Which camcorder?

12-06-2004, 9:41 PM

Hi,
I'm looking for a mini-dv for up to £300. I had my eye on either Samsung VPD230 or Sony DCR-HC18E, the first in particular, but am unsure if they would suit my needs...

Basically I'm imtending to use it for things like filming mates skating and BMX'ing, filming pranks or toned down Jackass stunts, and friends' rock gigs....to be blank a sort of fun cam. However I still want good quality picture, as I want to edit them on my pc and make them into proper short films.
I'd like at least 10x optical zoom, good size LCD that rotates, colour viewfinder and I can't think of anything else as my knowledge isn't exactly great on this subject.
Would the two I mentioned be suitable? If so which would you recommend? Or are there any others that would be better? Also would I need anything specific if I intended to film gigs, and would the Samsung VPD230 be able to do this?

Cheers,

Rich

12-06-2004, 11:53 PM

Actually, after thinking about it, I can probably stretch to around £400...

MarkE19 · 13-06-2004, 8:58 AM

If you want to film gigs then you will need maual focus, otherwise in low light the cam will be hunting for focus and will cause the focus to be constantly moving. Also if anybody moves across the stage the cam will focus on them as they cross the centre of the picture and then move back to whatever is behind - very off putting!
Also if the gigs will be under stage lighting (ie flashing coloured lights) you will also require, for good PQ, manual white balance otherwise the cam will be resetting itself to try and keep white levels, which will obviously be thrown out by the coloured lights.
Also you may well need either an external mic or a feed from the PA as the built in one could distort the sound if too loud or pick up too much croud noise if at the back of a hall. Therefore the cam will need a mic input.

Now the thing with the above features is that they tend to not be on the bottom of the range models, which does mean that they will cost more.

Mark.

13-06-2004, 11:58 AM

Ahhh right thanks mate. Would the VPD230 be suitable for the other things I wanted to use it for? Or are there any others for the price which would be better, or that could be used for gigs too? Or would something like the Sony DCRHC14E be better?

Thanks again,

Rich

12-06-2004, 9:41 PM	#1
Richs Guest Posts: n/a	Which camcorder? Advertisement Want to Advertise? Hi, I'm looking for a mini-dv for up to £300. I had my eye on either Samsung VPD230 or Sony DCR-HC18E, the first in particular, but am unsure if they would suit my needs... Basically I'm imtending to use it for things like filming mates skating and BMX'ing, filming pranks or toned down Jackass stunts, and friends' rock gigs....to be blank a sort of fun cam. However I still want good quality picture, as I want to edit them on my pc and make them into proper short films. I'd like at least 10x optical zoom, good size LCD that rotates, colour viewfinder and I can't think of anything else as my knowledge isn't exactly great on this subject. Would the two I mentioned be suitable? If so which would you recommend? Or are there any others that would be better? Also would I need anything specific if I intended to film gigs, and would the Samsung VPD230 be able to do this? Cheers, Rich Last edited by Richs; 13-06-2004 at 2:09 AM.
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12-06-2004, 11:53 PM	#2
Richs Guest Posts: n/a	Actually, after thinking about it, I can probably stretch to around £400...
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13-06-2004, 11:58 AM	#4
Richs Guest Posts: n/a	Ahhh right thanks mate. Would the VPD230 be suitable for the other things I wanted to use it for? Or are there any others for the price which would be better, or that could be used for gigs too? Or would something like the Sony DCRHC14E be better? Thanks again, Rich Last edited by Richs; 13-06-2004 at 12:10 PM.
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