OK Thanks for the help on the laptop to take with me to Kandahar. A while ago I enquired about the best way to transfer vhs to digital and it was mentionned a couple of times that I could use a video camera with input-output capabilities. I might as well make the plunge now and get one but since I'm leaving shortly, don't have time to do any research. Any recommendations for a preferrably mini dv tape camera with the in-out feature?
BTW, I'm bringing some Aplle logo stickers with me and going to look for a good spot to stick one and if I manage to do so, will get it posted here. Was thinking of even starting a MUG. More later...
JM
I purchased a JVC camcorder that has a 30 Gig hard drive instead of tapes or disks. It can be downloaded to your computer and processed from there. I can record for 7 HRS. at ultra fine before I have to download. That's a lot of recording. The advantage is no extra costs for disks or tapes, especially on a long trip. You can store your videos for years if you want to instead of having to process them to re-use your media. JVC makes other HD models as well, mine is a few years old already. I am heading to Australia and taking my Macbook with a 500 Gig external HD. I can record 7 hrs a day for 3 weeks and not be full, then process when I get home to my heart's content...Doug
Depends on your price range, but the Panasonic PV-GS320 should be a great camera. It's a 3CCD camera, meaning it will take much better video than most consumer cameras, which are 1CCD (think of the CCD as the sensor that captures light, 3CCD gives you one each for the red, blue, and green, instead of one sensor trying to capture all the colours). It also has the line in/out feature you're looking for. I haven't kept on on digital camcorders for a few years now, but the predecessors to the PV-GS320 were very positively reviewed when I was looking a couple years ago...
Interestingly, Panasonic has clearly not bothered to update their pricing in light of the stronger Canadian dollar. Amazon lists the more advanced PV-GS500 (an astounding camera) for the same USD price as the 320 is in CDN... if you can, buy from the States. Should be opportunity for good savings.
B&H, located in New York City, comes VERY highly recommended for cameras/camcorders, and lists the GS at USD $400.
Demosthenes[noun], dem-aws-thene-s
1) (384 BC 322 BC) the greatest of the Ancient Greek orators
2) pseudonym used by Valentine Wiggin in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game to alter the events of world history
Hi again.
Home from Kandahar for a 2 weeks R&R. Still looking to buy a video camera. I didn't have time to buy before leaving and from Kandahar, I'm leery of giving my credit card info over the internet, so I thought I would do so from home before going back.
I've looked at the cameras from B&H that were mentioned earlier and the prices are very good, but these particular models didn't seem to have (unless I'm mistaken) the feature that would allow me to shoot in low lights which I'm going to need. It must also h the afore mentioned analog to digital interface.
What's everybody's opinions on which format is best (hard drive, disk or tapes)?
Thanks
ps Here are some photos (sorry, no Macs) from Kandahar
I recently returned from Australia from a 3.5 week tour with my JVC Hard Disk camcorder. There were 46 of us, and I was the only one with a HD camcorder. I downloaded onto my laptop every night, even though I didn't have to. I returned with over 20 hours of ultra fine recording, plus close to 3,000 photos. By the end of the trip, others were scrambling to find more media in a foreign land, or being really particular about what they were recording because they were running out of space. I had NO problem. My limiting factor as I found out was my power supply. Even though I had a spare battery and I charged them up every night, there was no way to recharge during the day, so the max I could record was 4 hours. If I did a long trip again, I would get the big power pack you strap onto your waist, then no problem that way. I can't tell you the number of times the others were out buying AA batteries, or trying to find batteries for their recorders. One guy had a carrying bag with nothing but his recording media, can you imagine the extra expense he had to put out to buy that before he left, on top of the cost of his camcorder? The new ones come with firewire( mac name) which not only downloads about 10 times faster, it can also download directly to an external HD without the laptop! Needless to say, I am happy with the direction of my purchase...Doug
Today's digital camcorders offer several recording formats. Read on to learn the pros and cons of each type.
MiniDV-Tape Format
MiniDV-tape format is the most common format for digital camcorders and records conveniently onto MiniDV tapes, which record DV-format video.
Pros of MiniDV Format
High-quality video MiniDV format is a standard-definition DV-format video that produces about 500 lines of horizontal resolution. High-definition footage also uses MiniDV tapes and records HDV-format video. High-definition camcorders allow you to record in full 1080i high-definition for playback on your HDTV!
Most common format MiniDV-tape format is found in a broad range of camcorders. It is widely supported by video-editing software and offers CD-quality audio dubbing. You may watch your video simply by connecting the camcorder to a TV or connect it to a VCR/DVD recorder to copy the video. Some MiniDV camcorders provide analog-to-digital conversion for digitizing older video.
Cons of MiniDV Format
Playback Playback from a MiniDV camcorder must be done by connecting the camcorder to a TV unless you transfer the video to another medium, like a DVD. Playback of specific segments requires fast-forwarding or rewinding to queue up the tape and locate a desired segment.
Editing It takes a significant amount of time to transfer video for editing on a computer. Thirty minutes of video will take you approximately 30 minutes to transfer to your computer.
Mini-DVD Format
Mini-DVD camcorders record MPEG-2 video directly to a convenient mini DVD-R or DVD-RAM for playing in home DVD players. These DVDs come in many different versions: -R/-RW/+RW/-RAM/-R dual layer and -R/-RW double-sided. This format is convenient for sharing videos with family and friends.
Pros of Mini-DVD Format:
Convenient playback Mini-DVDs can be played on most home DVD players with easy searching ability and random access to specific video segments. It is a convenient and stable format for archiving your home movies. Both video and still images can be recorded onto the discs.
Faster editing The transfer time to edit on a computer is faster than the MiniDV format.
Cons of Mini-DVD Format:
Good-quality video The quality is a bit lower than Mini-DV tape format due to MPEG-2 video compression. The video quality is greatly affected by the amount of compression selected, especially if more recording capacity is selected, requiring more compression.
Editing Not all video editing programs can edit Mini-DVD. Try Adobe Premier Elements 2 or Pinnacle Studio versions 9.4 or newer (10.5) for editing this type of video.
Hard Drive Format
Hard-disk drive camcorders record high-quality MPEG-2 video directly to a built-in hard drive. The size of hard drives increases each year with current camcorders boasting 20GB and 30GB storage capacity. This allows you to store hours of video (depending on the quality setting) without worrying about tapes or discs.
Pros of Hard-Drive Camcorders
Convenient playback Playback is easy with simple searching and random access to specific video segments. Select from different video quality levels and store large amounts of video (capacity depends on the size of the hard drive).
Good-quality video These camcorders compress the video using MPEG-2 video compression. The video quality is affected by the amount of compression selected.
Fast editing Computer editing is fast and easy. The recorded files can be copied from a camcorder's hard drive onto the computer's hard drive for immediate editing within minutes.
Cons of Hard-Drive Camcorders
Good-quality video The image quality of hard-drive camcorders is slightly lower than Mini-DV tape format due to MPEG-2 video compression. Video quality is greatly affected by the amount of compression selected especially if more recording capacity is desired requiring more compression.
Playback Playback must be done by connecting the camcorder to a TV, unless you transfer the video to another medium like a DVD.
Storage As you fill up the camcorder's hard drive, you will want to copy its contents to your computer's hard drive or onto blank DVDs to make room for additional recording.
MPEG 2 files are not compatible with iMovie. They must be converted to the DV format for use (which could be time consuming)
Flash Memory Format
Flash memory camcorders record MPEG-4 video to built-in flash memory or a flash memory card.
Pros of Flash Memory Camcorders:
No moving parts By recording to solid-state memory, shock and vibration are decreased, allowing you to record even while doing extreme sports!
Small size Compact design is easy to take anywhere.
Fast editing Computer editing is fast, thanks to short transfer time. Recorded files can be copied from the camcorder's memory onto a computer for immediate editing within minutes.
Playback Flash memory camcorders provide easy searching and random access to specific video segments.
Cons of Flash Memory Camcorders:
Low-quality video Flash Memory camcorders produce much lower image quality than MiniDV tape or MPEG-2 formats due to MPEG-4 or similar video compression. The video quality is greatly affected by the amount of compression selected, especially if more recording capacity is chosen.
Playback Playback must be done by connecting the camcorder to a TV, unless you transfer the video to another medium like a DVD.
Recording capacity Flash memory camcorders have lower recording capacity compared to MiniDV tape. The amount of storage depends on the quality setting you choose, as well as the size of the flash memory card.
AVCHD
This is direct competition for the HDV recording format. AVCHD is a high-definition recording format introduced by Sony and Panasonic. AVCHD can be used to record on DVD discs, HDD, or even flash memory cards. AVCHD uses the MPEG-4 AVC compression format. The big advantage is that AVCHD can record the same video as MPEG-2, but it uses less space to do it.
Pros of AVCHD Camcorders:
You can find faster a particular scene
You can seek faster and more precisely within that particular scene
You can delete that scene and free up space immediately
You can transfer video files to your PC much faster than when capturing from tapes
iPod-sized hard drives these days go up to 160 GBs which is enough for 14 hours of AVCHD The AVCHD standard does not have the HDV tape-speed limitation and so it can extend its standard to true 1080p recording and true 24p without using hacks.
And even 2k resolutions when the time comes iPod-sized drives take less space than the tape-reading mechanism so camcorders can become smaller 0.25in"
Snapshot JPEG photos wont have to be stored to a separate flash card, but on the hard drive as well (making the camera even smaller)
AVCHD supports Dolby 5.1 surround sound.
Cons of AVCHD Camcorders:
The biggest problem with editing and converting these files is the sheer amount of resources they requiredecoding and re-encoding AVC is much more intensive than, say, MPEG-2.
AVCHD employs long-GOP frame storage, which while space-efficient, introduces problems into editing and decoding of material. Even so, just as MPEG-2 was originally taxing to home PCs, even needing special PCI decoder cards, AVC's challenges will be overcome with time, especially on multi-core CPUs.
Other formats:
DVCAM
Introduced by Sony, DVCAM is a variation of the DV format. Sony designed the standard for semi-professional and lower-end professional videographers. DVCAM uses the same tape and compression as DV and Mini DV, but it is almost double the speed. A special DVCAM VCR is needed for playback.
HD
This is the new standard for television, also known as HDTV. High-definition television was developed in 1969. HDTV is a set of three standards for resolution. They are 1080i (1,080 actively interlaced lines), 1080p (progressively scanned) and 720p (progressively scanned). All of these standards use the same aspect ratio of 16:9.
HDV
Short for High-Definition Video. Records compressed HDTV video on Mini DV cassette. Will record in either 780p or 1080i and provides crystal-clear video. Prices are coming down, and that will make their popularity grow.
DVCPRO P2
P2 is a Panasonic standard developed for professional video. It is a tapeless recording of DVCPRO, DVCPRO50 and DVCPROHD streams, using a flash memory card. P2 cards have a memory capacity of 2GB, 4GB or 8GB. P2 cards are recorded in sequence; when one card is full, another blank card can be placed in the slot while another card is still being used for recording. Theoretically, P2 cards allow for an unlimited recording time, as long as you have an endless supply of cards. If a P2 card is partially full, the recording will continue until the card is full; the previous data will not be recorded over. Previous data must be manually deleted. P2 cards can be easily placed into a PCMCIA slot on a computer, so it makes their data easily accessible to a PC
Your info about JVC HD Camcorders is quite out of date. It sounds like you are a Sony or Panasonic salesman. The processing software for the recorded material allows 4 different formats to record to, including DV, MPEG 4, MPEG 2 and Quicktime for MACs, with a whole load of options including Dolby for audio, and a greater speed and flexibility for editing than you seem to be aware of. The higher the definition, the more space it takes, just like photos. To me, the comparisons you make prove the JVC is the better way to go. I would have needed almost $2,500.00 of media to go with me to Australia, over and above the cost of my Camcorder, to be sure I didn't run out like the others on my trip. After an extensive trip like that, I probably wouldn't need all that media 'til the next trip. The recordable mini DVD's take 3 disks to fill a standard DVD disk, at what cost, and what luggage do you give up for your trip to take it all along with you? I would have needed 125 recordables for my trip!
The new ones come with firewire( mac name) which not only downloads about 10 times faster, it can also download directly to an external HD without the laptop! Needless to say, I am happy with the direction of my purchase...Doug
That's a feature I like and wasn't aware of. I haven't bought my Macbook yet, not sure if I will due to the harsh environment (fine dust-sand) and the fact there's desktop computer for the internet. I would be practical to download directly to a HD...
That's a feature I like and wasn't aware of. I haven't bought my Macbook yet, not sure if I will due to the harsh environment (fine dust-sand) and the fact there's desktop computer for the internet. I would be practical to download directly to a HD...
Interesting, and perhaps best for what you want to do, but I'm still going to recommend good old tape.
HDs crash. Usually when you don't want them to.
Tapes, properly stored, will last your lifetime. It's always good to have some "hard copy" original footage.
Mind you, I may change my mind over time and advocate HD recording output to tape as a hard backup!
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