Youtubing camcorder for teen?

macluver101 said:

Hey everyone! I am 14 and I need a basic camcorder that is good for doing some videocasting on youtube. I would like it to be $230 or less. I won't be making videos any longer than 30 minutes. I looked at this one http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...0151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644507277.
Will the sony one work with mac? Then I was thinking about getting this one called the flip http://www.theflip.com/products_flip_ultra.shtml
Thanks foe the help everyone, Chandler

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iSight should be fine for that.

macluver101 said:

Thanks, I would like to use it for school projects to. Sorry, I forgot to tell that detail. And I would liek one that is small enough to throw in my bag and shoot some vids. Thanks for your reply by the way!

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If you want to record away from the computer then any Mac compatible camcorder should be fine. From the sounds of it you are not looking for major quality so yeah just shop around a bit.

Cromulent said:

iSight should be fine for that.

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Sadly, iSights aren't really going for much under $230.

I would go sony over the other but I'd also just look into the Microsoft XBox Live Cam $40. Unless you need to be mobile.

macluver101 said:

Thanks, yeah, I just looked at the iSight prices, I might as well just get a regular camcorder. Well, I am a noob at camcorders, so don't laugh, If I get a minidisc camcorder, do I have to buy something else to put the DVD's onto my ibook G4 or do I just plug it in the USB? Thanks, Chandler

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Your best bet is to stick with minidv camcorders. They are the most mac compatible. the tapes are pretty cheap.

Use Mini-DV.

Check out the Canon ZR series at your local craigslist.org They offer great Value (bang for the buck!) I used to have a ZR85, but have since upgraded to the HV20. I Used the ZR85 while i was 13 and 14, and it worked great for what i needed.

Ex: ZR500 $175

You would want to use either mini-DV or some sort of tapes. Been much debate about it, and I do believe that tapes win DVDs and HDDs.

Since you seem to not need high quality, just pop out and buy the cheapest one you see. =)

I have a cheap Samsung Mini-DV camcorder that has a firewire port. It's a VP-D361. It's incredibly cheap and it makes OK movies. Not very good in dim lighting, but has a powerful zoom and, best of all, work as a webcam when plugged on firewire. Transfer to iMovie is perfect too. I got it for like, 120 euros, which is like, 150$.

macluver101 said:

I liked the look of the samsung vp-d361, but I am wondering is it hard to transfer videos over to the computer using the tapes. A better question, how DO you get the videos on your computer? So the flip one is bad? Thanks!

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Connect the camera to your computer with a firewire cable and capture in imovie.

just a side note, u usually need to have the camcorder set on VCR mode, or w/e mode (depending what it is called) it is to watch the movie on the camcorder.

i believe any camcorder with mini-dv will work with macs.

brewno said:

I have a cheap Samsung Mini-DV camcorder that has a firewire port. It's a VP-D361. It's incredibly cheap and it makes OK movies. Not very good in dim lighting, but has a powerful zoom and, best of all, work as a webcam when plugged on firewire. Transfer to iMovie is perfect too. I got it for like, 120 euros, which is like, 150$.

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Brewno, I just bought the same camera, but it doesn't appear to be Mac compatible. The MacBook doesn't even acknowledge it's there -- any suggestions?

I think the Flip camera isn't that bad for what you need, it's definitly Mac compatible, and it seems pretty simple to use

sammie68 said:

Brewno, I just bought the same camera, but it doesn't appear to be Mac compatible. The MacBook doesn't even acknowledge it's there -- any suggestions?

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I didn't check the specs ....

Did you use a Firewire cable? iMovie needs Firewire when connecting to miniDV camcorders.

Also, try changing the mode on the Sammy from Record Mode to Playback Mode.

You could go tapeless

http://www.puredigitalinc.com/

They have one with 30 minute capability for around $125 and one hour for $175, I believe. The quality is impressive, but not stellar. Easy transfer to the Mac, according to the package. Haven't tried one, though. Played with it at OfficeMax and CostCo.

Your iBook has a slot-loading DVD drive, right? You can't put mini-DVDs in those. Keep that in mind...

Try to find something you can hold steady. People shooting video with the super-small, super-light camcorders tend to produce very shaky, nauseating video. That would be my concern about something like the Flip. There's a reason professional news cameras are still as huge as they are.

Ideally you'd have something with an input jack for an external microphone, but that's not likely in a unit in the $200 range.

get any of the before mentioned cameras, but please, also buy a tripod, it will dramatically increase your quality. Steady footage is way better to use, expescially when compressing, like when uploading (btw, use the photoJPEG codec to export to youtube: it may be heavy, but it will get you a very nice quality when compressed by youtube)

notjustjay said:

Your iBook has a slot-loading DVD drive, right? You can't put mini-DVDs in those. Keep that in mind...

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That's not recommended. It'll wreak havoc on the mini-DVD and your slot-loading drive if you mess up on insertion (very likely with a mini-DVD I believe). I bought myself a HV20 a little while ago (I'm 16) after saving up, but you probably won't want or need or even bother with the thought so I'd bet that perhaps a canon ZR 800, 830, or 850 could fit your price range if you could nick one off eBay. DV tapes are nice, as well as reusable (unlike that DVD), the tapes are inexpensive and easy to replace when full (unlike a HDD camcorder that you wouldn't buy), and almost every single DV camcorder with a firewire port will work with a Mac.

Macnoviz said:

get any of the before mentioned cameras, but please, also buy a tripod, it will dramatically increase your quality. Steady footage is way better to use

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Yep. The two top signs of annoying amateur video are excessively shaky footage, and poor sound. Obviously sometimes that can't be helped, but if you're making videos for fun then plan to use a tripod or practice your steady camera techniques, and plan your sound so it's as clear as possible (that's the reason I suggested a camcorder with a microphone input jack).

if you're not looking for professional quality work how about a Casio Camera? Some of their models have a built-in YouTube preset. here's one at Best Buy for $199.99:

Casio EXILIM EX-Z77BK

don't know what the quality is like but at least with this you don't have to worry about tapes, transfers or conversions. Just hook up the camera to the computer and upload.

I have a previous model and it works perfectly with a Mac. Once I make the connections iPhoto automatically launches. So it's easy.

iToaster said:

DV tapes are nice, as well as reusable (unlike that DVD)

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Actually, DVD+/-RW's are rewritable. My father in law has a Sony DVD camcorder and uses I think 3 over and over without issue. The great thing about the mini DVD's is that they have higher transfer rates than that of a mini-dv tape because it can transfer as fast as the reader can read instead of having to play the entire tape back.

Just make sure you don't put the mini dvd in the slot and you'll be straight. Just transfer via camcorder cable.

ac6789, finding a camera, not camcorder, that has a YouTube setting is a great idea and relatively cheap compared to a camcorder.

Too bad Casio Exilim cameras have horrid sensors in my opinion. I have to use one at work and every indoor picture, no matter what white balance I use, always comes up yellowish like I took a picture in a dimmly lit room white incandescent lights on.