Hi,
I'm on the verge of buying my first camcorder (baby due early next year) and I'm getting rather overwhelmed by all the information out there - I've looked at www.camcorderinfo.com etc. If anybody could help answer my (very) newbie questions I'd be really grateful.
Ok, the stuff I've considered:
1. Format - Mini DV tape vs HDD
I'm fairly computer literate, so the idea of recording directly to a hard disk appeals to me, but much of the material I have read implies that the quality of recording to HDD is worse than that done to Mini DV tape because the MPEG2 compression that is inevitably used. I'm not sure what (if any) compression is used with Mini DV tape. I don't imagine I'll do loads of editing, but the option to do easily basic stuff would be nice.
2. High Definition vs Standard Definition
It would seem logical to go for High Definition as it won't be that long before this is the predominant resolution for TV.
3. Size, ease of use etc
Both my wife and I would be using the camera and we'd rather go for something small, light and fairly easy to use.
What is confusing me:
I had almost decided to go for the Sony HDR-HC3 (it certainly satisfies point 3 above) but I now read that despite recording to tape, it actually uses MPEG2 compression. Furthermore, although it's described as High Definintion, in this thread
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=419297
it appears that HD-DVD and BD-R will not support the combination of resolution and refresh rate that this Sony model uses.
Now I may well be missing something - as I say, I am absolutely new to this - but IS there any camcorder currently available that
a) can shoot High Definition video AND be compatible with future High Definition discs
b) does not lose quality by using MPEG2 compression
c) is small and fairly easy to use
My brain is starting to hurt, and I could really do with some advice!
Thanks,
Rich
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I'm on the verge of buying my first camcorder (baby due early next year) and I'm getting rather overwhelmed by all the information out there - I've looked at www.camcorderinfo.com etc. If anybody could help answer my (very) newbie questions I'd be really grateful.
Ok, the stuff I've considered:
1. Format - Mini DV tape vs HDD
I'm fairly computer literate, so the idea of recording directly to a hard disk appeals to me, but much of the material I have read implies that the quality of recording to HDD is worse than that done to Mini DV tape because the MPEG2 compression that is inevitably used. I'm not sure what (if any) compression is used with Mini DV tape. I don't imagine I'll do loads of editing, but the option to do easily basic stuff would be nice.
2. High Definition vs Standard Definition
It would seem logical to go for High Definition as it won't be that long before this is the predominant resolution for TV.
3. Size, ease of use etc
Both my wife and I would be using the camera and we'd rather go for something small, light and fairly easy to use.
What is confusing me:
I had almost decided to go for the Sony HDR-HC3 (it certainly satisfies point 3 above) but I now read that despite recording to tape, it actually uses MPEG2 compression. Furthermore, although it's described as High Definintion, in this thread
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=419297
it appears that HD-DVD and BD-R will not support the combination of resolution and refresh rate that this Sony model uses.
Now I may well be missing something - as I say, I am absolutely new to this - but IS there any camcorder currently available that
a) can shoot High Definition video AND be compatible with future High Definition discs
b) does not lose quality by using MPEG2 compression
c) is small and fairly easy to use
My brain is starting to hurt, and I could really do with some advice!
Thanks,
Rich
-----