Best digital camcorder for under $500?

[jaysmith]

my last 1-chip camera was a canon optura 20, and i loved it. got it used (they're discontinued) for about 300cdn (250usd). it was far better than any other consumer camera i've used, with full manual controls, mic input, and a 1/3" ccd (which is very good). you can learn all the features like white balancing, shutter speed, exposure, and i think it had custom audio levels too, so you can really play aroun d with setting to get the desired look.

the panasonic pv-gs series is also really good, either way you'll get a quality camera. only other thing i can tell you is the advantage of buying used, new cameras are so overpriced and too many have useless features and gimmicks. you'll save hundreds buying used, and it will last you just as long. plus you can resell it later and make some money back.

you're no going to find too many good onboard lights, my recomendation would be a small 20watt bescor kit. and as stated above, don't buy any dvd or hdd camera, they usually record in mpeg-2 or 4 so its compressed, and quality is always the #1 concern.

have fun with your purchase!

 

[p0intblank]

my last 1-chip camera was a canon optura 20, and i loved it. got it used (they're discontinued) for about 300cdn (250usd). it was far better than any other consumer camera i've used, with full manual controls, mic input, and a 1/3" ccd (which is very good). you can learn all the features like white balancing, shutter speed, exposure, and i think it had custom audio levels too, so you can really play aroun d with setting to get the desired look.

the panasonic pv-gs series is also really good, either way you'll get a quality camera. only other thing i can tell you is the advantage of buying used, new cameras are so overpriced and too many have useless features and gimmicks. you'll save hundreds buying used, and it will last you just as long. plus you can resell it later and make some money back.

you're no going to find too many good onboard lights, my recomendation would be a small 20watt bescor kit. and as stated above, don't buy any dvd or hdd camera, they usually record in mpeg-2 or 4 so its compressed, and quality is always the #1 concern.

have fun with your purchase!

Great, thanks for the tips! I would buy it used just to save money, but I'm the kind of person that just has to have it new. I've always been like that.

Also I've done a little more research and found out the PV-GS300 is indeed a newer model than the PV-GS150. I kind of figured this by the model numbers, but I confirmed by taking a look at the dates of the reviews on camcorderinfo.com. Apparently this is a step up from the PV-GS250 (the next model up from the 150) in several ways, so that's a very good thing. So the PV-GS300 still stands as my wannabe purchase!

Sorry, but I have yet another question (I'm learning...): is the coldshoe a universal size for all accessories or do different accessories require a specific coldshoe size? Thanks!

Edit: Wow! I found this amazing: http://www.kidspc.bits-uk.com/videos/glidecam_1.wmv

I have to know... how did he/she do this?!

Edit again: Nevermind, I looked it up on wikipedia. I guess it's called steadicam. That really impressed me when I first saw it. I'm guessing it is rather expensive though, yes?

 

[jaysmith]

steadicams are amazing to operate, but yeah, they get expensive.

BUT you can always rig up one of your own, steadicams use weights and lots of loose moving parts, but all you need to make one is some weights. my friend made one that was a tripod-mount size bolt, with like a 5 pound dumbell on the end. it hung down about a foot below the camera and when i carried my camera by the top handle, it kept perfectly smooth. the prblem with all consumer cameras is their size; they have no weight at all and are very shaky when you hold them in the classic soccer mom position. adding weights can vastly improve shots and pans.

oh and the accessory shoes should all be the same size, so you can add a mic or light. i think a mic would be a good investment because most consumer cameas have pretty terrible audio, thaty can be improved with even a cheap mic.

 

[notjustjay]

Do a Google search for "Steadycam" (note the spelling) and you'll see a simple $12 version that works decently. I built one, and although it does take practice, it does a decent job. Obviously you get what you pay for, but still...

I should clarify my earlier comments about DV sound channels. I found a reference here that backs me up. DV has two possible sound formats: 48kHz 16-bit stereo (two channels), or TWO sets of 32kHz 12-bit stereo (four channels). Both are recorded in PCM. Just about every DV camcorder can do two-channel audio, but only some offer the four-channel capability, and only some camcorders offer the ability to dub over the unused channels (to add narration or music).

If you have any kind of studio, though, or intend to edit on a computer (most of us do, I imagine) then this feature becomes somewhat useless, really -- it's better to record the two channels in the higher quality recording mode, and do all your mixing on the computer.

 

[p0intblank]

Awesome, thanks for all the tips! The steadicam really does seem nice, but like some have said, it gets expensive. I may try to rig up my own as suggested, but I honestly don't see myself doing that anytime soon. As for the audio recording, I think I'll be fine. And like you said, I'll be editing everything on my Mac, so it all works out.

Thanks again for everything. I hope to get the camcorder soon. I'll keep you updated.

 

[MacLover212]

Looking for a cheap, dependable, quality digital camcorder for Powerbook G4 15inch...

Hi guys,

I love shooting movies but have only used the movie feature on my canon sd 630 digital camera (Which is great) ...and I upload it to imovie and can do basic editing, etc...

But I'm now shooting footage for a low budget documentary and need a cheap (under $550) digital camcorder....that will work/link with my powerbook the way my canon digital camera did....

However, I know abs. nothing about digital camcorders...what should I be looking for, what are good brands, the mic thing-is it necessary?

Most of my footage is going to be up close with individuals speaking about stuff.....anyways, any help would be greatly appreciated....
Thanks a bunch!

-LISA The Mac Lover

 

[notjustjay]

But I'm now shooting footage for a low budget documentary and need a cheap (under $550) digital camcorder....that will work/link with my powerbook the way my canon digital camera did....

However, I know abs. nothing about digital camcorders...what should I be looking for, what are good brands, the mic thing-is it necessary?

Most of my footage is going to be up close with individuals speaking about stuff.....anyways, any help would be greatly appreciated....
Thanks a bunch!

Pretty much all miniDV cameras nowadays will offer the Firewire connection you need to interface with your Mac as seamlessly as your digital camera did. And nowadays pretty much all camcorders will offer sufficient video quality. You might still look into 3 CCD units, if there are any in your price range (Panasonic?) for their better quality picture.

If you're doing a documentary involving interviews, you'll probably want a microphone input (and headphone jack) so you can monitor the audio from an external microphone. Even a cheap $30 Radio Shack lapel-clip mic will do. The sound will be much more consistent from person to person and you will be able to take varied shots of your interviews (different angles, different distances away) without affecting the sound.

You can get away with not having a headphone monitor if you need to. Careful with Sony camcorders in the budget range, they don't offer any mic input other than the new Sony proprietary interface shoe, meaning you can't use the $30 Radio Shack special, but you can buy the $100 Sony microphone. Hmmm.

Otherwise, I would have been very happy to recommend a Sony unit.

Consider used? You can get a decent older camcorder, like the Sony TRV25, for a couple hundred dollars. I've noticed lately the trend is on smaller and smaller units packed with more and more features (touch screens, video effects, useless 1800x digital zooms) and they've been sacrificing picture quality and usability in order to do so.