Basic Hi Def and General Camcorder info

[mkpurser]

I have a couple of related newbie questions. First, is there a video/book/download that will answer my questions at a 1st grade level? If not, can someone give me their insights? I have a Sony MiniDV Standard Def Camcorder and am looking into an HD that is good in low-light situations. I want a 2nd camcorder to supplement what I have, not replace it. I was trying to use PRE 8 but had MAJOR problems that Adobe tech support couldn't help with, so I re-installed PRE 7 and it is working well. I am learning PRE 7 and I am importing video clips and stills into my favorite ProShow Producer 4.1x . I have a powerful dual core computer with XP Pro SP 3. Now, having said all of that, I am looking for some info on:
what to look for in an HD camcorder in the $800-$1200 range (or should I just stay with SD)?
is there a book or download that explains all the interlaced/progressive, 1440 vs 1920, SD vs HD, Mini DV vs SDHC quality, etc?
If what some are saying is true that Mini DV is going to be passe soon, is there an inexpensive machine that will read Mini DV to download into computer? I have SDHC slots but obviously don't have a mini DV slot on my computer and if my current or future camcorder doesn't work, how to download older mini DVs?

I realize these are all very elementary questions but I haven't seen answers that start at square 1.

Thanks for your help.

[Steve Grisetti]

Hi, Mkpurser. Welcome to Muvipix!

While I don't know of any book that explains HD in simple terms, believe it or not the Wikipedia is a great source for lots of information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_video

The short of it is this, at least as far as working with hi-def video in Premiere Elements is concerned.

There are two major types of hi-def video camcorders for the consumer market. HDV, which records to tape, gives you excellent quality in an easy to work with format, and AVCHD, which records your video to a hard drive on the camcorder. Both provide excellent quality and, for under $1000, you won't see any difference in quality between them.

Of the two, AVCHD is the more challenging to work with. It's high compression makes it difficult to work with on all but the highest end computers. (It would likely slow your computer to a crawl.) Unfortunately, if you shop at most retail outlets (Best Buy, etc.) this is the only hi-def format available.

HDV camcorders are harder to come by, but you can get them easily via mail order from places like Amazon and B&H Photo. The Canon HV series are the workhorses of the prosumer industry, and you'll find many fans of them on this site. They're also well within your price range.

What you DON'T want to do is pick up one of the pocket HD camcorders that are available for around $200 (like the Flip and the Webbie). These are made to shoot video and post it to YouTube, and editing their video on any of major editing platforms can be a challenge. Also, I'd also recommend you stay with brands like Sony and Canon and avoid brands like JVC, which are notoriously troublesome to edit.

You'll be amazed at what a $700 Canon or Sony HDV camcorder can do! With over four times the resolution of miniDV, they produce a rich and vivid picture that will blow you away!

[Peru]

I have a Sony MiniDV Standard Def Camcorder and am looking into an HD that is good in low-light situations.
Thanks for your help.

Steve-
As per the question above:

How are the Canons in low light?
I have a Sony HD mini DV camera and it is not any better in low light than my Sony SD camera. I film in the "nightshot" mode which gives ok results in very low light, but it is in black & white.
Would using an external light be a good option for low light? And if so, what are your recommendations?

[Steve Grisetti]

I'll leave that up to a Canon HV owner to answer.

By "low light", I assume you mean indoor room light, of course. Not shooting at night, right?

[mkpurser]

Thanks, Steve. As for the low-light issue. I don't know anyone who actually has any of the HD camcorders and uses them indoors, but according to Consumer Reports, the Sony HDR-XR500V is listed as excellent low-light but it is a hard drive camcorder, and based on what I think I am understanding Steve and others saying, that results in compression and lower quality than tape.

The Canon Vixia HV40 (Mini DV) has "very good" rating for low-light and the Canon Vixia HF S10 and S100 also have a very good rating but have flash memory, which I am assuming compresses like hard drives and SDHCs.

Having said that, and reading what you experts are saying about Mini DV versus the other formats, it looks like the Canon HV40 (which CR also lists as excellent for picture quality and image stabilization and very good for ease of use) may be an answer. Since my SD is a Mini DV, it probably is advantageous to stick with a storage medium I use, though, am I correct that I need to get the HD Mini DVs if I get an HD camcorder. I am assuming those tapes will work on SD camcorders too?

[Chuck Engels]

My personal opinion is that there isn't a camera under $10,000 that is any good in low light.
That being said, for cameras in the consumer range of under $3000 the HV40 is probably about as good as anything. The XHA1 would be better but again that is a much more expensive camera.
If you are looking to spend under $1000 the HV40 is an excellent choice

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

.....and don't forget that the NeatVideo plug in can help with low light noise:

http://www.neatvideo.com/

[Chuck Engels]

NeatVideo has saved my footage more than once, I love that plugin

[mkpurser]

Thanks for the info on Neatvideo. I have downloaded it and will use it. Also, in answer to my own question, I did find that lynda.com has a great tutorial on basics of video and HD video. It is about 4-5 hours in small chapters. I subscribe to lynda.com for a lot of tutorials and just found this one. It "splained" a lot of things and cleared up a lot of confusion.

Thanks again for the help and info. You will be hearing from me again, I am sure.