HD Camcorders Guide and Reviews

DV Camcorder

Sumarized from Wikipedia by Admin

Digital Video (DV) is a digital video format created by Sony, JVC, Panasonic and other video camera producers, and launched in 1995. Features include intraframe compression for uncomplicated editing and good video quality, especially compared to earlier consumer analog formats such as Video8, Hi8 and VHS-C. Sony’s consumer Digital8 format is another variant, which is similar to DV but recorded on Hi8 tape. Other formats such as DVCPRO50 utilize DV25 encoders running in parallel.

MPEG-2 is more efficient than the compression used in DV, in large part due to inter-frame/temporal compression.

Cheap Camcorders

Executive Summary about Cheap Camcorders by Max Bellamy

dv digital camcorders

There are various formats of camcorders available in the market. The main ones are DV CAM, DV PRO and Mini DV. Out of these, DV CAM and DV PRO are in analogue formats while Mini DV is in digital format; it records video and sound on the tape digitally.

Mini DV camcorders are hence the cheapest camcorders on the market.

The digital format also shows a higher horizontal resolution than other consumer grade analogue camcorders.

Almost every format today, be it for sound, pictures or video, is digital. There are many companies that make such cheap camcorders. Among all the models of Sony Mini DV format, the Sony DCR-TRV17 is the cheapest. Sony also makes cheaper Digital 8 model of camcorders but Mini DV is the format that holds the most video.

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Canon GL2 Mini DV Camcorder

Summarized from consumer reviews by Admin

Pros: Full manual spec. Well laid out. That lens!.

mini dv digital camcorder

Awesome image quality 2.5 inch color LCD great audio controls

Lens 20x zoom. Video/sound quality. Features.

Cons: Bulk. Plastic bodied. No stop frame function. AF switch resets.

8mb memory card a little too small Not for the average user

Harder to balance than older full size shoulder cams. Need Glidecam

Lowest Price: $1795.95

Canon GL2 Mini DV Camcorder The successor to the outgoing XM1/GL1 adds manual audio record levels to the spec sheet and a beefed up still camera. There are many features on this camera, which make it as wonderful as it is, but these features would likely be unused by someone new to video cameras. The audio controls and how it’s not only stereo microphone, but you can control the levels of your left and right audio, right there, on the camera.

The optics are the best in it’s class (20x optical zoom, vs 12x on the comparable Sony and 10x on the Panasonic)and the lens itself, any users of high end canon SLRs will rightly be in awe of the L series lenses, low aberration fluorite lenses are used combined with Canon’s renowned optical image stabilization system. The mic level controls both the on-board level and that of any external mic or break out box (for XLR type mics) that pro’s would almost certainly want to use with the camera.
The comparable Panasonic (MX500) only allows progressive capture in stills mode and the Sony competitors (TRV950/Vx2k) only allow it at up to 15fps.
Canon have put an interval record feature on the camera so you can programmed in a time-lapse recording (for effect, to speed up in post -crowds gathering, sunrises sunsets etc) but annoyingly have set the minimum capture time at 0.5s (12/15 frames PAL/NTSC) where the Sony TRV950 has a single frame capture mode which is more suited to stop frame animation.
Nice big manual focus ring around the lens barrel, but as with the XM2 (And the Sony’s 950 VX2k) no end stops (creative focus pulling would have been made easier if it was possible to mark points on the lens corresponding with the focus mark.

This camera given the equipment used on can make an excellent film experience. Someone also said its lighting is a bit better in Frame Mode than in interlaced mode.

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Mini DV Camcorders

Executive Summary aboutMini DV Camcorders by Kristy Annely

Mini DV camcorders have many advantages over traditional analog video cameras and even Digital and DVD camcorders. Mini DV camcorders are compact, small and afford better editing. The major brands of Mini DV camcorders are Sony, Panasonic, and Canon. Sony is the market leader in the Mini DV camcorder segment, while Canon, though a late entrant in the market is fast catching up. The Sony Handy cam DCR HC 42, for example, is a Mini DV digital camcorder with still recording as well as MPEG movie recording features. This light, compact camcorder delighted users with it’s easy to use features and high sound and image recording quality on it’s May 2005 launch into the Mini DV camcorder market. The camcorder costs around $600.Panasonic Mini DV camcorders are the next popular after Sony Camcorders.

Sony Handycam DCR-SR42

Executive Summary about Sony Handicam DCR-SR42 by Lori Grunin

mini dv digital camcorders

The good: Compact and lightweight; large storage capacity; bundled dock; built-in lens cover.

The bad: Mediocre video and still photo quality; no wind filter; small, fingerprint-magnet touch screen LCD; software free for Windows but $100 for Mac.

The bottom line: Given its mediocre video quality, the Sony Handycam DCR-SR42 seems overpriced for what it delivers.

Specifications: Video input type: Camcorder; Optical zoom: 40 x; Media type: Hard disks drive.

Price range: $289.99 - $448.10

That goes double for camcorders which record directly to hard disk or DVD, since they need sufficient pixels to compress into a decent image. The resolution of the hard-disk-based Sony Handycam DCR-SR42–680,000 pixels–falls into the insufficient range, especially since its effective video and still resolution is a mere 340,000 pixels. The SR42 comes in two flavors, one with a 30GB hard disk that can hold up to 7 hours of best-quality video, and a version with a 60GB hard disk (the DCR-SR42A) that holds up to 14 hours. Like all the SR models, the SR42 bundles the Handycam Station, which charges the battery and connects to a TV or PC. As with the rest of the Sony consumer camcorder family, the SR42 uses a touch screen-based menu system. Like all but the SR300, the SR42 uses the electronic image stabilizer version of Sony’s SteadyShot. The camcorder lacks a microphone input as well as an accessory shoe–typical omissions in budget models.

As the Handycam DCR-SR42 exemplifies, for the moment, there are still no bargains to be had in hard-disk-based camcorders–unless you really don’t care about the video quality. If you want a decent hard-disk model, you’ve got to pay a little more.

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