Camcorder which burns directly to DVD?

Zaichik · 29-12-2008, 12:22 PM

I'm on the lookout for a relatively inexpensive SD HD camcorder to use for filming the little one before he grows up and leaves home! After being told (as expected) in the Canon thread that my PC is too old to handle HD footage, and knowing that I'll never get the other half to agree to a new camera and a new PC, I've been looking at the Panny SD9 because you can get a burner for it which allows burning direct to DVD. This would be ideal as a stopgap until the slowness of our old PC becomes too annoying even for my wife to tolerate.

However, reviews of the SD9 seem a bit mixed, and most reviews seems to indicate that indoor filming is not so good. Is it a good camera for a dabbler like me? Are there any other cameras which allow direct burning to DVD which I should look at?

My budget is £600 for camera and burner - but I might be able to stretch a little more if it makes a big difference in what I can get.

Thanks in advance for your help.

montybaber · 29-12-2008, 12:28 PM

Hi just a thought You can get a HDD camcorder for around £200 and that gives you £400 left over, I saw laptops yesterday for £300 that looked good and then you have a hundred to buy your missus a present

everyones a winner

*A n d r e w* · 29-12-2008, 12:47 PM

Just to muddy the waters, Canon have a similar offering: Canon DW-100

I have an SD9, and will happily admit it does not excel indoors. I've not tested the SD9 and HF100 side by side, so can't comment on how much better the HF100 is in "low light" siutations, though the anecdotal evidence suggests it is better (again, I've not come across a thorough side-by-side comparison, with most of the positive comments about the HF100 coming from owners).

If I was in your boat, however, if the HF100 + burner was within budget I'd go for it. There are only two things that put me off the HF100: one is the frequency with which complaints about dead pixels on the LCD seem to be cropping up, the other the sloppy-feeling zoom control. On the plus side, it offers you more "upgrade" features like a microphone input and an accessory shoe, along with more creative control over the look of your video than the SD9. It is about £100 dearer, however (so don't forget to take advantage of the cashback offer from Canon, which lasts until January 12 - Panasonic's ends on December 31 and is for purchases from bricks-and-mortar stores only).

Andrew.

Zaichik · 29-12-2008, 12:59 PM

Thanks. Looks like I'm back to looking at the Canon!

Zaichik · 29-12-2008, 4:42 PM

Me again. The one advantage that the Panny seems to have over the Canon is 5.1 sound. Is this really worth having?

WarPig843 · 29-12-2008, 8:07 PM

Following what feels like months of research, I bought an SD9 today.

Dont forget you can shove the SD memory card into a suitable Blu-ray dvd player for play back. I'm doing this on my PS3 which allows me to copy the footage to its hard drive.

In any case, with the cost of these SD cards dropping, I intend to leave the footage on the SD card and just keep buying new cards. Then, when I want to watch the recording, I just bung the card into the PS3.

Im also thinking of buying the VW-BN1 buner that you mentioned. Though I dont know if it burns the footage in High Def.

The research continues..........

*A n d r e w* · 29-12-2008, 8:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zaichik

The one advantage that the Panny seems to have over the Canon is 5.1 sound. Is this really worth having?

The SD9 also offers basic editing of clips in camera, which I believe is not something the Canon has.

As for the 5.1, while it's surprisingly good on the SD9 given the tiny, closely-spaced mics, it's really only a deal-maker it if you have a media device that supports 5.1 playback. Keep in mind most PC editing suites don't support 5.1 and will convert it to standard stereo when transferring, should you go down that route.

Andrew.

WarPig843 · 29-12-2008, 8:32 PM

[QUOTE=A n d r e w;8449475]The SD9 also offers basic editing of clips in camera, which I believe is not something the Canon has.QUOTE]

Andrew,

Ive not had time to study my SD9 manual yet but at first glance it seems the SD9 can only delete whole scenes, not odd bits of unwanted footage. Can it do more than this (Im hoping so)?

*A n d r e w* · 29-12-2008, 9:12 PM

Take a look at page 72, "Dividing a scene to delete."

WarPig843 · 29-12-2008, 9:21 PM

Cheers buddy. Im famous for rushing in and getting hands on, instead of reading the manuals

Zaichik · 29-12-2008, 10:24 PM

Now I'm really confused. It seems that Sony also do a DVD burner and their cams have 5.1 sound and can record in standard def if you want them to. The downside is I don't like the look of the TG3 (which is the only one realistically in my price range) and the reviews seem to suggest that it is not as good as the HF100.

Help!

*A n d r e w* · 30-12-2008, 5:44 AM

In terms of picture quality across the spectrum of lighting situations alone, the TG3 and SD9 are roughly equivalent while the HF100 is slightly better.

Zaichik · 30-12-2008, 3:45 PM

After lots of agonising and an abortive visit to Jessops, I've just ordered the HF10 from Amazon (only £40 more than the HF100 from Jessops - less if you take into account the cost of an SD card for the HF100 - and they can deliver tomorrow so I have time to play before I go back to work). I was very tempted by the 5.1 on the Sony (especially after I saw how small the cam was in the flesh), but decided that picture quality was more important, as was true HD.

I'll order the burner next week.

Thanks for your advice, chaps.

**senu** · 30-12-2008, 3:53 PM

Good move

5.1 on these domestic units isnt all its cracked up to be anyway

A decent AV amp should be able do perform the magic of Dolby Prologic2 on a 2 channel source and even if you get a 5.1 from the camcorder many editing software will not preserve it
The 5.1 from movies is often a result of carefully planned audio mixing , not from the recording cameras

Zaichik · 31-12-2008, 9:06 AM

Thanks - it's always good to have reassurance that I've made the right decision, even from someone I don't know in internetland!

Fingers crossed...

**senu** · 31-12-2008, 1:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zaichik

Thanks - it's always good to have reassurance that I've made the right decision, even from someone I don't know in internetland!

Fingers crossed...

You are welcome. Be rest assured that "internet land" has real people at the other end PC and we do correspond by other means if need be
Enjoy the kit when it arrives and lets know how you get on with it