I'm hopefully getting a new camcorder for Christmas (it's a family
present - my parents are going to New York with a competition). The
trouble is that there are so many different brands and formats, and I
need to decide what model I'm going to buy.

I've basically ruled out the option of DVD camcorders - they take only
30 minutes of footage per disc, you can't edit them on the computer
without ripping the DVD, and not the best quality either.  MiniDV is
also out of the question - no tapes allowed!

I think the hard disk option would be best for us, since none of our
computers have FireWire ports, we don't want to lug around tapes, and
we don't need the world's best ever quality.  The hard disk option
would be easier, since I can just use USB 2.0 to transfer the video.
They also use MPEG-2 video, which is standardised, and if I want to put
it on DVD without editing, I can do that.

A basic list of features needed (give or take a few)
-Suitable for both short-film making and home video.
-Widescreen (16:9)
-USB 2.0
-Reasonable (DVD) quality with at least 2 hours recording time
-Priced under $1000 Aussie dollars (something like 750 US)

Thanks for reading/commenting.

<ytgy***@gmail.com> wrote in message
Why?  Don't you care about video quality and long-term storage?

An OHCI-compliant 1394 card (which is a Firewire card) costs about $15.

"Lug"?  A miniDV tape weighs virtually nothing.  A dozen of them is a couple
of square inches and a few ounces.

Everything's relative.  HD camcorders compress to DVD-compliant-or-worse
mpeg2 (some to mpeg4).  The video quality theoretically capable of being
derived from a system like this is sub-DVD because, while compression rates
are the same or higher, the video is transcoded in a single pass, rather
than the multiple analytical passes of non-realtime transcoding systems.
However, as I said, this is true only in theory.  HD camcorders, like their
DVD cousins, are, for the most part, intended for non-picky consumers
looking for a low-end machine that is easy to use and can takes video of the
kid's birthday picnic (but not birthday party because they're incapable of
shooting indoors).  These cameras generally have poor quality optics, tiny
sensors, crappy electronics and, as a result, produce really, really poor
quality video.

Not necessarily.  1394/Firewire is standard for transferring digital video.
USB is used only for webcam streaming and still image transfer.  You still
may need to use 1394 to get your dramatically-lower-quality video into your
computer.

Quite so and, if you have no plans to edit (at least anything beyond simple
cuts) then it might make sense.  Just make sure that mpeg2 produced by your
camera is DVD-compliant.

Show quoteHide quote

On 10/10/2006, PTravel posted this:
[...]

You might find that a hard-drive camcorder acts like a USB2 hard drive.
No need for FireWire, maybe even no possibility.

From JVC's site for the Everio G:
Interfaces: SD Memory Card slot, USB2.0/1.1, AV-Out, S-Video Connector
Out, DC In

Or look at http://www.jvc.com/presentations/everio_g/feat2.html

There's also a PDF brochure that makes it clear.

[...]

Gene E. Bloch wrote:

Show quoteHide quoteAccording to the Everio G site posted above:
"With USB Mass storage compatibility, data backup is a breeze."
You would assume that it acts like a removable Mass Storage drive from
that quote.

And for PTravel, it's gunna be a family home-video camera.  No
videophiles are worrying about this one.  My parents are going to New
York, and even though I realise that the tapes are miniscule, but my
parents are deadset against tapes-they're probably still remembering
their VHS-C days.  I've done a mock-up in SketchUp comparing the VHS
tapes to MiniDV to give them a sense of scale, but... As far as I know,
neither format debilitates in quality over time, like the dreaded VHS
tapes.

Any more opinions?

On 10/10/2006, ytgy***@gmail.com posted this:
Show quoteHide quoteI should have added to my original post another advantage: getting the
data from the hard drive working as a USB2 mass storage device is much
faster than realtime, but I figured the link would help people figure
that out. Besides, most people probably already know it :-)

Wouldn't you like to edit out the 10 minutes of your feet, or your lap,
when you forgot to turn the camcorder off?

nsdcdon wrote:
You can do that on either, moron.

On 10/12/2006, TaylorMX posted this:
Reread the post you replied to.

NTSC/PAL problems for viewing cable on TV
A few questions about DIGITAL camcorders.
What is the most common DVD format for best all around compatibility?
anamorphic lens for camcorder
Time to buy a 40" LCD?