Video camera

We've had a mini DV camera that I liked but it died on me (or my wife broke it), and so I'm in the market for a new video camera. Any suggestions? It will be used just for family events, nothing really fancy.

 

Canon PowerShot SD900

you'll never want to use a video camera again, drag and drop video clips right to your computer

 

www.red.com

 

HD video camera! Cool!

 

i love those canon sd's, but they're not a replacement for a video camera. they're great for capturing short things, but if you really use your video camera, then you're better off with a real video camera.

we bought a mini-dv panasonic a coulpe years ago. i'd rather have gone with an hard-drive type, but all the hard drive ones had just come out and they all used mpeg2 (dvd-style) compression which makes editing a bit of a pain. same with the dvd type -- mpeg2 compression.

if i was buying today, i'd really have to look hard at the hi def cameras that are out.

 

I have the SD700 and it's great for all the video I want. I have a 4 gig card and have yet to fill it up. I think you can get it in an 8 gig now too. Empty the card on the computer and throw it on a CD or DVD. TV's & computer even have the media readers built in now, so it's too easy. How much are those tapes these days and how long does it take to que up something halfway into the tape? What happens if you camera breaks and you have all these tapes you can't play?

The clips I have look great on the TV & computer, and years from now, that's how I'll view it anyway. I've had a video camera for years and it has very little use. It's just too much of a pain to drap along with the power cord for charging, extra tapes, camera bag...screw all that.

They also make a clear case for those Canon's to use underwater. I think you can dive up to 100 ft.

 

yeah, i hear ya. the convenience is great since you can just put the thing in your pocket and take it out and start shooting. but it's not a video camera. just like a video camera ain't a still camera, even tho they can capture still images.

every time i shoot video with my elph, it's way shaky looking unless i'm sitting perfectly still and shooting a static object. i dunno if it's the exposure time being too fast, the frame rate being too slow (30 frames per second is not the same as 60 fields per second), the lack of heft imparting camera shake with every move i make, or a combo of all those factors.

if you only want it to shoot occasional video and quality isn't a big issue, then a go with the elph. i love the things and would recommend them highly, but not as a video camera alternative.

 

60 frames a second, 10MP, interchangeable lenses, best of both worlds.

 

My suggestion is you have to visit this site, (http://www.smartratings.com/photography/camcorders), and by skimming the reviews, expert and user, you might get an idea which unit is the best for you. I hope this helps.

 

If you buy a digital camcorder then what format do the recordings come out in? How hard is it to transfer them to something that you can view online?