Any Digicam Experts Out There?

[JINKSTER]

And the problem is....I never owned any sort of camcorder in my entire life and my parents busted out for christmas and gave the wife and I a "Sony Handycam DCR-DVD92" camcorder....the kind that takes the 3" dvd's and burns right to the dvd for playback in dvd players.

Here's the problem...I considered buying a digital camcorder about a year ago and did do a little research and from what I recall?...I was advised of the following and need to know if it's myth or fact....

Advisment #1. I was told that this sort of "burns straight to a mini dvd disc" sort of digicam was/is/are absolutely useless when monted to a motorcycle as the vibes screw up the recording/burning....True or False?

Advisement #2. I was told that due to the fact that it is spinning and burning a dvd that it gobbles is way through the battery real fast like..unlike a memory stick or flash media sort of device. True or False?

Some of the reviews I've already researched and read claim the thing is convienient as he11 while others jade it to death for very poor resilution and no other way to dump into a pc for editing other than reading the dvd...but of course I'm to ignorant of the whole thing to decipher who is on the money and who is full of pooh.

I fear the top two advisements are both "True" in which case I'll be returning it...soon...but will also need to know what it is I'm looking to replace it with.

My parents blew big bucks (to us) on this thing...like $600 and I'm too inexperienced to know if it's a keeper or a pig..so...please...a little help here from our local digicam guru's?...Anybody?

T.I.A. and L8R, Bill.

 

[BusaWhipped]

This is from a post by our local video guru.

Well, it's a real personal thing ... so some folks may not agree ... but, here's what I think:

All your options come in "three's" ...

********

In general, camcorders come in three types:

- Mini-DV (record to tape)
- DVD or CD (record to DVDs or CDs)
- SD (record to SD or other kind of flash card ... or a hard disk)

Get one that records to Mini-DV tape. The ones that record to CD or DVD skip alot ... and the ones that record to SD or other flash card compress the video, so the best you can get in terms of quality is MPEG2 (which is mediocre).

********

A "D/V-in" port is what allows your camera to accept a signal "in" ... from an external source (not just the built-in lens). This is what allows you to plug in a bullet camera.

In many ways, the prices of cameras have to do with "if" and "what kind" of D/V-in port they have. They come in 3 price ranges:

- No D/V-in port (cheap)
- 1/8" phono plug D/V-in (looks like a hole you could plug a walkman headset into ... medium price)
- S-Video D/V-in (expensive)

Both 1/8" inch phono and S-Video are good. S-Video is just a little bit better ... it is noticeable, but not much.

********

Now, you need to have a way to get the footage off the camera and into your computer ... and there are 3 ways:

- USB 1.0 (slow)
- Firewire (also called IEEE 1394 ... fast)
- USB 2.0 (faster)

USB 2.0 is the fastest ... but it's NOT as good as Firewire. It's too damn clunky. Firewire ALWAYS works right the first time. Make SURE you get a camcorder with Firewire capability.

********

Other Stuff ... that doesn't really matter after the points above ... but, I tell you anyway:

- Optical zoom is what matters ... digital zoom sucks. More optical zoom is better. Get the most you can afford.

- A big viewfinder screen is better than a small one

- Most camcorders can take still photos now days and save them on an SD card. They all suck for taking still pix. Remember, you are buying a camcorder ... not a digital still camera. You can get a $99 digital still cam that will take better still shots than a $1,300 camcorder. They haven't broken the code on that, yet. So, don't worry about it too much.

- Smaller overall size (mass) is better.

Tip: I got my camera as a display model. It was the top of the line Sony $1,300 camera ... and had sat on the shelf for 2 years. I was a 2 year old model ... but had everything ... and I got it for $499.
__
-- Rat

 

[vman1300]

Bill,

I have to agree, get one the recorde to a mini DV tape. Wifey got me one last year and I have used it for alot of on board footage.

I have hear the same fears about the record straight to DVD skipping alot on a bike.

Merry Christmas and hop to see you at the Bash!

Kevin

 

[EastCoast]

Most logical camcorder for the money is MiniDV! There are better formats out there but it would cost way more than your Busa!

 

[JINKSTER]

Mucho Thanks Folks...so...here's what I did today....based on the wisdom offered up to me here....

I returned the DCR-DVD92 to sears for a full cash refund of $583 and then went to circut city and bought a Sony DCR-HC32 which is basically the same camcorder with the awesome 20X optical Carl Ziess Lenses and "Touch Screen LCD" excpet it uses Mini-DV Tapes instead of burning to those dang 30 minute 3" disc...and then finalizing...or not...for playback...."MAYBE"...and the HC32 is a lot nicer and more refined with far more video storage options and associated software availabilty.

The HC32 was also less expensive by $100 which I promptly re-invested in a 5HR Sony InfoLithium Battery to go along with the 1 hour supplied battery..along with (2) three packs of JVC 60 minute mini-dv tapes for a package that'll give me and the family 6 hours of recording time and..unlike the DVD92?...The HC32 came with..

1. A remote control.

2. An intergral mechanical lens cover (the DVD92 only came with a cheapazz plastic pinch cover that attached and dangled from a string)

3. Software. (duh!)

and finally....

4. A coolazz "Docking Station" from which you can charge your batteries and/or...export/import media in several fashions including USB and Firewire.

This should be much cooler...and thanks for the help here folks.

L8R, Bill.