Suggestion for camcorder for road trip

[Emanuele]

Hi there,

I will be relocating in a month to the West Coast and I would like to purchase a camcorder since I will be driving there. I am on my own so I need something simple to use while I am driving.
Flash based would be great.
I am looking at the Pure Digital Flip Ultra HD, but I am turned off by the fact that it does not have "Image Stabilization".
The price range is less than $200.

I do have an iPhone 3GS but having the video not in HD quality will not satisfy me!

A Macbook Pro with iMovie '09 will be used to post process the videos.

Thank you for the help!
Emanuele

 

[matteusclement]

the reality is....

HD with image stabilization for under 200?
I think you're asking for a little too much.
I have seen lots of decent SD DV-mini's for that used off craigslist or something.
if you find that sweet HD IS flash based video gear, please let us all know.

 

[Emanuele]

Hi!
Thanks for your reply!
Well, it does not need to have IS...I was just wondering if it will be a problem?

 

[matteusclement]

here is something i shot off a canon camera that had the video function:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm3A7bbfuOA&feature=channel_page
(hitch hiking across canada was a blast)

I am referring to it more for the stablization part. It didn't have any. Are you ok with that?
What would be some examples you would use it in? in your car? on the road? in a museum?

 

[spice weasel]

Since you will be trying to drive and record at the same time, you might want to consider time-lapse photography instead of video recording. I've seen some really cool time-lapse videos of road trips. Rig up a tripod in the back seat so it looks out over your shoulder and through the windshield and have it snap photos at regular intervals (you need to think of the framerate you want and the number of hours you want to photograph per day, and then do the math). If you already have a camera capable of time-lapse, then I say just get a Flip or something similar to take some video for some B-roll footage or when you get out of the car to see something.

Now, if this is less of a "get to point B" trip and more of an actual road trip where you stop and see a lot of sights along the way, then you might want to invest in a better camcorder. Flash-based HD camcorders cost upwards of $600.

 

[Tummy]

Sanyo CG10 costs about $187 from Amazon and does 720p60 and has electronic image stabilization. It's not super good, but better than nothing. I just ordered a similar Sanyo CA9, which has the same features, but is also waterproof.

I have a Sanyo HD1010, which now costs $350 from Amazon. When it first came out I paid about $800. It does 1080p30, but I mostly use it at 720p60. I also had their previous model the HD1000.

There is a newer model called the HD2000 that does 1080p60 and has much better image stabilization and a wider angle lens. Also similar to the HD2000 is the Sanyo FH1 which is basically the same, but in a conventional camcorder form factor for about $430. My Macbook 2.4ghz was too slow to playback 1080p60 video samples, but they play fine in my PS3.

You will also need to get a memory card. I like the Transcend 16gb SDHC.

I use this Panavise mount to stick the camcorder to the windshield. I really like the low price $17. Couldn't find anything similar for that amount, but I do get some vibrations.

I'm totally an amateur, but made this youtube video with the HD1010, the suction mount, and the Sanyo .7x wide angle lens. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCT_NiXHklg

If I want to spend a lot of time working on my video, I run shaky clips through iStabilize and it works really well. I find the stabilize function in iMovie 09 doesn't work as good, but it's free.

I also tried the Sony TG1 camcorder but found the Sanyo line to be good enough for my hobby and for a lot less money. The Sony records in AVCHD so it must be imported before you can use them, where Sanyo records in MP4 H.264 format which can be played directly from the memory card or on my PS3.

Hope this helps.