Posts Tagged: Camcorder
Which camcorder should I buy for my CE office?
Today the Panasonic HDC-TM700 camcorder is the one I’d get for less than $900 at http://www.BHPhotoVideo.com.
Here’s a review with specs: http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Panasonic-HDC-TM700-Camcorder-Review-37681.htm.
That’s the one I’d buy today. It is all-digital (no tape), great picture, good low-light results and takes an external microphone. It has been in use since March and has very good rating by users.
Naturally, you should also have a tripod (<$100), a wireless mic system (<$200), headphones, and a spare battery. So budget for those items when you are planning your first camcorder purchase. Also, you should have a clue what editing program you plan to use and whether this camera produces video that is compatible without converting the footage to another file format.
Camcorder--Canon HF200
The Canon HF200 ($600) is versatile and with Adobe Premiere Elements v.7 ($60 with educational discount) editing software will let you produce video for the web and DVD with no additional software. It records to 32GB flash memory cards. Much more re-usable than tape, cutting down on supplies in the future.
We get our software through UCD’s discounter: http://www.ships.shi.com/go/ucdavis
Mike
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Camcorder--Canon HV30
Since November 2008, I've been using the Canon HV30, a high-definition (HD) camcorder. This unit is tape-based. I'm still hopeful there will be a hard disk drive (HDD) model that actually does what I need it to do, but they still lack quality and external microphone inputs that are available on tape-based camcorders.
![Canon-HV30 Canon-HV30](http://ucanr.org/blogs/mediagear/blogfiles/1613.jpg)
It's in the $600 range now and will no doubt drop as the next model release occurs. As always, I recommend getting a spare battery, and by tape by the 5-pack. While this camera has HD capibility, your CE clientele may not need it yet. The camera does work very well in SD (standard definition) just fine. If you plan to use HD, then purchase HD mini-DV cassettes (DVC). The cost more than SD. So only buy them if you are planning to shoot in HD.
Camcorders: Which one is right for you?
How do you choose the right camcorder for your office? It depends on what you plan to do with it and your budget.
I start shopping here: http://reviews.cnet.com/camcorders/ where I can see the best reviewed and the most popular purchases. http://wize.com/best/digital-camcorders provides a top 5 list in ratings and popularity as well.
For clips you plan to put on the web, keep in mind these parameters:
- You don't need the ability to shoot widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio. 4:3 has been the TV standard since TV sets changed from round to rectangular.
- Video on the web is not full screen in the US so if you shoot full screen (720x480), your editing software will give you the option to output for the web. Usually that means it will be at 320 x 240 pixels. If you don't have the best quality camera, it will look better when the image size is reduced for the web. Your editing software will allow you to burn DVDs with full screen video from the same material as the web stuff you've produced. It is just a different output choice.
- HD means High Definition. That doesn't exist on the web. So if you use your camera to produce HD, it will be changed to SD (Standard Definition) for your web clip. Do your clientèle watch a lot of HD? Probably not yet.
So, for $300-$500 you can buy a camcorder that shoots 4:3 aspect ratio, Standard Definition, and records onto Mini-DV. You'll use the firewire port to connect to your computer to transfer the footage you plan to use for the edit. I recommend Adobe Premiere Elements for editing ($65) for Windows or iMovie (free) for the Mac. That's the easiest set up and will get you very good results. Add-ons would be a tripod ($80) and a wireless microphone ($150) from Azden.
There are other camcorder choices and features, that you may want to explore:
- HDD means Hard Disk Drive. Some camcorders use an HDD instead of Mini-DV tape. Their prices start at around $700. I've used one for a year now and I have yet to get any decent handheld video from it because it does not have an ocular viewfinder, only the flip out LCD screen. Without having the camera up against my eye socket I find it impossible to hold it steady in spite of my 35 years a a professional cameraman. I do get great shots with a tripod. I do like that when I hook up the camcorder to the computer, the camcorder's HDD is accessible just like any other hard disk and I just pick the files (clips) to transfer to the computer. I do have to rename the files (.MOD) to .MPG in order for my editing software to use them.
About the computer you plan to edit video with....
- Make sure your computer is up to the system requirements of the editing software you are planning to use. Here they are for Adobe Premiere Elements, v.4 http://www.adobe.com/products/premiereel/systemreqs/ I recommend doubling the minimum RAM requirement. That's where performance can be best improved.
- When it comes to working with video, it is best if your computer's hard drive, the one the digitized footage is stored on, runs at 7200 RPM. Most laptops and many desktops have drives running at 5400 RPM and may either be painfully slow, jerky, or just plain not work when playing video.
Here's what my experience has taught me about various camera specs:
- Zoom--10x, 20x, 30x. Marketing often touts the power of the zoom lens as a good thing. Keep in mind that image quality is better when you are actually closer to your object with the lens zoomed out. Think about it. Hollywood motion picture cameras don't even have zoom lenses for that reason. A "long lens" (one that is zoomed in) shows vibrations more easily and it is impossible to get a steady shot. Also, never use a digital zoom feature. You can use the camera settings to turn it off. It will only degrade the image by enlarging pixels. If you've taken my digital photo class you know that big pixels are bad pixels.
- Auto iris, macro full range AF. More about the lens.
- Auto Iris means it will adjust to the lighting, automatically handling exposure. Standard.
- Macro refers to having some sort of close-up setting. They are never very good on consumer models and you'd have to carefully peruse user reviews to know if a particular model really gives you macro, not just some form of close-up.
- AF means auto focus, also standard.
- Viewfinder--If it has one, good. That's the eyepiece I wrote about earlier. It is the best way to tell if you are in focus.
- LCD--1.8", 2.0", 2.5". In digital still and video cameras, bigger is better. You'll be better able to see what you are doing or have recorded. Aim for 2.5" or larger. They are not great for seeing if you are in focus, but someday they'll be higher resolution.
- Stereo mic. Standard built-in on all camcorders. It may look like one microphone on the camera but it actually is two and records what is heard to the left and right of the camera's view and puts it on the left and right tracks.
- PCM digital recording, 16 bit. This is the audio quality specification and is standard for any decent camcorder.
- Still picture recording--JPEG. Most camcorders will also record still shots. Some camcorders have a separate media card (SD, XD, Memory Stick, etc.) and will store still images. Your camcorder will need to be in "still" mode to take a photo that will be saved as a JPEG file on the media card. But, the average camcorder resolution is around 2 megapixel, about a third of the average digital still camera. So if you want a still picture, use a still camera.
There's so much more I could tell you about camcorders, but for now, your head is probably full.
Until next time....
Mike