Posted July 29, 2006 It appears that my dad suddenly wants to get me a camcorder but doesn't have a clue which one to get. The only thing we know is that we want a Sony one. Can anyone tell me some specifics about what we should be looking for? Eg what it records onto, pixels, etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 29, 2006 I don't really know anything about camcorders, but when I want to buy something new like this, I tend to look around amazon for those that are fairly new and get lots of really high reviews, like here Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 29, 2006 Firstly I have to ask, why are you determined to get a Sony one? A good cam is a good cam no matter who makes it. Don't cloud your decision making process through mindless brand loyalty. Sony make some good camcorders but they also make some bad ones. The brand name doesn't always tell you the quality of the product you're getting. Anyway try ebay because there are some damn good bargains to find there. Also, don't be afraid of buying from the states. I recently got a nice cam from the US off ebay, brand new at about a third of the price it'd cost me new over here. The only difference between UK and US cams is the charging plug which a simple us to uk plug adapter costing less than a fiver will sort out. If you find a bargain just type in the model name into amazon and google and such and try and find some reviews people have left. You'll probably want a MiniDV cam. They're the most popular, digital, great quality and quite a bit cheaper than some newer models with hard drives built in. Also, look into the life of the battery that comes included. usually they're only a couple of hours at the max which often isn't really enough. If you want another battery or one with a longer life then you can expect to pay another 80 odd quid depending on it's life which is always soemthing to bear in mind. Other than that, a nice strength optical zoom is a nice thing to have. Don't pay any attention to what the camera's digital zoom is as this is pretty much entirely useless and the same effect can be produced during editing. And on that matter, don't pay too much attention to the weird filming effect the camera advertises like black and white or making the picture different shades as these can all again be produced during editing with a much greater degree of control. If you're not wanting this for super super professional reasons then go cheap with your cam because for picture quality. I'd also pick up a tripod which is pretty much an essential and try and get some video editing software through whichever is your favourite way of obtaining overpriced programs... Pretty much, don't be blinded by brand loyalty, don't pay attention to digital zoom or 'wacky' picture effects, don't be afraid to buy from overseas. Do pay attention to battery life and optical zoom. A widescreen recording mode is also nice to have. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 29, 2006 The only difference between UK and US cams is the charging plug which a simple us to uk plug adapter costing less than a fiver will sort out. This comment sparks off warning lights in my mind! I'd expect the recorded frame rate to be different, not that that bothers most people, but you should be aware. I've also heard there can be conversion problems when converting to DVD from NTSC DV. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 29, 2006 If you plugged a US camcorder into your TV by scart, wouldn't you get a black and white image? I make this guess based on what happens with my american GPU. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted July 30, 2006 NTSC camera have a higher frame rate (30 fps as opposed to 25 fps of PAL) but have a lower resolution. NTSC displays 480 vertical lines as opposed to 576 lines for PAL. There is also the problems with compatibility with TVs unless they are NTSC compatible. In other instances, this can be gotten around via RGB and a 60Hz capable TV but this doesn't really apply to camcorders which will generally only have an S-Video output. Of course, if you're going to be editing stuff, you can encode it into a PAL format but bear in mind the lower resolution. I personally have the Canon MVX3i. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
