Best HD Camcorder

[Spy]

Hi all,

Which is the best consumer HD camcorder that doesn't use miniDV tapes i.e. card based or Hard Drive based ?

The Sony and Panasonic 3CCD ranges look good.

Also, are there any issues I should be aware of regarding transferring the viseo onto PC and playing back.

Ideally I would like to be able to play it back through MCE in My Videos.

All advice appreciated.

[redsox_mark]

Which is the best consumer HD camcorder that doesn't use miniDV tapes i.e. card based or Hard Drive based ?

For HDD, probably the Canon HG10, or Sony SR7.
For flash memory, probably the Panasonic SD5.

All these use the AVCHD format, which needs quite a powerful PC to edit and play.

[rhubarbe]

And WMP won't play AVCHD, neither will the all-conquering VLC. You'll need Nero Showtime.

[mmace]

WMP and MC will play them fine, you just need the right codecs installed and it set up correctly (works on mine!)

why are you avoiding the better quality tape cameras?

[Spy]

Originally Posted by mmace

why are you avoiding the better quality tape cameras?

I am avoiding the tape based cameras as I want to transfer to PC as quickly as possible.

My current camcorder is miniDV based (Panasonic NV5) and I have never got round to taking the videos off the tape onto my PC as it is realtime based.

I would much prefer something like my digital camera where I can just download the files.

[Spy]

Thanks for the feedback.

Which would be better (in terms of quality), an SDHC card based or hard drive based HD camcorder ?

Also, apart from the media type, which is a better camcorder, the Canon, Sony or Panasonic ?

[redsox_mark]

The media (SD card of HDD) doesn't impact the quality. The format does (as well as many other factors), all of these cams use the AVCHD format.

The Canon HG10 generally gets the best reviews; though the Sony SR7 and the Panasonic SD5 are also very good, there isn't a big difference in quality between any of them as far as I can tell.

[mmace]

if you're wanting better quality (which it sounds like you are with your questions and wanting to go HD) then go for tape

[Spy]

Thanks mmace.

I definitely don't want miniDV as I have that already and want something that is easier and quicker to download to PC.

If I was to go for miniDV, I would stick to my SD resolution camcorder.

I want to change to get something that is easier to download e.g. Hard Drive, SD card or DVD. As i am changing, I thought I may as well go for an HD camcorder as it will save me upgrading again in teh medium term.

Basically, I want the best balance between performance/quality, price and convenience.

Out of teh Panasonic and Sony, which is best. I notice the Panasonic boasts 3CCD compared to teh Sony's one. Does this improve picture quality ?

[redsox_mark]

Out of teh Panasonic and Sony, which is best. I notice the Panasonic boasts 3CCD compared to teh Sony's one. Does this improve picture quality ?

3 is generally better than 1; large is better than small. Comparing the SD5 with 3 small CCDs vs the SR7 (or HG10) with one large CMOS, there is no clear winner.

[Spy]

Thanks Mark.

I knew I shouldn't have asked, there is never a simple answer or choice to be made

I guess that is why AV is such fun

Any other oprinions on th Panasonic Vs Sony ?

Also, given the choice, would SDHC or Hard Drive be better ?

[redsox_mark]

The performance of these is so close; I suggest to narrow it down based on media type. If you want a flash memory based cam you could also look at the Sony CX6 as well as the Panasonic SD5.

If you want HDD, then it is between the Canon HG10 and Sony SR7.

There are obvious pros and cons to the media type. With HDD you can shoot for many hours with no need to switch memory card. On the other hand, with flash memory you have no moving parts and HDD failure to worry about, you can always add more capacity with more cards (but you have to pay for the cards). The flash memory models also tend to be a bit smaller.

[chrishull3]

Originally Posted by mmace

if you're wanting better quality (which it sounds like you are with your questions and wanting to go HD) then go for tape

i agree but this new mag which is allready out as i have it seems to say tape is a thing of the past.all its avchd and hard drive plus disc cams get high marks and it continualy has a go at tape becouse of its slow download time,personaly i like to look at what i have filmed as its being captured to give me more idea on the final edit,plus for me tape storage is best.but the way things are going in a few years i think tape will be thing of the past.
this is the magazine http://www.camcorderbuyer.co.uk/

[Spy]

Chris, thanks for the link. I will look at it later this eveing.

For me, the convenience of easier and faster downloading is teh reason for moving away from tape.

[redsox_mark]

Clearly the trend is away from tape, at least for consumers. The shops and manufacturers are pushing non-tape models, so no surprise the magazine follows suit. If you are fashion conscious that’s a problem… your mates may make fun of you having old technology. Otherwise, if one is happy with realtime download and wants the best quality and value, what’s wrong with buying a tape model today?

With standard definition, it is getting increasingly difficult to even find decent consumer DV models. Sony totally dummed down their range, unless you get one of the roomful of HC96 models from ebuyer. Panasonic has the GS320 still, though you’ll hardly ever see it on the high street. But with the price of high def models dropping, I think we’ll see standard def camcorders of all types becoming less common.

With high def, I think (and hope) that HDV tape will remain a strong alternative to AVCHD for some time, mainly as AVCHD hasn’t been able to match it for quality, not to mention ease of editing and playback. I’m sure the trend away from tape will contine, though I’m not sure that AVCHD is the long term answer either.

Apart from the well informed folks here, I’m convinced that most consumers don’t understand how HDV/MPEG2 compares to AVCHD, or how DV compares to MPEG2. To the younger consumer, they are used to HDD and flash memory devices in general. Tape is something their parents used. Older consumers associate tape with old technology, like VHS video and cassette audio tape.