After a Camcorder, which format?

[koolpc]

I am after a new Camcorder. I like the HD ones but not sure if MiniDV is better? My budget is around £300 max. Any advice / help would be fantastic. Thanks

[redsox_mark]

My "HD" do you mean High Definition? Yes, in general HD cams are better than SD.

£300 is an awkward budget. You can get a High Def, memory card based Panasonic SD5 currently on Amazon for £350.

For miniDV, there isn't so much now in that range; for £200 and below I would still get miniDV. Panasonic GS330 is a good DV cam; but you can get the SD5 for the same price... then there are standard def cams which record to memory like the Canon FS10/FS100; there was a user review posted here recently which was very positive.

[koolpc]

I meant Hard Drive camcorders. Anymore advice please

[senu]

Can I gently suggest you use the Search function on here ?
This topic reccurs a least once a week
A few
Looking for a HDD camcorder
Completely Confused minidv versus Hdd
HDD or DV Camcorder? Under £300

Suffice to say that HDD camcorders around £2-300 were not great and MiniDV ones, are good but getting scarce
There are the Sony and JVC models mainly and they seem to be a "much of muchness" in terms of ability and features
The Problem with £300 is that as Mark suggests it is not ultra budget but not quite midrange
If you up your budget by £50-100, you are likely to get better models
HDD is not better than MiniDV but it is just as good as the consumer models ( as you spend more) and more convenient. There are also the SD card models which have no HDD to malfunction, are smaller lighter and quality is as good.
Get to the £450-500, Hi definition camcorders are begining to be withn your reach

[koolpc]

SD card ones look ok but don't know enough about them.

I also like the idea of HDD camcorders too as i had a MiniDV one but it was a pain to try and sort out all the different clips and then copy them to the pc.

I need more help guys. Which one:

HDD
SD
MiniDV

Help!! Thanks

[senu]

Originally Posted by koolpc

SD card ones look ok but don't know enough about them.

I also like the idea of HDD camcorders too as i had a MiniDV one but it was a pain to try and sort out all the different clips and then copy them to the pc.

I need more help guys. Which one:

HDD
SD
MiniDV

Help!! Thanks

How so? The info to help you chose is all at your disposal. I like tape but Ive also used a Hi def HDD camcorder or 2 which Ive been impressed with so it isnt about one being better than the other
If you have had a MiniDV you already know all about its use on the PC
HDD uses USB and PC transfer is quick, and the clips are already "made", SD is like HDD except it is removable.. and recording time per card is less, but there is no fear of HDD crash ( quite rare) and you can use several cards
With HDD and SD you still need somewhere to archive your footage
and
As tape technology is mature now, even the less costly models offer decent quality which you can get from SD card or HDD models only by spending a bit more: Thier budget offerings may not impress
MiniDV will always have the "hassle " of real time download to PC but once on the PC the video from all 3 formats are all pretty similar as even with footage from MiniDV the clips would already be made ( if you specify this during capture) for easy access
Read those threads Ive linked bearing in mind your specific needs and budget
Also This might be interesting
Is HDV getting less popular?
cover HDV which is MiniDV recording high definition

[koolpc]

Thanks for your help.

I used to take lots of different videos with my MiniDV Camcorder and then i would try to copy them to the pc and i could send all of them at once but if i wanted to look for a specific video i took and then try and send it to the PC it would be a pain to do!! Was i doing something wrong then?

Really confused which format to go for guys. I want good quality videos with easy editing to PC and then on the pc be able to sort them out easily.

Thanks for any help you throw my way. Cheers for the links.

[senu]

Honestly, I currently own 3 or 4 MiniDV models ( Ive had a few before this) .. they are not that hard to transfer, or use as clips.. it can be done manually and trimmed to "perfection"
I think it depend on which software you used at the time and if you got the hand of it. Once on the PC the video clips are non linear just like from any other format

MiniDV technology has not really changed so all we can say is, if you want to achieve the quality of miniDV but avoid the hassle, you need to up your budget to about £400 or more
Unfortunately this then gives you the choice of thinking of the lower cost Hi definition models, and Even better tape models ( Hi def)
As such, there is no right answer..
See what you think from the linked threads.. there is a wealth of detail of advantages and disadvantages of the formats and some specific model nos.. I read the threads ( I posted in one or 3 myself)
Even if it doesnt give you your answer it will give you enough of a flavour of current thinking and guide you to spend your money as wisely as possible

[koolpc]

Thanks. I have read the thread but still confused mate!!

Should i get another MiniDV then? Would HDD be easier / better? Is SD out of the question?

[senu]

Originally Posted by koolpc

Thanks. I have read the thread but still confused mate!!

Should i get another MiniDV then? Would HDD be easier / better? Is SD out of the question?

HDD will be easier for download to PC and faster. It will have the files already made as mpeg2 , and clips may be easier to use selectively before down load
If no editing is required it is easy to get to DVD and no further encoding is required
However if extensive editing is required, it may suffer quality loss far more than DV AVI from tape , as it wil get rerendered several times. If you dont mind this, or editing wil be minimal.. go for it
SD is a variant not out of the question but seems to a a Panasonic preference
It is not quality that differentiates them , just the fact that SD as a removable media a bit like tape( in that sense ) but with the advantage of fast download like with HDD) disadvantage is that a HDD will take a lot more and there is no need to buy several cards for reuse
The advantage of tape is that pound for pound at the budget level , the starting video quality is better. It is only latter that the gap closes up

I made remarks about tape to say those who use it and like its quality don't find the advantages of HDD and SD to overide them at this time.
This is not to say HDD / SD are not as good but that only at mid range price level
One of my favourites is the Sony SR 190 ect level that HDD is a worthy contender . The cheaper SR 32 ect.. I would avoid
However for some , any potential drop in quality is minor compared to the sheer convenience of a tapeless recording media with fast and "easy " PC download
You have to make you mind up what your current thinking is
If you name a particular model , you will likely get opinions on it.

[redsox_mark]

Originally Posted by koolpc

Thanks for your help.

I used to take lots of different videos with my MiniDV Camcorder and then i would try to copy them to the pc and i could send all of them at once but if i wanted to look for a specific video i took and then try and send it to the PC it would be a pain to do!! Was i doing something wrong then?

Really confused which format to go for guys. I want good quality videos with easy editing to PC and then on the pc be able to sort them out easily.

Thanks for any help you throw my way. Cheers for the links.

Yes you can search for bits on a tape, but what you describe is one of the main advantages of HDD and flash memory cams. If you often want to find and just copy a specific clip, and have found miniDV a pain, then these would be good formats for you.

Take a look at the Canon FS10/FS11/FS100, for standard def flash memory in your budget.

[koolpc]

Thanks guys.

I really do need to decide wether or not to go for tape again, HDD or SD. I want good quality. That is my first aim and then ease of downloading ect. I want to be able to put my video shots onto DVD in a nice compelation. So, i will want to probably crop the videos but no major editing (Just family videos).

I didn't know about SD Camcorders till i came on here!! How much footage can one get on a 2g card etc?

Is the loss of quality apparent if i wanted to edit HDD or SD video?

Any specific models should i look at in the HDD, SD range (Seen ones above). Thanks guys

[redsox_mark]

How much footage can one get on a 2g card etc?

With a standard def model, about half an hour at highest quality setting.
With high def models it varies with the model, but will be around 15 minutes at the highest quality setting.
You can use larger capacity cards of course.

Is the loss of quality apparent if i wanted to edit HDD or SD video?

A compressed format is used, which will degrade with each re-encoding. But generally a single generation edit will not cause noticable degredation.

[koolpc]

If i went for a MiniDV Camcorder which one of these is best:

Canon MD205

Sony DCR-HC51E

If i went for a HDD one which one should i go for? This one:

Panasonic SDR-H20EB-s HDD

Thanks

[redsox_mark]

Between the 2 DV models not much in it; I would go for the Canon as it has an external mic input.

The Panasonuc H20 is OK for the price; I think it's been replaced now by the H40. The H280 is better, but above your budget.