Thanks to fellow BOGS I got to buy the perfect digital cam for my needs(and budget) and am very happy with it (I got the Canon A510). Next project for me is a camcorder. Since my kids are growing and I want to capture the memories etc. (and I want a new toy ) . What should be the key items for me to look for in a camcorder? I'm leaning towards the MiniDV format since those mini CD burners are way out of my budget (unless there is a compelling reason out there for me to get those CD burning models). I recently got to borrow my cousins Hi-8 format and honestly I think that would be enough to suit my needs (quality is good enough, I have a bunch of Video8 tapes with memories of the past) but the size seems to be out dated compared to those "sub compact" sized ones. Roughly here are my requirements: Budget = around PHP20-30K Format = MiniDV or CD Should be easy to transfer to my PC so I can burn it on VCD / DVD format (in case of Mini DV). Good for night shots. I dont really need it to take good still photos (since I have a digicam) so no "real" need for memory card slots. Thanks.
JVC miniDV (i forgot the model) P19,600 PANASONIC miniDV (i forgot the model) P21,000 Both of these cameras have firewire support, so you can transfer to pc. I saw them both at AUTOMATIC CENTER GLORIETTA near the cinemas. ****the also give 0 interest on cards
MP4 ata wave of the future. direct transfer to pc for immediate burning. Oliver has one to record bogs shooting videos. dont know about the quality pero ok naman daw sabi ni doc EC. Doc EC and McO comment kayo
Melbu, Jason thanks for the reply. I've been doing some research on the WEB and am inclined on these 2 models but not sure how much they are here in Manila. Sony DCR-HC42 and Canon ZR-400 (if budget does not permit maybe the lower siblings may do). Any comments folks?
sony DCR-HC42 is ok. also the HC3x & HC2x(di ko sure ang last numbers) pero got also another much cheaper option kung easy PC transfer/access din lang ang gusto mo, ito yung site http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=118&subcategory=309&product=14133 4x nga lang digital zoom pero 4 mp CCD naman res.(kuripot talaga ako )
hi jason, the price is just about $184(690 riyals). maganda resolution nya sa video & still photo ang linaw. tapus hangang 1gb pa ata compatible yung memory slot tsaka meronna built-in 32mb na memory. it's really nice to have 1 like this, cheap but works just the same as to those "BIG names" out there in the market.
Sell the Canon A510 and get an MPEG-4 digicam like: -Casio Exilim S600, Z750 -Pentax Optio S5z, S6 -Kodak V530, V550 -Sony M1, M2 -etc 2-in-1 photos plus videos. All are subcompacts you can carry everyday, 640x480 video resolution, MPEG-4 compression gives 30mins to 1hour movies on just a 1GB card. Burn to DVD if you like, or as-is since a lot of DVD players now play mpeg-4. The portability is a big plus, you get to shoot where you'd not be able to with a large camcorder, like when I went parasailing last weekend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF8jQlciPKs Some fancy post-processing took out the shakes. Shameless plug: BTW I'm selling my Z750 With the Z750 you won't miss any of the features of the A510, they're all here: manual mode, shutter/aperture priority, AF assist lamp, optical viewfinder. The Z750 even has a feature that allows you to capture movies 5 seconds BEFORE you press the shutter. It's like a time machine.
I've searched far and wide for somethig that will cater to my needs. Basically lazy people like me who, at the same time, want a still cam, a vid cam, re-usable recording media, ease of transfer of shots to PC all in a package no bigger than my my O2 mini (the O2 mini was given free, so I have to use it.) I found the Sanyo Xacti C6 (30K bare unit sa Park Square 1, yata) fit the bill easily. It's tiny, uses an SD card, captures 6MP pics (10MP interpolated if that matters to you) and has the highest mp4 bit rate in it's class. Which means, the form factor to pic quality ratio is really huge. Simply put, pag sa TV mo pinanood, there's barely any perceptible difference between it's video quality compared to mini-DV. On top of that, it's the only one in the price range that can capture bright and viewable vids even with only a single 25 watt as a light source. Kaso lumabas naman recently yung Xacti HD1, high def at a slighly bigger form factor. 'Langya, para'ng gusto ko na naman mag-upgrade.
