Which camcorder and why??

[zstroken]

DVD mini disc, or just DV?? I don't mind downloading them and burning them to a DVD. I will probably have to do that anyway since you can only get 30 mins on a mini DVD. Just looking for feedback and if people think the DVD is worth the extra coin.

 

[jwilliams3]

I thought about all the different choices about 6 months ago and broke down and bought DVD.



If you want to see DVD quality video check out the videos I linked in my signature.

They were shot with a sony DVD camcorder.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

"DVD quality" video = :-laf



Here are my random thoughts:

The well established "DV" codec = 3. 6 megabytes per second or roughly 13 gigabytes per hour. This data rate is also roughly the same as many professional/broadcast applications that are 25-megabit/second or DV-25.



mini-DV tapes hold one hour of video at the DV codec bitrate (3. 6MB/sec)

Single layer DVD's = 4. 7 gigabytes



So, if your camcorder records onto mini-DV tapes with the constant bitrate DV codec, the quality of the raw video that goes to tape is much higher than the variable (and LOWER... ) bitrate video recorded with camcorders that use DVD media.



If you don't plan on editing and can look past the fact that the video is being compressed more than it has to before it ends up on the DVD inside the camera - have at it. To maintain the same bitrate as a mini-DV tape, a camcorder would have to record on dual-layer DVDs (9. 4GB) and you're still far from the 13GB/hour needed by the DV codec.



I have a 3-CCD Panasonic camcorder that records on mini-DV tapes. The quality is phenomenal for what I paid for the rig. When I want to - I can transcode the video (to REDUCE the bitrate/quality) from tape to a MPEG-2 DVD compatible format.



The DVD format has pretty good video quality, but it doesn't set the bar very high. So the next time you watch a DVD-movie, just think about how much compression those 2 hours of video had to go through to fit onto a 9. 4GB dual-layer DVD.



Matt

 

[TheWolf]

which panny do you have? I bought the gs400 last summer to video my wifes races and record the truck and tractor pulls. I haven't had time to play with it and do any kind of burning or editing. I have just done a bunch of recording. What i was wondering is how was your recording in low light, like truck pulls after the sun goes down, what settings do you use?

 

[HoleshotHolset]

That Panasonic PV-GS400 is a really sweet rig for the money. I bought mine at a pretty good discount almost 2 years ago and it was an outdated model then. I have a little 3-CCD Panasonic PV-GS70.



Low light recording isn't very good with my camera (although it isn't as bad as some rigs I've used... ) - I took that into consideration as a much lower priority than color saturation and what I like to call perceived resolution.



When I looked at the GS70 at the store, I compared it to all of the other 1-CCD rigs (they were all hooked up to the same monitor with a composite (eeew!) video connection via a distribution amp... ) and it blew them all out of the water in terms of color saturation and how accurately it was able to portray real life objects. Since most camera's video output *should* mimic what goes to tape - this is a pretty good bet. A true test would have been to use the IEEE-1394 output hooked up to a compatible monitor...



When I can't get the camera to do what I want - I put it into fully manual mode (focus, exposure (iris), etc. ). This seems to alleviate some of the lower light level issues.



IMHO - For the money, you can't go wrong with a 3-CCD Panasonic.



Matt

 

[crobertson1]

We bought a Sony mini DVD camcorder (DCR-DVD92) a couple of months ago. I'm a little disappointed in the video "quality". But for the convenience of being able to take the disc out of the camera and stick it in a DVD player and watch it instantly, it's a good trade off for me. I'm not saying the quality is horrible, it's just not as good as I thought it would be. It's every bit as good, IMHO, as the 8mm tape Sony camcorder it replaced.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

crobertson1: Your experience with this DVD camcorder (that records on the smaller 1. 46 gigabyte mini-DVD's... ) is not surprising based on my previous comments.



You make a very good point, though - you can stuff the DVD's from the camcorder right into any DVD player and instantly watch 'em. It was this ease of format translation that also allowed VHS-C (Cough!... Choke!!) to enjoy some success in the consumer market. This is yet another one of life's great tradeoffs...



Matt