drmoonwalk
I'm gonna be starting film school soon and I will be needing a new camera. I want to get a HD camera but I'm not sure which to get. I cant seem to find a camera with a handle on top for under $1500 and I was trying to stay under $800. Are there any out there?
If not I found the Sanyo WH1 which shoots 720p and is waterproof which is really cool but is it god enough?
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Answer
Canon VIXIA HG20 AVCHD 60 GB HDD Camcorder
24Mbps offers the highest bit rate in AVCHD for High Definition video - enabling improved color reproduction and tonality
Record up to 22 hours of High Definition video to a 60 GB Hard Disk Drive
Includes a genuine Canon 12x High Definition video lens
Comes with a 3.3 megapixel full HD CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080) and a DIGIC DV II image processor
Features Canon's SuperRange optical image stabilizer
Price $700
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-VIXIA-AVCHD-Camcorder-Optical/dp/B001DTTCQA/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1241677116&sr=1-10&tag=commentglitte-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325
Canon VIXIA HG20 AVCHD 60 GB HDD Camcorder
24Mbps offers the highest bit rate in AVCHD for High Definition video - enabling improved color reproduction and tonality
Record up to 22 hours of High Definition video to a 60 GB Hard Disk Drive
Includes a genuine Canon 12x High Definition video lens
Comes with a 3.3 megapixel full HD CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080) and a DIGIC DV II image processor
Features Canon's SuperRange optical image stabilizer
Price $700
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-VIXIA-AVCHD-Camcorder-Optical/dp/B001DTTCQA/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1241677116&sr=1-10&tag=commentglitte-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325
What are the best camcorders under 600 dollars?
Bleh-hahah
What are the best camcorders in market today under 600 $? Which companies are the best when it comes to camcorders - such as Nikon and Canon for digicams? How do I judge a camcorder - in digicams MP and Optical Zoom are important, what are the main properties for a camcorder?
I assume that getting a 1080p HD recording camcorder would be possible within 600 $. If not, how much can I expect?
I haven't owned a camcorder for over 5 years, so I have no idea what's good and what isn't.
And I want really good sound recording quality.
And I want really good sound recording quality.
Panasonic HDC-TM55K - I'm considering this seriously, any camcorders that are better and cost less than $600?
One of my main requirements is built-in memory - around 80 GB. Its very important but Panasonic HDC-TM55K has only 8 GB memory. Any other options?
Answer
Limiting yourself to built-in memory is not a good idea. Specifically, when you fill it and you don't have a place to dump the video to allow more recording, that can be frustrating. With removable memory cams (I guess you are stuck with flash memory) just carry blank memory cards. When the memory in the camcorder fills, take it out, put in a blank memory card and continue recording. Also, with internal memory, if you drop/break the camcorder, getting the video out *could* be a challenge. With removable memory, just take the memory card out and use a card reader to get to the video. (There are lots of reasons digital tape continues to be the preferred storage media among those who know better, but we won't go there for this response.)
For "really good sound recording quality" you need good mics and manual audio control. None of the consumer camcorders less than about $800 have manual audio control - but some have a mic jack.
The Panny you listed is OK... but as indicated, the internal memory is a limitation even though you can also use memory cards...
Within your budget, the best "system" with manual audio control is the Zoom Q3HD. The video won't be as good as the TM55 (though it is still high definition video) but the audio will blow every other cam under $600 out of the water.
If you want to stay with a traditional consumer grade camcorder, in no particular order, Sony, Canon, Panasonic and JVC are worth a look.
Digital cameras are "rated" using megapixel count. There is no "standard" for stills other than the formats used (JPEG, RAW, etc.) when creating the image files.
Camcorders need to work with televisions, so there are standards that need to be followed. In North America, NTSC is the "standard" (PAL and SECAM in other parts of the world). The integration with television playback means using horizontal lines. Standard definition video is 480 horizontal lines. High definition is 720 horizontal lines or 1080 horizontal lines. Above this is "ultra high definition" and typically not available in the lower end of camcorders.
Your stated budget puts you in the "mid" range of consumer camcorders.
The "important" things to consider with camcorders are (in my opinion):
1) LARGE lens filter diameter spec. Larger is better - this let more light in to the camcorder. In the range you are in, they will be in the 30mm-37mm area.
2) LARGE imaging chip - better yet, 3-chip array. Larger is better - this processes the light the lens let in. In the range you are in, 1/6" to 1/3" are possible.
3) Mic jack for external mic connectivity. In your range, this would normally be a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo mic jack. If you use good XLR connecting mics, then you need a XLR adapter (BeachTek, JuicedLink).
4) Manual audio control. As indicated, this is generally not available in this price range.
Because a HUGE portion of video can be impacted by the audio captured, audio is very important - so this make mic quality and placement important. If your camcorder has only built-in mics, then "good audio" can depend on camcorder placement. The tradeoff could be less than optimum video capture. Conversely, good video capture *could* result in poor audio capture.
When you identify the camcorder you *think* you want, download the camcorder's manual from the manufacturer and read through it to be sure it has what you need. If you are unsure or are unclear about a specific capability, as back here. Start with the TM55 manual and verify that it has both a mic jack and manual audio control.
http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPERMANPDF/HDCSD60-MUL.PDF
(Tip: See page 68. The TM55 has manual audio control. The downside is the TM55 has no mic jack.)
And last... Digital still images are relatively easy to deal with. AVCHD compressed MTS video files are not. There is no software that comes in the box (with any consumer camcorder) that is at all useful for video editing. Assuming your computer was made in the last year or two, you *should* be OK (no netbooks - only real laptops or desktop machines), but a RAM increase might be needed. In the Windows environment, expect to get something like Sony Vegas or Adobe Premiere. For Macintosh, iMovie 08 or newer - though Final Cut Express provides a LOT more flexibility. And high definition video uses a TON of hard drive space and you don't want them fighting the systems internal drive free space, so plan on investing in an external hard drive just for the video editing project files.
Limiting yourself to built-in memory is not a good idea. Specifically, when you fill it and you don't have a place to dump the video to allow more recording, that can be frustrating. With removable memory cams (I guess you are stuck with flash memory) just carry blank memory cards. When the memory in the camcorder fills, take it out, put in a blank memory card and continue recording. Also, with internal memory, if you drop/break the camcorder, getting the video out *could* be a challenge. With removable memory, just take the memory card out and use a card reader to get to the video. (There are lots of reasons digital tape continues to be the preferred storage media among those who know better, but we won't go there for this response.)
For "really good sound recording quality" you need good mics and manual audio control. None of the consumer camcorders less than about $800 have manual audio control - but some have a mic jack.
The Panny you listed is OK... but as indicated, the internal memory is a limitation even though you can also use memory cards...
Within your budget, the best "system" with manual audio control is the Zoom Q3HD. The video won't be as good as the TM55 (though it is still high definition video) but the audio will blow every other cam under $600 out of the water.
If you want to stay with a traditional consumer grade camcorder, in no particular order, Sony, Canon, Panasonic and JVC are worth a look.
Digital cameras are "rated" using megapixel count. There is no "standard" for stills other than the formats used (JPEG, RAW, etc.) when creating the image files.
Camcorders need to work with televisions, so there are standards that need to be followed. In North America, NTSC is the "standard" (PAL and SECAM in other parts of the world). The integration with television playback means using horizontal lines. Standard definition video is 480 horizontal lines. High definition is 720 horizontal lines or 1080 horizontal lines. Above this is "ultra high definition" and typically not available in the lower end of camcorders.
Your stated budget puts you in the "mid" range of consumer camcorders.
The "important" things to consider with camcorders are (in my opinion):
1) LARGE lens filter diameter spec. Larger is better - this let more light in to the camcorder. In the range you are in, they will be in the 30mm-37mm area.
2) LARGE imaging chip - better yet, 3-chip array. Larger is better - this processes the light the lens let in. In the range you are in, 1/6" to 1/3" are possible.
3) Mic jack for external mic connectivity. In your range, this would normally be a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo mic jack. If you use good XLR connecting mics, then you need a XLR adapter (BeachTek, JuicedLink).
4) Manual audio control. As indicated, this is generally not available in this price range.
Because a HUGE portion of video can be impacted by the audio captured, audio is very important - so this make mic quality and placement important. If your camcorder has only built-in mics, then "good audio" can depend on camcorder placement. The tradeoff could be less than optimum video capture. Conversely, good video capture *could* result in poor audio capture.
When you identify the camcorder you *think* you want, download the camcorder's manual from the manufacturer and read through it to be sure it has what you need. If you are unsure or are unclear about a specific capability, as back here. Start with the TM55 manual and verify that it has both a mic jack and manual audio control.
http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPERMANPDF/HDCSD60-MUL.PDF
(Tip: See page 68. The TM55 has manual audio control. The downside is the TM55 has no mic jack.)
And last... Digital still images are relatively easy to deal with. AVCHD compressed MTS video files are not. There is no software that comes in the box (with any consumer camcorder) that is at all useful for video editing. Assuming your computer was made in the last year or two, you *should* be OK (no netbooks - only real laptops or desktop machines), but a RAM increase might be needed. In the Windows environment, expect to get something like Sony Vegas or Adobe Premiere. For Macintosh, iMovie 08 or newer - though Final Cut Express provides a LOT more flexibility. And high definition video uses a TON of hard drive space and you don't want them fighting the systems internal drive free space, so plan on investing in an external hard drive just for the video editing project files.
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