as salaamu alaikum,
Quote:
Originally Posted by heba
umm definately DONT get mini dv camcorders. theyre pretty much extinct and useless in this day and age.
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what makes you so sure about that one, eh? :P
i wouldnt say they are extinct and useless. theyre quite alive and well, and whether you should go for one or climb higher in the camcorder tree depends on your intended use and budget.
Heba is right that HD quality content is all the rage these days, and rightfully so. however, its still in the process of maturing in the mainstream area of adoption, so be prepared for a few caveats here and there (unless youre's a seasoned early-adopter, in which case you already knew that).
one thing that can be said for sure is that the days of analog video are dead. unless you really dont give a hoot about quality at all and you want to scrape the bargain bin at your local electronics store, the days of Hi8 and VHS-C are certainly over.
that said, yes digital is certainly the flavor to go with. as was previously mentioned, there are two main digital video formats these days. DV ("Digital Video" cassette) camcorders, while not capable of "HD" quality, are in fact digital, and still offer very good video/sound quality and they only record to "DV" cassettes). and since the technology has matured for some time now, its currently the most stable and widely adopted one. this also means that the variety of cameras to choose from is greater, and the cost of the tapes wont empty your wallet. overall DV still offers a good value for the average user who wants good quality video, ease of use, and convenient features. note that most DV camcorders allow for easy importing of video to a computer for editing.
as for HD, it will inevitably replace DV as the de-facto standard in consumer camcorders. however, nearly all camcorders capable of recording HD quality video start out at a higher price point as compared to DV camcorders. as for quality, yes HD should give you a significantly better quality picture and sound. but note that among all but the highest end HD camcorders, the results tend to be inconsistent from brand to brand (and sometimes from model to model). this means that finding the *right* HD camcorder for you will take a lot more homework on your part.
there are also some technical items to consider... HD camcorders use different types of recording media. some use mini recordable DVD discs, some use internal hard drives, and some use removable memory cards. which one is right for you will require even more consideration.
- DVD: pros - recordable dvds are cheap and readily available, allow for easy playback of your video in nearly any DVD player; cons - requires time to burn the disc after you finish recording before you can remove it from the camera (could be an issue in time-sensitive situations). you cant go back and erase or record over a previously recorded video. also, there may be compatability issies with the recorded DVDs and some DVD players
- hard drive: pros - no removable media to buy and replace, ever. allows you to record several hours of video at a time. makes it easy for you to copy video to your computer for editing/publishing/archiving; cons - once you run out of space, youre out of luck until you download the video to your computer or erase it. hard drive = sensitive moving parts = more likely to fail or wear out over time (especially if its handled roughly). video must be saved on computer or backed up to some other storage, can end up costing money/time in the long run. recommended mainly if you intend to do a lot of video editing on your computer or want to send videos to people or post them online.
- memory card: pros - makes for easy transfer of video to or playback of video to computer or other devices. cons - memory cards can be expensive and recording capacity per card is limited. also requires you to store your videos elsewhere after downloading them from the cards.
final thoughts... i am not at all saying to avoid HD. if you want the best, then youll certainly want to focus on the HD end of the camcorder spectrum. just be sure to do some careful research and consideration of the points i mentioned (and preferably hands-on testing) before putting your money down. but if most of your use will involve your everyday home videos, special events, sports, etc... then DV camcorders still offer you a great value and the assurance that whats youre using is a pretty solid, tried-and-true technology.
meraj
Advice on Camcorders!
