best 5 camcorders cnet reviews image
Parag
i want to use a hard disk or a flash drive memory to record my videos. the cassette technology is absolete and do not wish to spend a lot of money for buying a new camera. also, the quality of my cam is good. i only want it to record directly into a flash drive.
i know about the converting softwares but i don't want to waste time on that. please help!
Answer
I would say that (mini)DV tape is obsolecsent rather than obsolete -- that is, on its way out, but still here for awhile. I still see new miniDV camcorders for sale, and of course the tapes are sold wherever the camcorders are sold. I would keep using miniDV tape for now, and not replace (or try to modify!) my camcorder just to stop using tapes.
If the Handycam is Hi8, I would agree that it's nearly obsolete. But if it's Digital 8, it at least uses the same codec as miniDV and would load into a computer via FireWire just the same. But, those tapes are getting harder to find.
There is no practical way to convert a tape-based Handycam to record video onto SD (SDHC) cards inside the camcorder -- and there is really no way at all to convert it to HD if it's SD. Since you don't want to spend a lot of money, a Focus Enhancements FireStore unit outside the camera is also out of the question, because they cost more than consumer HD camcorders (at about $850).
If you want flash-based HD video and are guided by price alone (not quality -- these have fixed focal length plastic lenses), get a Flip or Aiptek or Webbie. They can record HD to SDHC cards for around $100.
For more quality, there are many decent flash memory HD camcorders out there for under $600. Here's an article comparing several:
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/4321-6500_7-6617259.html
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BTW Someone said that tape-based camcorders don't compress video. That is not true (except for analog tape formats). ALL digital camcorder formats compress video, even professional tape-based digital camcorders (the lowest compression ratio of all being DigiBetacam at 2:1). DV (and Digital8 and DVCAM and DVCPRO25) compresses video 5:1 (HDV would be 12:1 by doing the math -- I can't seem to find it listed anywhere).
The codec is a factor, too; AVCHD uses a codec about twice as efficient as HDV (using about half the bit rate for the equivalent in image quality, that is 12Mbps AVCHD = 25Mbps HDV).
I would say that (mini)DV tape is obsolecsent rather than obsolete -- that is, on its way out, but still here for awhile. I still see new miniDV camcorders for sale, and of course the tapes are sold wherever the camcorders are sold. I would keep using miniDV tape for now, and not replace (or try to modify!) my camcorder just to stop using tapes.
If the Handycam is Hi8, I would agree that it's nearly obsolete. But if it's Digital 8, it at least uses the same codec as miniDV and would load into a computer via FireWire just the same. But, those tapes are getting harder to find.
There is no practical way to convert a tape-based Handycam to record video onto SD (SDHC) cards inside the camcorder -- and there is really no way at all to convert it to HD if it's SD. Since you don't want to spend a lot of money, a Focus Enhancements FireStore unit outside the camera is also out of the question, because they cost more than consumer HD camcorders (at about $850).
If you want flash-based HD video and are guided by price alone (not quality -- these have fixed focal length plastic lenses), get a Flip or Aiptek or Webbie. They can record HD to SDHC cards for around $100.
For more quality, there are many decent flash memory HD camcorders out there for under $600. Here's an article comparing several:
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/4321-6500_7-6617259.html
----------------------------
BTW Someone said that tape-based camcorders don't compress video. That is not true (except for analog tape formats). ALL digital camcorder formats compress video, even professional tape-based digital camcorders (the lowest compression ratio of all being DigiBetacam at 2:1). DV (and Digital8 and DVCAM and DVCPRO25) compresses video 5:1 (HDV would be 12:1 by doing the math -- I can't seem to find it listed anywhere).
The codec is a factor, too; AVCHD uses a codec about twice as efficient as HDV (using about half the bit rate for the equivalent in image quality, that is 12Mbps AVCHD = 25Mbps HDV).
Is there a video camcorder that records right to disk?
Digitaldum
Is there such thing as a videocamcorder that records right to a disk? If so, what kind of disk and what will it play in (DVD player, computer, etc.) Also, does anyone have any suggestions of models if there is such a thing, ideas on price, etc? Thanks!
Answer
There are models that record to mini-DVD's produced by all the major manufacturers (Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Samsung, Canon, etc).
The disk is a DVD format, but smaller in size, so it only holds like 1.5 Gigabytes, instead of the full 4.7 Gigabytes of a full size DVD. Just like VHS tapes, you can record different lengths of time based on the quality selected (20 minutes at highest quality to over an hour at lower quality settings).
If you look closely at your DVD player, it likely has either something in the center that spins the disc (so it can easily spin a smaller DVD) or an inner "ring" where the small format discs will sit when they are played. Almost all modern DVD players will have no problem with these discs.
Price can run from $500 on up to $1000 depending on what features are available. I suggest shopping around, and trying to see which ones are most comfortable for you to use, and have feature you like.
Also, many websites have reviews of such camcorders, although the reviewers are often hung up on technical details that the typical user doesn't understand or care about. Examples include camcorderinfo.com and cnet.com.
Places like Best Buy, Circuit City, and Fry's have good selections, or if you are in New York City, check out B&H Photo Video, which has the entire range of camcorders all the way to high end professional models.
There are models that record to mini-DVD's produced by all the major manufacturers (Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Samsung, Canon, etc).
The disk is a DVD format, but smaller in size, so it only holds like 1.5 Gigabytes, instead of the full 4.7 Gigabytes of a full size DVD. Just like VHS tapes, you can record different lengths of time based on the quality selected (20 minutes at highest quality to over an hour at lower quality settings).
If you look closely at your DVD player, it likely has either something in the center that spins the disc (so it can easily spin a smaller DVD) or an inner "ring" where the small format discs will sit when they are played. Almost all modern DVD players will have no problem with these discs.
Price can run from $500 on up to $1000 depending on what features are available. I suggest shopping around, and trying to see which ones are most comfortable for you to use, and have feature you like.
Also, many websites have reviews of such camcorders, although the reviewers are often hung up on technical details that the typical user doesn't understand or care about. Examples include camcorderinfo.com and cnet.com.
Places like Best Buy, Circuit City, and Fry's have good selections, or if you are in New York City, check out B&H Photo Video, which has the entire range of camcorders all the way to high end professional models.
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