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Digital Camcorder


Max Quinn

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Hey sorry to post another one of these topics but i just don't really know what i'm buying and wondered if the Digital camcorders listed below are any good. I just want it for getting general trials and mainly BMX footage.

First camera

Rather not spend this much but might do if it really comes to it

Better than camera 2?

Just your opinions on those three please. Or if none of them are that good could someone find me a decent one here For less than £200 (may stretch that a bit but that's my main budget.)How many megapixles should i look for to take decent clear videos and what does all the "mini" and "micro "DV" thing mean? I have no idea. :- :P :)

Thanks very much, Max.

P.S. Would any of the above cameras be any good at taking stills aswell???

Edited by rad2themax
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i would say the mustek will have a pretty poor picture quality. The cannon is the model above the one i have and seems to do me fine for riding vids etc for the net. The only thing is that it has quite a long focal length and so you will probably need a wide angle lense for it, but you can get those relatively cheap from jessops or similar. I have no experience of the JVC though.

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Ok so the canon is probably the best of them three. Would i be ok to go one model down then because that one stretches my budget a bit. What is the one you have called? Also, is it any good at taking stills?

Thanks, Max

P.S. Bloody quick reply by the way :-!!!

Edited by rad2themax
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the one i have is the MV600, i think there is one below that in the MV700 range, just the plain mv700 (without the i), that doesnt do dv in as well as out. That just means you cant put things back onto the camera from a computer.

The stills are pretty dire, and so any cheap digital stills camera is better. I think this is mainly down to them being stored on the tape, i don't know if a camera with a memory card would take better pics, i would imagine it would though, but they usually cost more.

I would advise going into a few shops and trying to find the ones you are interested in to have a play. Any decent camera shop (and sometimes some of the high street chains) will let you have a play and take some footage/play with the features.

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Ok sorry to keep going on but i've found This one Theres also a few other auctions exactly the same. Do you think it's dodgy buying a refurbished camera?

Also, what did you mean about the cameras with memory cards? How much would one of these set me back?

Thanks again, (very very much :-) Max

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that looks like the facelift version of mine, with all the same features.

refurbished cams should be ok, to be sure though make sure you get a warranty with it.

some cameras take photos and store them onto a memory card like normal digital stills camera. memory cards like SD, compact flash, memory stick etc.

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If you can, try looking on EBay for a Sony DCR-TRV 265e, amazing cameras. They retail at about £260-£290 but I got mine on EBay for £195. It's the camera Neil Tunnicliffe uses (you can see him holding it in the SelectBIKES team vid).

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Ok i've found a few of the Sony DCR-TRV 265e's that i'm watchin at the minute. Would you also reccomend these at all tankrider? It's not that i distrust you Smo i'd just prefer more than one opinion before i go and buy anything. :)

Thanks, Max.

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I wasn't willing to buy it straight away he reccomended going into a shop and trying them. I had a few on my watch list, just as i now have the sony ones on my watch list :) :)". Thats the second opinion i wanted now though, i'll go into a shop and test them both hopefullly.

Thanks Max

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Ok i've found a few of the Sony DCR-TRV 265e's that i'm watchin at the minute. Would you also reccomend these at all tankrider? It's not that i distrust you Smo i'd just prefer more than one opinion before i go and buy anything. :-

Thanks, Max.

yet you were willing to buy the camera tank_rider reccomended .

sony mini dv's are the shiz indeed

looking at that camera it seems to be a digital-8 camera which dosnt produce the same sort of picture quality as a mini-dv camera. The sony cameras are indeed very nice. My advice would again be to go for a mini dv cam, and to go into a shop and try out as many different ones as you can, don't just go for something cheap because its on ebay, it may be worth waiting a week or two for the one you have identified as the one you want to come up.

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I have to say from my experiance, for camcorders, Sony rock.

As Andy said its much better to get a miniDV format camcorder as they will give best quality for price.

Stills wise your best bet is proably to buy a stills camera too. My Sony DCR-HC85 has a memery stick and a seperate photo mode on camera and takes nice pictures, but its not cheap (rrp £800). Most of the lower end camcorders will take stills of a kinda, but it will be effectivly 5 seconds or tape with just 1 frame showing or similar. The first camera you linked to would take good stills but the video quality would be very poor.

In my opion your best bet is to save some more money and get a Sony DCR-HC14 from Amazon or somewhere for about £250

Hope this has been some use.

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The only problem with Sony cameras is that they tend to gain up digitally as soon as it gets a little dark, totally messing the picture quality up.

I've got a Sony DCR TRV25E camera, produces good quality DV footage.. MiniDV is the way to go.. Unless you wanna shell out £1200+ and go DVCAM.

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