera, and consider the types of situations you'll be shooting with it. A big factor of getting a good dvcam is what you want it to do. There's a GREAT site that looks at all of them:


http://www.camcorderinfo.com


There are all kinds of reviews, pictures, tests, and stuff done to these cameras and you can read about the results. There is an overall winner (scored) for each price level category, but you can look at them ranked, I believe.

Here's a random tip I've learned that could help you later: don't switch BRANDS on the type of tapes you buy. Generally good brands are sony, panasonic, but the key is to not switch in between them without cleaning your camera's heads. They supposedly use different lubricants and will potentially clog your heads faster. This is just a random tidbit, though.

Enjoy the hunt~


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^ To answer that question "why not DVD-camera?"

It's because miniDV stores uncompressed video. When you go IMMEDIATELY to a DVD, you're locking it down at that compression, and it's generally not as good as what is attainable from miniDV. If you're looking at the quality of your video semi-seriously, then go with miniDV. DVD cameras might be more convenient for some, but overall aren't worth it due to the format difference. It's more trouble to get the files from the little DVD to your computer than it would be to simply capture a miniDV source. Does that help?

[Edited on May 9, 2006 at 4:23 PM. Reason : add]

5/9/2006 4:19:10 PM

not to mention that when recording, a minidv disc is much longer, the DVD discs for those camcorders are more costly and only allow 30mins of recording per side, i think u can get discs that are double sided, but you're still switching a lot of discs that are not cheap.

Another downside i saw with the DVD ones is that it makes a new chapter everytime you press record, which at times can be very annoying upon playback

I have a Panasonic mini DV camcorder and love it

5/9/2006 4:27:59 PM

if they try to sell you on 400x digital zoom, you tell them "i don't fucking care."

5/9/2006 4:51:27 PM

YES, in fact, turn the digital zoom OFF. It does completely no good with ANYTHING. It only trashes usable portions of the video and blows up (to the point of horrible pixelation) one area.

5/9/2006 5:28:33 PM

How much are you planning on spending?

5/9/2006 6:06:41 PM

Quote :

"things to look for when buying a video camera"

...a woman who will let you tape her.

5/9/2006 6:21:07 PM

hey guys thanks for the advice. i ended up getting a panasonic PV-GS39. ...ended up paying $379. It's not top of the line by any stretch...but i took advice to get a miniDV cam. Thanks for all the help.

5/9/2006 9:47:07 PM