Tanong about video camera?

[Galactus]

Galactus, you can get a firewire pci card sa PC Options sa Gilmore, that's just 800-900 pesos lang. the firewire cable is around 200-300 for a decent one.

Ganun lang ba kamura yun? I'm not that updated anymore kasi with PC hardware prices, unlike before. When I bought my camcorder (JVC-270U) in 2005, nasa 3k pa ang price ng Firewire PCI card, pero may kasama ng cable.

Eh bad trip ako, kasi I bought my JVC at 32,990, tapos 1 week later, binaba ng 5k, naging 27,990 na lang! Kaya ayoko munang gumastos that time.

[Horsepower]

who is the clown who tried to sell you a firewire card for 3k last 2005? sobrang mahal ha. it's just 1300 back then with cable.

[Horsepower]

BTW, since 2007 na ngayon, i suppose you have 2yr old tapes. It's the best time to back them up in DVDs or risk losing them or the quality of the videos (due to repeated exposure and friction with the drum head).

[OTEP]

May video 8 pa ba? Yun kasi gamit kong format nung nahilig ako sa camcorders. Gumagawa pa kami ng mga short films. hehehe.

Old school Sony TRV-11 pa uso nun.

[Jun aka Pekto]

May video 8 pa ba? Yun kasi gamit kong format nung nahilig ako sa camcorders. Gumagawa pa kami ng mga short films. hehehe.

Old school Sony TRV-11 pa uso nun.

I'm not sure about Video 8. But, the Sony Hi-8 format is pretty good. I made a couple of videos for a friend a few years ago using footage from his Sony camcorder (same TRV-series). I couldn't tell the difference between Hi-8 and MiniDV. The camcorder was a little bulky though compared to MiniDV camcorders of the day.

Our JVC DVL-510U MiniDV camcorder is almost 6 years old. I guess it's almost time for us to buy a new camcorder as well. We'll probably buy either a micro/palm-sized MiniDV unit or one of the HDD-based ones.

[kinyo]

HDD videocam for me ... the convenience of not having to worry about media beats all other features ... with good archiving habit, the possibility of losing data is almost impossible ... and i'm also a believer that the camera's hdd is highly durable, if i drop the camera, something else would break but not the hdd

[moe]

I use a sony dvd handycam. some things i like about it:

-media can be played in home dvd player
- media can be copied easily to pc or to another cd
- no need to rewind/forward if looking for a scene
- media is thin/handy

things i dislike:

- mini dvd is quite expensive : 300 for a single sided 30 minute dvd, around 600 for a dual sided disc. however, cdr sells them much cheaper
- availability of media is not that widespread
- picture quality is not that good on current models except on top of the line (really expensive ones)
- captured video format is not avi
- video lag is obvious

mini dv has been around for a long time and they have mastered this format thus it would be safe to go with it. mini dvd is relatively new technology thus minor quirks still abound.

[slyfox]

Very good points slyfox, esp the latter paragraphs.

However, tape is not exactly the best media to store relevant data to (like videos) because it's susceptible to mold and fungi which render the tape useless should it occur. Also, in floods, tape gets easily damaged.

yeah well that's true. what i usually do is transfer my minidv footage to my hd then i burn them. that way i have 2 master copies. but that might be too much work for the average consumer. but for my field it's necessary. so ok maybe the hdd drives are a better option word of caution tho, be careful not to input grounded mics when filming. and during transfer avoid power fluctuations. i've heard of instances wherein the data was erased from the hdd due to these. but that was for the panasonic p2 camera.

as for the video 8 and hi-8, did you know that you can convert your v8 tapes to hi-8 by simply perforating a hole on the v8 tapes? a nifty trick i learned way back. oh and otep if you do plan to digitize your short films shot on v8 you can borrow someone who has a digital 8 camera. it plays regular v8 and hi-8 but allows data to be transferred via firewire/usb

[frenchtower]

I have the same dilemma as with the thread starter (about 3 weeks ago). I ended up buying a Canon HV10 high definition camcorder. I have several reasons for that:

1. It runs on miniDV. I have quite a collection from my previous JVC camcorder so I needed one to succeed it's throne.

2. MiniDVD has a small degree (if not nill) of editing support. Whereas, miniDV has a wide array of post production editing programs. I use Ulead VideoStudio 11 Plus.

3. The camcorder I got was replaced by a newer version so I got it cheap.

4. Digital quality recorded on miniDV tapes are excellent compared to those in miniDVD format. Just don't know how AVCHD performs? My cam can produce 1080 interlaced footages in its final form (That is close to full HD and far better than my old JVC who only produces 480i).

5. MiniDV tapes are dime a dozen now. It used to be expensive but due to the emergence of new formats, economy pulled its price downwards.

6. MiniDVD is really convenient as its form factor is small compared to regular DVDs but just as with any DVD it can easily be scratched. When it does, you can say farewell to your precious (scandalous) moments. That will not happen to your HDD or MiniDV camcorder.

7. I have lenses from my digital camera that fits perfectly with my camcorder (both being under the Canon brand). I can easily attach my converter lenses and filters on its 37mm ring.

8. Extremely compact. I can easily carry it on my front pocket. It has 10X optical zoom function plus a 100X digital zoom. 3MP digital cam to boot.

Other forms of camcorders are either:
1. Too short in capturing footages. Some only gets it in short video clips like the new Canon TX1 or the Sanyo Xacti. Unless you have a great number of storage space to load your videos.

2. Too expensive. HDD types usually cost more in the open market especially those made by Sony. But if money is not an issue then follow what you are comfortable in using.

3. Outdated design. Uso ngayon ay paliitan ng gadgets. Usually lahat ng electronic devices start off with big design formats. Later on, smaller versions will come out because of improved technology and market demands.

Get one that will satisfy your needs and fit in your budget. Try and audition several camcorders to have a first hand feel. Also if you have time, check the ratings and reviews over the internet prior to your purchase. It will help a lot. You can take reference on this website for additional guidance: www.camcorderinfo.com

[chieffy]

50 petot lang TDK CD-R sa CDRKing...scratch resistant...attended the first birthday of my apo (anak ng eldest niece ko) last year...finalized the dvd after the party sabay bigay sa mag-asawa ayun tuwang tuwa...

check mo yung HD ones kung pasok sa budget mo....

[ozcity]

the problem with hdd cams naman is that you immediately dump it to your computer's hard drive. if your computer crashes you lose all your memories. kaya save it on tape. that's why until now most of the professional cameras still record on tape...or film--- whether 35mm, 16mm, HD or digital video. bihira talaga ang hdd kasi nga delikado.

kung archiving from HDD dapat burn mo into DVD...ofcourse hindi natin masabi na baka mag-crash yung 2nd Hard Drive (PC)mo..save it on DVD/CD

most proffesionals gamit talaga tape kasi yung process of recording e "RAW" not unlike DVD's and HDD..digital na yan..

i prefer HDD kasi ayaw ko bumili ng media.. ime eyeing the SR200 of Sony

pag D

[ozcity]

got this one from pinoydvd ....

Any of the 3 Sony variants you are considering would give you the same image quality because they have the same optics and sensors. However, you have to think and plan carefully on how you intend to archive you precious digital masters before you decide which particular recording media to choose. Note that this comparison is based on the assumption that you will record at the cam’s highest possible setting; why wouldn’t you to create a pristine master copy of your precious memories? There is no point in recording in hi-def if you are not going to optimize the settings of the cam. Downrezzing, if necessary, should be done during editing and not while shooting.

MiniDV: having owned a standard def videocam which I assume is a MiniDV type, you should be very familiar with the handling and care of this magnetic media (playing, forwarding/rewinding the tape at least once every 6 months, storing the tapes under proper temperature and humidity conditions). Recording time is the same as that of SD (which is actually surprising). Although there seems to be no major issues when using standard MiniDV tapes, please note that Sony markets a special type of MiniDV that is supposed to be optimized for hi-def recording, at a premium price of course. The Canon cam uses MiniDV as well but the cam body is box type (convenient to carry in the bag, but can be a pain during actual shooting).

Hard Disk Type: Capacity is 30GB. At the highest bitrate of 15Mbps, 30GB should allow you approximately 4 hours of recording; long enough for single event recording but most likely a tight squeeze if you are on a long vacation. So what happens after you use up 30GB? First, you have the option to dump the master files into a bigger hard disk (I would suggest at least 2 if you want to be more safe not to lose your entire home video collection), hence you would have to bring along your laptop with perhaps an external drive whenever you go on vacation. At home, you can make copies on recordable DVDs (dual layer recommended) or even BD. Just note that if you copy to a recordable DVD, your DVD player must be compliant with AVCHD standard in order to play your hi-def video. If you record to recordable BD, you obviously need a BD player. Both these options are good reasons for getting something like a PS3. You can also watch through your PC as long you install the software that comes with the cam, and your PC has enough muscle to handle hi-def video.

DVD Type: One 8cm DVD (1.4GB) allows you only about 15 minutes of recording at the highest bitrate so if you choose this type of videocam, be prepared to purchase and carry buckets of blank disks and, be ready to accept the inconvenience of having to replace the disk around 3 times in order to record a 1-hour event (and you’d better be fast when replacing disks as well). Unlike its standard definition counterpart, a DVD recorded with hi-def content can only be played through an AVCHD compliant player.

SD Type: Panasonic just released its first gen consumer HD videocam that records on SD (8cm DVD variant is also available). It uses 3-CCDs as opposed to Sony’s single CMOS sensor. At the moment, the SD maxes at 4GB; good for around 40 minutes of recording at the highest setting. Obviously, you need to carry at least 1 spare SD whenever you shoot, and similar to hard disk type, you need to have a bigger hard disk in order to store your video files. However, Panasonic recommends that hi-def home movies should be archived using BD recorders, which is a safe and reliable option but certainly very expensive one at the moment. Hi-def video recorded on SD can be played directly on an AVCHD compliant player with SD slot. As expected, Panasonic sells that type of equipment too. Similar to Sony, you can also watch through your PC as long you install the software that comes with the cam, and your PC has enough muscle to handle hi-def video.

If you don’t mind the inherent restrictions of each available media, let me inform you that based on side-by-side comparisons, it appears to me that the best hi-def image is produced by Panasonic’s SD HD cam. Color latitude is almost equally good for all available makes and could be rather subjective. However, it was quite apparent that Panasonic exhibited the least noise among all cams I’ve played with. It also happens to be the lightest because it doesn’t have any mechanism for tape/disk loading and no built-in 1.8” hard disk.

[BlueBimmer]

P50 lang tdk mini dvd sa cdrking?! wow no contest kung ganun, mini dvd na!

[moe]

yup, tdk is really cheap but the problem is sometimes it has problems with certain devices. i use a sony minidvd handycan so i always buy sony dvd-rws. even if the dvd is cheap, it records only around 30 minutes. that to me is quite sad. i'm sure in the future they'll introduce discs with greater capacity to the public but for now i'm stuck with 30 minute discs.