I've been wanting to get a digital camcorder. When I first researched them about a year ago, the DVD ones weren't getting a lot of popularity and good reviews...and everyone suggested miniDV. Recently I was at Best Buy and noticed a flurry of new DVD based camcorders and the sales folks suggesting those were better than miniDV.

What changed? And what's your opinion on which one is superior? Thanks

10/2/2006 12:07:26 AM

minidv

easier to edit and such

of course, if you don't care about editing, then the dvd ones are easier to share.

10/2/2006 12:24:12 AM

last i heard, dvd cams had issues with compression

10/2/2006 12:39:39 AM

but don't the dvd camcorders take rewritable dvds, thus making that easier to edit on the fly? or the alternative of transfering on computer to edit, which would make it on par with minidv...so what makes minidv easier to edit?

10/2/2006 1:14:55 AM

those DVD-RWs are encoded in MPEG-2, where as the MINI-DV is pure DV video (encoded, but much less so). So, when you edit it, and burn it, it'll be in higher quality than the MPEG-2 DVDs, which has to be re-encoded to MPEG-2 after you edit it (losing video quality).

10/2/2006 2:01:18 AM

minidv by far

10/2/2006 11:39:56 PM

mini DV is a MUCH better quality solution

10/3/2006 12:57:01 AM

Forget DVD camcorders. The media is expensive, fragile, finicky, and has comparatively tiny amount of storage. HD-based camcorders will replace them soon.

Your two options should be:
-Buy a camcorder with a built-in hard drive. Usually about the same price as a middle-of-the-range DVD camcorder, these will allow you to store a LOT more video and gives you more flexibility with on-board editing/photo storage/etc. If you're shopping for a camcorder at this price point, chances are you already have a PC with a dvd-burner, so no need to buy redundant technology.
-Buy a cheap, basic miniDV camcorder with some kind of portable memory slot (usually SD card).

10/3/2006 7:04:08 AM

bttt

I once wanted one of these when I was a senior in high school and decent ones were an easy $1000. I guess I want a mini dv one now... j/w--what should I look for in a minidv camera (technical requirements?) and what price standards should I expect? I really don't know much about them... I have an imac I can use to edit/produce.

[Edited on November 29, 2006 at 3:28 PM. Reason : .]

11/29/2006 3:25:16 PM

Quote :

"-Buy a cheap, basic miniDV camcorder with some kind of portable memory slot (usually SD card)."

black friday deal - target - samsung minidv $179.99 awesome deal if you got in on it.

11/29/2006 10:43:31 PM

i hate how a lot of the minidv cameras don't come with a manual focus ring

somehow, manufacturers think that menu-ized buttons suffice for the general consumer

11/29/2006 10:46:18 PM

^they worork great for the general comsumer.

I've got a Canon zr600 or whatever MiniDV that works great. Getting video to the PC was simple, now only if I had a better PC to do editing.

11/29/2006 11:40:24 PM

i have a mini dvd camcorder - a sony 405. it's been great. it's actually really easy to get the movies off, either in mpeg or "will play in a dvd player" format. my camera uses dvd-rw, so i just reuse the same 5 discs that came with it originally. i have a big ass battery that lasts 200+ minutes. it also does 3 megapixel stills, saved to memory stick (or dvd if you're so inclined). i have a better quality point and shoot, but with 10x optical zoom, it doesn't matter so much.

i think i paid about a thousand bucks (a year ago) for the whole package, which included a case, 5 dvd-rw, big battery, mack warranty and a lens filter kit.

anyway, we've been happy with it.

[Edited on November 30, 2006 at 1:28 AM. Reason : duh]

11/30/2006 1:27:51 AM