# HD Camcorders..Got one?



## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

Do you have a HD Camcorder?

What to you _dislike_ about it?

It would seem that a HD picture should look great. True?

We're going on our first cruise for 25th anniversery and our Sony handycam is a little old.

Mike


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## ironwood (Sep 20, 2007)

It looks like you gonna be the first one to own an HD cam.


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## Chandu (Oct 3, 2005)

MicroBeta said:


> Do you have a HD Camcorder?


Yes.



> What to you _dislike_ about it?


Nothing.



> It would seem that a HD picture should look great. True?


Absolutely.



> We're going on our first cruise for 25th anniversery and our Sony handycam is a little old.


Good luck!!


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

ironwood said:


> It looks like you gonna be the first one to own an HD cam.


It was looking like it after 76 views and then....



Chandu said:


> Yes.
> 
> Nothing.
> 
> ...


Thanks

Mike


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## FogCutter (Nov 6, 2006)

I have a Panny HVX200 with a 100 gig HD. It is a professional HD camera and took a while to master. There are many HD camcorders with AVCHD encoding, but be warned that few video editing packages will work with that format. Apparently takes a huge amount of computing power to decode/reencode.

Opt for an HDV format if you want to edit your work on less than a tricked out Mac Pro.

Many early HD camcorders really struggle with low light situations, so check that out carefully. For just for fun family stuff I'm looking at some of the new solid state CC. Prices are falling and performance is really improving.

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/technologies/h264/

Sanyo and others have adopted the above standard, and it has been made mandatory for the BluRay standard. Mac software already handles it. I'm excited, $300 camcorders use it to good effect so I can get two camera shots without breaking the bank.


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## Chandu (Oct 3, 2005)

Go to this website for a good information resource:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/


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## phat78boy (Sep 12, 2007)

I have the JVC GZ-HD7, absolutely love it. The picture from it is amazing, especially after using a non-HD camera. My one complaint is that HD is unforgiving, especially when zooming. If you have a shaky hand, it is really noticable. I'm not sure thats a complaint though, either way, I would recommend a tripod for anything extended.


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

I have one of the first HD cams to get released. The Sony HC-3. After 2 years, still going strong and the PQ is awesome. Uses Mini-DV tapes.

My only issue. When there is a dropout on the tape (recording gets corrupted with a few seconds of pixelation), my editing software doesn't like it and sometimes the sound goes off sync. Easily fixed but can be a pain at times.

Other than that, highly recommend getting HD. You won't regret it!


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## compac (Oct 6, 2006)

We have a canon hg10, bought on line ~ $700 when B-buy had it on sale @ $1100, 3 mos ago

hd hdd video camera. mini sd still camera,
40 gb 1080

it a big step up from our old 8mm 10 y/o



MicroBeta said:


> Do you have a HD Camcorder?
> 
> What to you _dislike_ about it?


Yes, Great vid from the get go, 
needed buy extra batteries, and did not come w/ separate wall & car chargers... is great on the big screen TV, w/ a mini hdmi-hdmi cable right to the TV, buy on line non oem have worked fine

Big Q's are: to go hdd or HD tape, How will you back up files ? to dvd, Or is your computer "big" enough to do more than just copy the files. May be an excuse ... reason to upgrade your sys 

avchd software for editing is limited as others have said

Have started a thread here:

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=129123&highlight=hg10


> It would seem that a HD picture should look great. True?


True



> We're going on our first cruise for 25th anniversary and our Sony handycam is a little old.
> 
> Mike


 Happy 25th... where is the cruise going to?

Yes... get a new one and work w/ it for a while before your trip

Happy Sailing


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

I've been waiting for the prices to come down a tad for flash-based HD camcorders. I want to jump in, I really do, but it's so expensive still.


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## dmurphy (Sep 28, 2006)

I just bought (as in yesterday) a non-HD flash-based camcorder. I bought the Canon FS11, an 8gb model.

So far, it's AWESOME. It shoots in 16:9 which is great. I'd put it at DVD quality, and not HD quality, but my reasons for non-HD is as such:

#1 - does everyone REALLY want to see me in HD? 
and more importantly -

#2 - the flash-based HD cameras are AVCHD models, and my Power Mac G5 just isn't compatible. I'm not willing to drop $1k on the camera, only having to spend more $$$$ replacing my Mac.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Both RAM and HDD based recorders seem to be getting summarily bashed for excessive compression. I'm hoping that they don't give up on the MiniDV HD camcorders before I can justify one.


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## Button Pusher (Jan 19, 2007)

Stuart Sweet said:


> I've been waiting for the prices to come down a tad for flash-based HD camcorders. I want to jump in, I really do, but it's so expensive still.


Me too.


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

Stuart Sweet said:


> I've been waiting for the prices to come down a tad for flash-based HD camcorders. I want to jump in, I really do, but it's so expensive still.


Hesitant because of the HD DVD thing, eh? 

Where is your price point on these? I am thinking until they get around $400.oo for a 1080i, I will be waiting.


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Well I did get burned on that one didn't I. 

I don't know, the thing about a camcorder is, you drop it, you scrape it up, you use it to record the kids and they spit up on it, so either you buy a really tough expensive one or you buy one that you're ok losing after a couple years. For me it's the second one. $400 for 720p or 1080i would work for me, if I could then get at least 8GB of flash for under $100.


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## compac (Oct 6, 2006)

Here is a deal at Ecost Price: $280.00
hdd SD camcorder 
http://www.ecost.com/detail.aspx?edp=38673104
about 24 hrs left???

30GB Everio HDD Digital Camcorder (GZ-MG130)
Features

* Hybrid Cameras can record video and stills on the SD Memory Card and HDD
* 1/6-inch 680k pixel CCD
* 34x Optical Zoom / 800x Digital Zoom
* 30GB Internal Hard Disk Drive for up to 37 hr. 30 min. of recording
* 7 hr. 10 min. of the best quality recording (ULTRA FINE)
* Memory Card Slot for SDHC/SD
* Digital Still images 640 x 480
* Remote Control provided
* Software provided (for Windows ®)
* Gigabrid Engine
* 2.7" 16:9 Widescreen Clear LCD Monitor
* Stick Control for easy operation
* Auto Illumi. Light
* Data Battery
* Quick Restart
 * Direct DVD Button/Direct Backup Button
* USB 2.0 High-Speed Transfer

Specifications
Recording Format	SD-VIDEO Entertainment Video Profile: Video: MPEG-2-PS / Audio: Dolby Digital
Still: JPEG (PictBridge, DPOF compatible)


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## ilgiampa (May 8, 2009)

Hi, I owned a Sanyo Xacti HD-1A (720p) then I bought a Sany Xacti HD1000 (FULL HD), then a Sony HDR-TG3 (FULL HD).

The Sanyo xacti HD1a makes terrible videos in low light, has some difficulties with autofocus when there is little contrast. 
The HD1000 has a far superior CMOS, but the problems with autofocus remain .
The Sony is THE HD camcorder: you always get fantastic videos, no matter what light or scene or colors... the only disavantage is that the touch screen is not so comfortable to use and there is no ext mic input (that was the reason I bought the Sanyos first).

I now use the HDR-TG3 and sony Vegas movie studio, and I'm happy! 

PS the three camcorders I mentioned can take stills, too, about 4MP


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