Comments on: Buying a Digital Video Camera

By: Jonathan Greene

Jonathan Greene — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve got a Sony PC5 which I’ve had for a few years and really like. It’s small enough, but not too small, shoots 16×9 as well as 4×3 and has many features (most I don’t even use). You can definitely convert analogue to dv through it with either iMovie or Final Cut…

The mem stick is annoying, but I find I never use it for stills so it does not matter. You can do still capture from your videos if you like… We always use our digital still (Canon Powershot S40) to take snaps — though I am looking to replace that in the next few months.

I recall when I was looking at the Sony vs Canon race in DV, the main issue was the battery life… Canon was much less time per charge on same size batteries. I was looking at the Elura at the time.

By: brian

brian — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

if you can, try to find a camera store that rents cameras ( there’s tons in LA although ymmv ) and try them out. it costs a little, but its worth it. i was looking at a canon, rented it, and discovered that auto-focus on the canon lenses blows. fine if you’re a manual-focus-all-the-time kind of guy, but for me, it was a deal-breaker. i have 2 sony’s and love them. fantastic pictures, bulletproof construction, you can’t go wrong.

By: Derek

Derek — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I second Jonathon’s endorsement of Sony. Memory sticks are *only* used for stills and I’ve yet to ever see anyone who actually uses their DV camera to shoot stills (because video-camera resolutions are much lower than the 4-5MP ELPHs you can pick up today for a song)

I’ve had a DCR-TRV900 for a number of years now, and it’s worked flawlessly for me the entire time.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I concur that memory sticks are a non-issue . A digital elph is 100x more practical for taking stills than a vid camera.

Most important thing (for me) is good ergonomics. I had a sony that I loved (It got stolen) but the zoom button was weird and took me a while to get used to. SIze is a close second – if it’s too big, you’ll never carry it.

The number of pixels in the CCD is important to video as well as the stills. The picture difference is visible, especially in a low-light environment.

This is the successor to the one I had, and this will probably be superceeded by something new by the time you buy.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000D8DM7/qid%3D1080711150/sr%3D2-2/blondedomme

If you plan on editing in iMovie etc, double-check that it’s compatible. When I was in the market 18 mos ago there were a few (mostly microdv) that weren’t. I haven’t scoped the market since so I don’t know if that’s changed.

The direct to DVD versions are retarded if you ask me.

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’ ve used a Canon XL1 (pro-sumer), a Canon ZR45, and a JVC DVM70. I have been working with a professional videographer for the past year and he shoots with a Sony DV CAM. His broadcast quality experience and knowledge of gear recommends Sony or Canon.

You’ve already discovered that Canon is the only consumer camera that offers Analog-Digital inputs. Note the these inputs are on a 1/8″ stereo type of jack on some models. Not the best type of input but better than having to buy outboard A to D gear.