I want to but a DV Cam

kate

kate

Horse
#1
#1
I want to buy a DV Cam

but I know nothing about them. I am a Mac (ibook) owner. I was going to go down to the Mac store and inquire. Would TekServ be better? Ebay? I don't want to spend a lot of $$ (around 500). Anyone have any suggestions/advice?

Thanks. :inlove:
-kate

Edit - I have just realized I have made myself very bit-prone with my typo in the title. But i am very serious!
 
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Ute Giddeon

Ute Giddeon

cleaner
#3
#3
Yeah, compare the comparably priced Sony's and the Canon VR series, and you'll come away with a decent camera. Don't be distracted by consumer "features" like digital zoom. Pay attemtion to the primary attributes like CCD type and size.
 
plasticpool

plasticpool

nickel ward line
#5
#5
CCD (charge-coupled device) is the photo-reactive chip that the lens focuses light onto. The larger it is and the more resolution it has (just like digital still cameras, this is measured in megapixels), the better the resulting recorded image.
 
Ute Giddeon

Ute Giddeon

cleaner
#6
#6
Video resolution is fixed, so the megapixel value only affects the still image capability of a CCD. Unless it's very important to you to be able to take stills with your camera, Kate, you can ignore the megapixel hype. Otherwise, the pool man is right-on. Bigger is better in terms of physical size- a 1/3" CCD is much better than a 1/4" CCD. If you find two comparably priced cameras and one has a larger CCD, that alone makes it the better of the two.

CCDs also incorporate different types of technology. I don't know what types of CCDs are being used in the latest cameras in your price range, so I can't give you specifics, but a general guideline is that newer is better.
 
Morningstar

Morningstar

Tiffers
#7
#7
I agree with U.G. on the importance of still shots on dv cams. I always thought the "still" options on cameras were pretty dissappointing. If you shoot the image you want to use as a still, and freeze it when you are editing, it always looks much better (at least it has been in my experience). So unless you do not have the capability to make stills/freeze the image in your editing software, I would ignore the importance of that feature.
 
B

bcolthurst

New Member
#8
#8
manual focus and exposure are important, too.
most all of the cameras have them, but the interface quality varies -- some are buried in menus for cameras in that price range.
make sure the camera has manual focus, manual exposure and manual white balance.
 
Jeremiah77

Jeremiah77

New Member
#10
#10
I made the mistake of getting a digital 8 because I thought it would be cheaper in the long run--but I don't think it makes that much difference, get a miniDV. I remember there was a canon model for like $450. I would stick to sony or cannon and steer away from other brands. I hear sharp dvcams are real cheap, but real crappy. I would aslo recommend pruchasing a service agreement, my damn camera broke and i had to ship it to pennsylvania nad paid like 200 damn dollars to get it fixed because it was passed waurantee. my main focus was making shorts that I could put on my website. I now realize that because of web-quality the quality of the image (resolution, etc...) is kind of moot. Good luck and tell us what you bought.
 
Ute Giddeon

Ute Giddeon

cleaner
#12
#12
I think they're still for sale.

To the best of my knowledge, there's no quality difference in the video format between Digital 8 and DV. Digital 8 cameras record a DV signal onto the Digital 8 tape.

Any quality difference would have to do with the the camera itself (as opposed to the tape format), primarily the CCDs and the lens elements.

So on low-to-medium end consumer cameras, there's little-to-no practcial difference between Digital 8 and DV. If in doubt, buy DV, as it'll probably incorporate newer technology in the critical camera elements. But if you want to save some cash, Didital 8 is a great way to do it- no one will know you're not shooting with DV.
 
CrazyGuggenheim

CrazyGuggenheim

I'll be brief, I'm done.
#13
#13
Kate, all the advice here is great. One thing that has not been mentioned is where you will be shooting. If you intend shoot a lot of indoor, low-light performances, you will want to check the low-light quality of your camera. This will be all but impossible to judge in store.

Epinions is a decent resource for user opinions on cameras, however, the information is often very conflicting. If you have not purchased yet, check out http://www.camcorderinfo.com/ for the reviews and comparisons.

My last bit of advice, buy from someplace that will take a return. Try out the camera for a few days and don't be afraid to return it.
 
carrieb

carrieb

New Member
#14
#14
Kate,

Just so you know, I have really good experiences buying from B&H Photo. The DV camera I bought was about $600 cheaper than list price. I buy all my photography stuff there too. I'm in Chicago, so I get my stuff online (www.bhphoto.com), but if you're in the city you could stop by their store.

Carrie
=)
 
Rob Lathan

Rob Lathan

seriously
#15
#15
I wanna but a DV Cam too

It seems like the Sony DCR-TRV33 is the best bang for my buck. But I'm still clueless. Is there a better one out there at a cheaper price?

Also I have a PC. Is that a problem? Should I just toss it into the Hudson now? The guy at DigitalEtailer said I could get editing equipment for my PC at $129. Is that a good deal?
 
J

John Bolger

New Member
#16
#16
Rob Lathan said:
It seems like the Sony DCR-TRV33 is the best bang for my buck. But I'm still clueless. Is there a better one out there at a cheaper price?

Also I have a PC. Is that a problem? Should I just toss it into the Hudson now? The guy at DigitalEtailer said I could get editing equipment for my PC at $129. Is that a good deal?
Click to expand...
Hola Kate! Never hurl anything into the Hudson cause the river will just throw it back. I tried to throw in my Le Car, and, let's just say, my Le Spine was Le Crushed. What do you want to do with it? Are you capturing footage for comedy, reality, home movies, shorts?

The reason I ask is if you want to shoot high quality shorts, I might suggest holding off, saving up and buying an XL1 or Panasoinc AG DVX100. The reason is you might get great experiences with the Sony, but you will eventually crave the quality of the others. Just depends on you and what level you want to use it at.

Bolger
 
Rob Lathan

Rob Lathan

seriously
#17
#17
Hey thanks John. I plan to use my camera to make short comedy films. Nothing professional. Just shorts to show at comedy shows, festivals, etc. So I'm not sure if I really need anything more expensive. I'd rather save up for a Le Car.
 
J

John Bolger

New Member
#18
#18
You're not Kate, you're Rob. I should really pay more attention and stop drinkng cough syrp. Sorry about that.

Yeah yeah, no worries that sounds great. If that's the style you want, the Sony is great and so is the Canon:

http://www.dealtime.com/xPO-Canon_ZR65MC

For shows and indie festival that will rock, but if you go to enter your short comedy into film festivals like Aspen/Toranto/Chicago, they will want a higher quality unless the premiss of the joke is "home movies", "reality TV", or "Behind the Scenes". Personally I think it's bullshit, let the quality stand, but you know how things can be. I get great "film like" relsults from my DVX100. Just something to think about is all. I have to go fish my Yugo from Lake Michigan. Rock on Rob, and best of luck!

Bolger
 
Ute Giddeon

Ute Giddeon

cleaner
#19
#19
The first thing you need to decide, before deciding among brands and model numbers, is if you want 1 CCD or 3 CCDs. 1 is cheaper and has poorer image quality. 3 is more expensive and looks great. If you decide to go for 3, then you need to decide what size of CCD you can afford. Bigger is better. Once you know how many and what size CCds you're going for, you can effectively compare different models.

If you have any intention of doing something which doesn't look like a home move, you need 3 CCDs.
 
Rob Lathan

Rob Lathan

seriously
#20
#20
Thanks Ute. It looks like the Sony DCR-TRV33 only has one CCD. And the cheapest 3 CCD camera is over a grand.

America's Funniest Home Videos here I come!!!!!!!!

Naw, well maybe I could just get the cheaper camera with the one CCD and borrow two more CCD's from a neighbor when he or she is out of town or something.

Kidddin'.
 
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