Hi All,

We’re getting married in 4 weeks time and want to get a camcorder to record this important moment for posterity as well as for future holidays etc.

The main problem we’ve got is that we’re complete novices when it comes to camcorders so we don’t really know what to go for.

We quite fancy the idea of having a camcorder where we are able to record straight to the hard disk but feel that this might be out of our price range as we can only afford to go up to about £300 (what with the wedding coming up and everything!). The other option we would look at is the dv camcorders where you record onto a tape.

The camcorder needs to have a dv out function (I think) as we intend to transfer the videos onto our hdd/dvd recorder which has a dv in function (I think that’s the right way round). We then intend to record the videos onto dvd’s to let family have copies.

I hope someone is able to give us an idea of the sort of camcorders we should be looking at.

Thank you very much in advance for your help.

Rob

[redsox_mark]

I would recommend a DV (tape) camcorder for the following reasons:

1. For £300 you can get a very good quality DV camcorder. The same money you can only get a bottom of the range HDD camcorder which will not be as good quality.

2. Your DVD recorder has DV-in. Only DV camcorders output DV, the HDD cams output the more compressed MPEG2. If you shoot on a HDD cam, it's compressed MPEG2.. then to output to your DVD recorder you would need to use the analogue inputs, then the recorder will re-compress to MPEG2 again. Better quality to take the less compressed DV into the DVD recorder, only one compression to MPEG2.

One of the advantages of a HDD cam is you can do some limited editing on the HDD cam itself.. but if you can do this on your DVD recorder (especially if it is a DVD/HDD recorder) then you don't need this.

In terms of models - Canon MVX450 or 460.. though some have issues with motor noise (I've not seen it myself). Or Panasonic GS180.

Thanks very much for your reply.

I’ve been doing a bit of research and I’ve found the Sony DCR-HC44E that looks like it would meet all of our requirements.

How does this compare to the Canon and Panasonic models you mention?

Also is this still fine to connect to my hdd/dvd recorder. I notice it’s got a dv out jack so that would do the job wouldn’t it??

Thanks again.

Rob

[redsox_mark]

Hi Rob,

Yes, the HC44 is also a contender, and will meet your needs. It's easy to use, probably easier than the Canon or Panasonic. But both the Panasonic and the Canon have slightly better video quality. On the other hand I mentioned the possible noise issue with the Canon, and there is one downside with the Panasonic if you plan to shoot widescreen (you can't have image stabilisation on in widescreen mode). So there isn't much in it between the three.

Thanks again Mark.

Just one last thing before I go ahead and order, how do I transfer from the camcorder to my hdd/dvd recorder??

Do I need to buy a firewire to transfer the data from the dv out on the camcorder to the dv in on the hdd/dvd recorder??

Cheers

Rob

[cjb]

Rob,
all the advice given is fine for choosing your camera, but WHO IS GOING TO TAKE YOUR WEDDING SHOOT, because u will be somewhat busy on the day.
As a wedding photographer, my advice is get someone who knows what they are doing for the Big Day, rather than stuffing your brand new camcorder into the hands of Auntie Elsie and expecting superb video results.
All the best.

[MarkE19]

Originally Posted by Rob_Kzk

Do I need to buy a firewire to transfer the data from the dv out on the camcorder to the dv in on the hdd/dvd recorder??

Yep, any bog standard firewire cable should work. Just check the size of the DV port on the HDD/DVD. If it is the same size as on the camcorder then you need a 4 pin to 4 pin cable. If it is bigger then you will need a 4 pin to 6 pin cable.

Mark.