My New Camcorder

[Maxine370]

Alas - during my trip to Disney I discovered my camcorder had a problem. SOmething is broken with the tape mechanism. In all other respects it works. what a bummer since it has been a great camcorder and I was not ready to have to get a new one.

I borrowed for Disney since in the stores all the miniDV camcorders were flimsy and seemed to be a small step down from the one I had. When I got home I investigated and since I still need a MiniDV camcorder to transfer client tapes and because I am not yet ready to give them up I went with the Sony HDR-HC9 a nice little camcorder that records HiDef/SD on miniDV tapes and also takes pretty nice 6.1 MP stills. (has a flash in camera mode - but in dual mode where you can get stills while recording tape - the low light creates grainy, vitually unusable stills).

So now my question....

HiDef (which currently doesn't matter to me since I edit and record to SD DVD format now) is captured as MPEG2 or can be downconverted to AVI (funny to think that the AVI is the downconvert from MPEG2 since the latter is the more compressed format).

SD records and captures as AVI.

I can also capture and edit as MPEG2 if I use HDV settings.

SO ... do I record in HiDef so that someday in the future when I'm able to edit and export as HiDef (blu-ray) I have the footage as HiDef and if so do I downconvert it for current video editing or do I bring it in as MPEG2 and edit it as such?

I'm still bummed about my old camcorder but I guess it was time for me to get something hiDef.

[sidd finch]

Hi Beth,

I have a Sony HC1 and an HC5 both High def. I always record in high def and down convert to SD to capture to PE3. In my opinion the down converted footage looks better than just regular SD. Congrats on the purchase.


Sidd

[Peru]

I went with the Sony HDR-HC9 a nice little camcorder that records HiDef/SD on miniDV tapes and also takes pretty nice 6.1 MP stills. (has a flash in camera mode - but in dual mode where you can get stills while recording tape - the low light creates grainy, vitually unusable stills).

Maybe a little off topic, but..
I have been following prices on that camera and am considering purchasing it so that I can take stills and video without having to carry two cameras.

Do I understand you correctly when you say that the stills are good quality when taken while not filming video because the flash is used, and that while filming video the flash can not be used, resulting in poor stills?

[Paul LS]

I assume it is the same as my HC1... if taken while filming the photo is saved to tape, so a frozen frame. If taken as a "camera" it is saved to the memory card as in a standard stills camera which gives good quality.

[Maxine370]

I think you are right Paul. It is a frozen frame- however it recording the the Memory Stick and not the tape. Still, not much I can do with that, grainy as it is and I can always get the same result by freezing a frame of the video in post. But yes, Peru my stills when in Memory or Camera mode are really nice. The mode even has pre-sets like many of the cameras do like portrait, scenery, candlelight, etc.

I'm yet to test the outdoor still capture when filming - to see if the additional light makes a difference in dual mode.

I'll let you know Peru - but if you don't mind stopping the recording to get a few still shots it's a nice camera/camcorder.

[Peru]

Maxine, just wondering where you purchased it, and what the price was.

[Maxine370]

It doesn't seem to be available in stores. I got mine from Amazon and it had free shipping. It was btween 800 - 900 plus tax. Can't remember exactly at moment. I checked around and Amazon seemed to have the best deal on it.

[Peru]

It doesn't seem to be available in stores. I got mine from Amazon and it had free shipping. It was btween 800 - 900 plus tax. Can't remember exactly at moment. I checked around and Amazon seemed to have the best deal on it.

Thanks, Beth (I guess I called you Maxine because of your screen name).
There doesn't seem to be much discounting from reliable sources.

I actually tried one place on the web that advertised it at $399.00, but when you go to order it they first try to sell you up to a $1200.00 "package" (about $75.00 worth of stuff added) and then if that doesn't work, they tell you that the camera is a "body only" and doesn't come with the LCD screen.

[Chuck Engels]

You need to be very careful of those places.

Some will even charge your credit card and then call you to say the model you purchased is no longer in stock.
Then they try to sell you something waaaayyyyy more expensive, either way you are out all of your money.

If the price is more than a $100 difference or so it probably isn't real. When you see a $1000 camcorder for $300 run as fast as you can in the other direction !!!

[jackfalbey]

It's been said many times before, but it bears repeating in case a new user is reading this thread looking for advice on a camera purchase:

If the deal seems too good, it's definitely a scam.

There are some great online retailers that offer good value and quality service, and there are some con artists that will bait you with a great deal and then sell you only half of a camera unless you pay a lot more. Always check out the retailer before buying; http://www.resellerratings.com is a good place to start. The "big name" outlets (Newegg, B & H Photo, Tiger Direct, Microcenter, Fry's, and several others) may not have the lowest price advertised, but they will deliver the exact item you are expecting and stand behind it if there's a problem.