Chris Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 Brief:I'm on the lookout for "decent" Digital camcorder, nothing to fancy but fantstic image quality is a must. Ideally connect to the computer through USB and an easy to use software suit to go with it.Uses:Mainly in daylight time with maybe the ocasional night shoot. Lux come in handy there?I know digital zooms can be 700x, anything special to be noted with digital zooming?Wants:A flip out view screen and not a "view type finder".Price Range:It depends what it is on offer. ...Digital camcorders is not my domain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 I know little about digital camcorders - I stay with my Hi8 Sony but, one thing you might want to consider is that the flip out LCD screens are very difficult to see in bright light conditions and a look down optical viewfinder can be very useful then. I suggest a machine with both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 Digital zooms are to my mind practically useless. They work the same as on still cameras, by enlarging the central area of the picture, thereby causing pixelation. Go for as large an optical zoom as you can afford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expertec Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 I know digital zooms can be 700x, anything special to be noted with digital zooming?Digital zoom is :censored:, you need a good optical zoom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted November 19, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 I know little about digital camcorders - I stay with my Hi8 Sony but, one thing you might want to consider is that the flip out LCD screens are very difficult to see in bright light conditions and a look down optical viewfinder can be very useful then. I suggest a machine with both.I'll take it into consideration.Digital zooms are to my mind practically useless. They work the same as on still cameras, by enlarging the central area of the picture, thereby causing pixelation. Go for as large an optical zoom as you can afford.Yup I have that on the camera with it's mega 3.5digital zoom.I know digital zooms can be 700x, anything special to be noted with digital zooming?Digital zoom is :censored:, you need a good optical zoom.I think I go the [j]gist of that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expertec Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 I was posting at the same time as andsome, and saying the same thing ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 Another point to look for is a good image stabiliser. As stated, optical zoom is far better than digital, but what ever zoom you use, the longer it is, the more camera shake will show up, and spoil the end result. To get over this, an image stabiliser will more or less float the mechanism, and iron out sudden little jerks of the hand. It is not easy to explain, but you probably know what I mean. When you look at the camcorder in the shop, look through the lens with the zoom on long and gently vibrate the hand, and see how well this movement is masked. Canon have particularly good image stabilisers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted November 23, 2004 Report Share Posted November 23, 2004 Sony are also good on night shooting and stabilisers. If you're burning to dvd then a dvd camcord is best as it shoots in mpeg2 and can be transfered via usb. The only prob when editing with mpeg is it's slower than avi. If you want to transfer to tape after editing it's best to shoot in dv, then you've got the option to either burn to disc or ptt (print to tape). With the latter you'll need a firewire as usb is no good for dv transfer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted November 23, 2004 Report Share Posted November 23, 2004 Forgot to add digital zoom is good for when you want to zoom in when editing a further-away-shot so loss of quality on the close-up is not too bad.Here's a couple of free dv editors to whet your appetite:http://www.snapfiles.com/get/zweistein.htmlhttp://www.geocities.com/fredledingo/aviutl.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted November 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 Any recommendations on a sony? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 I'm a bit out of touch with Sony models - I've still got my trusty old TRV 120E, and they're up to DCR models now. But make sure it's got dv 'in', and if it's got analogue 'passthrough' you can use it to link up to firewire and capture old camcord tapes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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