need help finding Camcorder for holidays

[foxmobouser]

Hi,

I'm going to be looking into getting a camcorder this winter season and need some help in finding the best bang for the buck out there. I have never owned a camcorder nor have any clue on what specs are good for them. I do know that there are SD and HD ones out there and that I think an HD would be my preference. I would be using it just for family indoor outdoor events for the most part. Looking to spend 100-350$ in promo/after discounts.

Any comments, ideas, suggestions, tips greatly appreciated.

Thx

[Blacksmith1]

Tiger dorect has one that is $99 right now and is made for just about anything. it does have limitations, such as a fixed width lens and from what i have read it doesn't do well at long distance. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=924951&sku=C256-0002

[foxmobouser]

Thanks that does seem line a nice little camera although I don't think its the type I would be looking for now. More interested in a "handycam" type camera.

Heres one that I found, what you think about that.

Toshiba Camileo x200 (http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-PA3973U-1C0K-Camileo-X200-Camcorder/dp/B005LS0ADS?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER)

[Blacksmith1]

Depending on the quailtiy of the construction, that looks like it's more in line with what you are after. I'd look for a couple reviews, and go look on the toshiba site to see what else they say about it. but I'd like to get one of those if it was in the budget. (which it's not.)

[Pablo 54]

Canon VIXIA HF R21 Full HD Camcorder with 32GB Internal Flash Memory

Been using one for the past 8 weeks. Fantastic little device. Right at your upper end of $350.

[foxmobouser]

Canon VIXIA HF R21 Full HD Camcorder with 32GB Internal Flash Memory

Been using one for the past 8 weeks. Fantastic little device. Right at your upper end of $350.


thx, after researching a bit I seem to be leaning towards a cannon. I found this model as well in addition to the one you suggested. I quite disapointed that there aren't that many decent door/web busters this black friday for camcorders but oh well.

Canon Vixia HF M40 or Canon Vixia HF R21 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006613%2050001213%2040000205&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&CompareItemList=205%7C30-120-500%5E30-120-500-TS%2C30-120-492%5E30-120-492-TS%2C30-120-491%5E30-120-491-TS)
Any difference that I get is the digital and optical zoom all other specs are like black magic, any thoughts?

[Pablo 54]

All things being somewhat equal, I would go with the M40. It looks like Canon took the good bits from the R21 and M40 and combined them, for $50 more, in the M41. I purchased the R21 for outdoor and all-weather recording. Depending on your situation, the internal memory might be a sticking point. Even though the R21 has 32 GB built in, I use a 16 SDHC card for emergency space but have never gotten close to needing it. As a rule of thumb, I will off-load the video when I have something like 8-12 GB (videoed on highest setting). The nice thing about the Canon’s is you can add an additional card if feel you will need the space.
Unfortunately, I have not found anything better than the prices you have at the Egg.

[foxmobouser]

Sadly I think it pretty much sold out.

Only this shady seller link (http://www.certifieddigital.com/product/nxt/241/13/view/0) seems to have it in stock. Oh well I'm sure it will be available somewhere before the end of the year.

[Pablo 54]

Oooo. I had to wash my mouse after clicking on that link. :ahhhhh:

I did not notice it before, but I use a similar setup with the R21 as in your signature - SSD, Memory smaller PSU. The exception being the video card. I use only one Asus 460 so I can combo the video encoding with the 2600K. The water cooling setup is not as nice as yours and the case is a Haf.

I am rambling now.

BTW: Best scene in the movie (avatar reference) French Fry greese! Loved it!

[foxmobouser]

Well that link above in my last post with the shady seller "Certified Digital" turned out to be a bust. My CC company called me this mornin with question bout an unauthorized charge and stating my account was being tested, blah. Was very nice of them and they took care of the problem right away.

:cry::cry:

[Pablo 54]

Been there several times myself. :-(

[foxmobouser]

Well i finally ended up getting the Canon Vixia M40 :dancingparty:
Sadly it wasn't on any special during the holidays, all e-tailers were holding pretty steady on the pricing and the only clue to its popularity was that it sold out quickly at some of the major online stores like newegg. I ended up calling alot of them up asking for better pricing than what available on price comparison sites, I tried using a variety of coupons specific to those merchants and wasn't able to come close to any major discount. Thats why big thanks goes out to the sales dep at J&R Music in NY (http://www.jr.com/canon/pe/CAN_HFM40/) as they were the only ones willing to offer a big discount on the item.

thx Pablo 54 for input :) :fing10::takapic:

[ryandigweed]

I was going to recommend the Canon Vixia HF R30. But it's got around 8GB Of internal memory :(

[That Guy]

I'm kind of sad that I didn't see this post earlier.

Just for future reference (if anyone really cares), there are a few things that matter.

1.) Build Quality (you should really just check this by reading user reviews on seller websites)
2.) Video Quality - At this point, most camcorders offer at least 720p on all camcorders. This refers to the amount of pixels in the video, much the same as a monitor. Higher-end to mid-level camcorders will feature 1080p which, while obviously higher quality, will take up more memory space and may even require a nicer (read: faster) SDHC card (link for explanation (http://camcorders.about.com/od/accessories/a/guide_to_SDHC_camcorder_cards.htm)).
3.) Frame rate - The frame rate refers to how many individual pictures are captured per second (remember that videos are sequences of still images). In general, you want to aim for 30 fps if you're shooting something like sports. If you're just going for family activities, 24 fps will be perfectly fine (which is what film makers use, after all). Sometimes, cameras that offer 1080p will only shoot at 24 fps, so if you're looking for that 30 fps/1080p, you'll want to check that. Another way of shooting video is with 60i/50i etc. This interlaces half pictures, meaning that the camera shoots 60 stills, but they are all half an image - like a lined grid. When you run two half images super quick, you end up with one image. I might be unclear, but bottom line is this: 60i is equivalent to 30 frames per second and 50i is equivalent to 25 frames per second. The only disadvantage to this is that you can't take individual stills from the movies because it's only a half-photograph. This probably isn't a problem for you.
4.) Extra features - there are a bunch of extra features that you can get - you'll just have to read the marketing of individual cameras if you care about it. One feature that is nice for serious videographers is dual-SD card slots. The camera will write to both cards, backing up the video (Like RAID 0, essentially). Just for security. You'd hate to lose the 4 hours of Christmas that you shot, wouldn't you?

Have fun with your new camera!

[PP Mguire]

The reason there aren't many deals on camcorders is because most people simply use their DSLR for video. There are even full HD recording kits available for cams like the T3i ect.

[That Guy]

Yeah but a full dSLR is guaranteed to be +400 or more than a camcorder w/ the same capabilities. It's a shame I guess.

[PP Mguire]

Well yea, but the camcorder can't take awesome pictures lol. These days people want so many things in one because laziness is a serious issue. A DSLR works in that aspect.

[Aoshi]

Pretty much. And everyone else who doesn't want to afford a DSLR just uses their phone which may work decently enough.

[foxmobouser]

Even thou I started this thread a year ago around the same time I'd probably still end up getting the same camera (Canon Vixia). It is awesome, pure crisp,clean, colorful video. I pretty much paid for itself, I was able to record my daughters First Communion since professional photo/video by a third party was very expensive.

[Pablo 54]

After a year’s worth of severe use and abuse, the Vixia is still running strong. I liked That Guy’s explanation. One thing to add and I am pretty sure I put it in another posting; I used a similar camera to copy some 16mm reel-to-reel footage (some being 1,000 plus hours). Using the 30fp/1080 setting I nullified the bar roll you see so much of.

[TehYoyo]

Pretty much. And everyone else who doesn't want to afford a DSLR just uses their phone which may work decently enough.

Yep. Although now with smartphones like the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxies, the photo quality is really nice. Although you can't match SLR or something similar like the Sony Alpha series.


Even thou I started this thread a year ago around the same time I'd probably still end up getting the same camera (Canon Vixia). It is awesome, pure crisp,clean, colorful video. I pretty much paid for itself, I was able to record my daughters First Communion since professional photo/video by a third party was very expensive.

Good to hear - if I ever need a camcorder, I'll consider Canon.

[That Guy]

After a year’s worth of severe use and abuse, the Vixia is still running strong. I liked That Guy’s explanation. One thing to add and I am pretty sure I put it in another posting; I used a similar camera to copy some 16mm reel-to-reel footage (some being 1,000 plus hours). Using the 30fp/1080 setting I nullified the bar roll you see so much of.

Thanks mate.

Did you just run an output cable into the Vixia and then transfer the Vixia footage to your computer?

What's the advantage of doing that?

[foxmobouser]

Well yea, but the camcorder can't take awesome pictures lol. These days people want so many things in one because laziness is a serious issue. A DSLR works in that aspect.

Yes and no, the camera does have build in picture taking mode like camera + you can make your own photos from the video you shoot with software and its good quality.

[Pablo 54]

I ended up doing it 2 ways:
When I first started, I used an HD MiniDV camera with a fire-wire cable connected directly to my PC. I used Corel Video Studio to record and trim the videos before outputting them to DVD’s and my server (server holds raw video ~ 11TB worth). The nice thing about that camera was if something went wrong with the feed over the fire-wire it provided a tape backup. This happened probably 10-15% of the time, which sucked but I still had the video. Two years into the project that camera died in a rainstorm. If I were to guess, I am pretty sure I did 70% of my recording in this fashion.
After my original camera died, I switched to the HF R21 and I built (thanks to Bjorn3d & Gigabyte) the computer that is in my signature. I started using the camera’s internal HDD and transferring it at a later time to my PC. This cleared up any issues with dropped feeds over the FW and allowed me to keep my PC in one spot. Prior to this I had to move it across the room to the area I had prepared with the tripod, screen etc.

[PP Mguire]

Yes and no, the camera does have build in picture taking mode like camera + you can make your own photos from the video you shoot with software and its good quality.I know that as modern camcorders have been able to do this. Thing is, the pictures still wont be as good as a DSLR.

[TehYoyo]

Yes and no, the camera does have build in picture taking mode like camera + you can make your own photos from the video you shoot with software and its good quality.

But it's not the 16 megapixels that you're guaranteed (essentially) with a modern-dSLR. It's just over 2 MP (If I'm calculating MP right).


I know that as modern camcorders have been able to do this. Thing is, the pictures still wont be as good as a DSLR.

Yeah. Depth of field, the glass you're using (or rather, not using), low-light photography and such.