got lah. camcorderinfo.com is a good one, videomaker also (although its more for professional camcorders) and cnet if you're that desperate

Hi all, I'm planning to get a camcorder and looking at the memory card ones. Are those good? I'm not really sure what's the use of HD but right now I'm confused with camcorder vs movie recording in the point and shoot camera. Which are better? Can someone give advice on this cos I'm new to movie recording and would like to learn more. I'm now looking at the panasonic SDR-26

TIA

I just bought Panasonic HDC-TM300. My main requirement was full HD and only solid state storage.

I'm a newbie myself so take my answer with caution. I like HD. I have LCD TV, and HD just blow away standard definition (SD) in term of video quality. There is so much detail. Bad things about HD is that it is a new format. So playback can become an issue. It uses mts file extension. Then, editing might become an issue too. mts file is soooo heavy... so need high powered PC. My Dell laptop with core2duo processor with 3GB RAM is also struggling using ulead x2 pro editing software. Rendering will take hours. For SD editing, it is just a breeze.

Reason I like memory card. SD card is too damn cheap nowadays. With 16GB only RM140. It can record 3 hours of HD recording if not mistaken. The most important thing for me is no moving mechanical parts. Without it, no extra power to move mechanical parts means better battery life and less wear and tear in the long run.

Happy hunting

How long the battery can last? 16gb 3hr recording and cost rm140 is not cheap. A similiar 1hr DV tape cost less than RM20. With rm140, DV tape can record 7hr with 7tape.

but one time only! or few times, if you're stingy
dv cams are SD, unless you go for HDV lah. still the best HD format ever, IMO. software support is excellent, not heavy at all, colours dem good, and 5 6 years and running. my HDV cam also dah 4 tahun, still better than most new consumer cams

This post has been edited by C-Fu: Jul 18 2009, 01:32 PM

Yours definitely AVCHD right?I guess HDV's getting old huh but still widely supported and editable by many pcs.

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Added on July 18, 2009, 1:42 pm

How much ur cam? Btw, are you a pro-videographer?

This post has been edited by -kytz-: Jul 18 2009, 01:42 PM

Yes, I mean HDV. Still the best. I using DV tape about 4-5x. stingy abit. He...

My previous cam of 9 years is Digital8 cam. Uses 8mm tape. Problem is I hate uploading video (capture) from tape to PC... as a result, still got uncaptured videos in tapes....

You are stingy... I'm lazy

I m more worst than you. My Hi8 cam spoil long long time liau. But I still got Hi8 tape video haven't transfer out. And now alot of DV tape lying around still haven't transfer. stingy + lazy.

as the technology pushes us forward, we embrace it with the thought of making our task easier... but why am I keep buying more hardisk to store my clips
next year, there will be many hardisk laying around...

hey everyone.
was thinking of getting me a camcorder, mainly for use for some major video editing & visual effects. plan to experiment on shaky shots, maybe green screen, and slow motion (like the Transformers shot where Ironhide somersaults over the screaming gal in slow mo, epic!!)

so i probably need a cam with a high frame rate capture function too. 60fps boleh ah? i'm a noob in video shooting, more into post-production. and my budget, no more than 2.5k.

wow..GREAT now that i found this thread i totally forgot my camcoder's name.

i buat tv production

Congrats on new toy.

Regarding your file extension... mts. That's bluray files isn't it? So if got a bluray player (hardware/software), can just play directly right? No need conversion or rendering etc?

Why are you rendering?

Are you sure 16gb can record 3 hours HD ? Maybe you are referring to <1080p?

considering between panasonic sdr-s26 and sanyo vpc-cg10.. any advice? only have that budget range. thx

sanyo tarak optical zoom, pana ada 70x. bateri lagi kicik, audio kureng cun. but sanyo ada HD lah.

i would get the pana. AND 2nd BIGGER BATTERY PLEASE.



mts, m2ts, m2t (i think), modd, moff, are all bluray player readable straight away, no need to render if u burn it as data into dvd disc or bluray disc. unless of course u do editing, in which case u need to render/combine the clips lah.

Hi guys, I need a camcorder price ranging from 1k to 2.5k, it doesnt have to be full hd but i want crystal clear pics and the lcd which is displaying must not be affected by the sunlights while outdoors, preferably hdd storage that comes with an sd slot or memory stick, GUI friendly, for research/expedition/going into the wild purposes .

Thank you very much in advance

am thinking to get a sanyo cg10 camcorder, any user here can give suggestion?

gone through www.camcorderinfo.com and checked out some of the camcorders over there, one of the issues im worried about is whether i can actually get the camcorder that i choose in Malaysia.

can anyone point me somewhere? My budget is about 2k and its for family outings.

an excellent guide for buying/choosing a new camera. among the points:
http://www.videomaker.com/article/14222/3/


1. Why upgrade?

Possibly the most important question you must ask yourself is, "What's wrong with my current camcorder?" Unless you can answer this question, with specifics, you might be wasting your money. Sit down and list the specific limitations of your current setup - is it low-light performance? Is the lens not wide enough? Is the autofocus too slow? Is it difficult to edit? Be wary of marketing hype -- "my current camcorder doesn't have image stabilization" isn't a reason to upgrade, while "my video suffers from camera shake" is a reason, and a camera with image stabilization might be the answer.

6. How's the battery life? How much are extra batteries?

You don't ever want to be at a critical point in shooting and have the Battery Low indicator flash - it creates a dreadful feeling in the pit of your stomach. Likewise, you don't want to be an electrical socket nomad, moving from outlet to outlet, eyes always alert for a new source of power like a shivering drug user trying to dry out. Be sure to compare battery life on your camcorders and see how much extra batteries cost. At the very least, you should have one extra battery; if you'll often be far from home, you'll want more.
7. What recording media should I be using?

Camcorders record to lots of different media types: Mini DV, DVD, hard drives, CompactFlash, SD and SDHC. While Mini DV is still popular in high-end cameras, lower-end units seem to be trending towards non-volatile media, solid-state cards and built-in memory that will then be transferred to some other media for storage. This is the way digital still cameras have worked for years now. On the one hand, it's convenient not to have to worry about tapes, but, on the other, it's easy enough to duck into an electronics store and buy a bunch of videotapes on vacation, while it's more difficult to find a way to dump your built-in memory to a big hard drive to free up space.

9. What resolution is right for me?

Do you want to make movies or upload things to YouTube? Buying and using an HD camera requires some significant resources, from storage space for your video to an editing system that can edit the video to a television that can play it back. Don't buy a camera that's going to sit in a drawer because you don't have the resources to operate it. At the same time, don't buy a camera that's underpowered for your needs. Think ahead of time if you'll be editing and distributing video in HD.