Hard Drive Camcorders

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

Anyone got experience with these? Seems like HD would be the way to go for kite videos as you could do editing a lot faster...

JVC seems to be the popular choice, 3CCD model looks like the shizzle:

http://jvc.com/presentations/everio_g/

bandito · Since 07 May 2005 178 Posts Photographer

$1200 seems like overkill for some home movies. You're not using it in the adult industry are you PKH?
Bandito

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

Found a few places online selling it for ~$800... but yeah maybe it makes more sense to opt for one of the cheaper models. Especially since its going to be going to the beach a lot.

wasn't the "adult industry" angle your idea bandito? Wink

Slipin Lizard · Since 23 Sep 2005 88 Posts Hood River, Oregon

I'd recommend that you look at a single chip Mini-DV camcorder from Canon, Sony, or whoever has one for the lowest price. I think you can get one for around $300 bucks, maybe a tad more. It's all you'll ever need unless you are planing to go totally pro, and try to produce DVD's for sale or something.

Kataku2k3 · Since 14 Aug 2005 3753 Posts Los Angeles, CA Videographer

I haven't used any of the newer DVD or built in hard drive stuff, but I don't know that I'd really want to get into it either. Several years back I had a Sony camcorder that recorded to a mini disk (thinking digital would be good), but it's output was analog... If you have a way to get it into your comp, and keep it digital the entire time, then that's fine (via Firewire/IEEE 1394), but if you've got to output through non-digi setup (RCAs, etc. - also including USB), you're going to lose a shit load of quality.

I personally would just stick to good ol' miniDV just as Slipin Lizard said, but if you can find something 3 chip, that's always a bonus. And as I've said before, generally I like Sony's picture quality the best. The last vid I did was shot on a Sony PD-150 (Sony's higher end 3CCD, next to the VX-2100). Canon's and JVC's quality seems to be similar on their lower end stuff, and it's hard to explain, but there really is a difference even when compared to the lower end Sony.

I'm in the process of reformatting my computer right now (actually can't do it 'til I get back home to Portland this weekend), but once I do, I'll get a few short clips up of a 1CCD miniDV Sony vs. 1CCD Canon (both similar cams) so you can compare.

The crazy HD cams JP's working with now on music videos and movies down in LA are the way to go if money were no object, but they'd be a pain in the ass to haul around, and definately not something you'd want to shoot kiting with. They're basically just normal ultra high-end HD cams, but record to flash drives (like racks and racks of multiple SD cards packed into a case), which can then be connected directly to main editing computers and uploaded.

Sorry to ramble on so long... Wink

P.S. - If you're planning on editing HD (edit: should have clarified - high definition), unless you've already got a rowdy ass computer (mainly talking about processor, video card, and RAM)... you'll for surely be upgrading!

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

Good stuff Adam, thanks for the info!

The hard drive cams definitely keep everything in digital, you basically hook it up Firewire or USB2.0 and it becomes like an external hard drive... Part of the appeal too is you can take the clips off invidually without any extra editing. So say you are filiming kiting and you make a habit of always recording just the trick and then stop recording after the trick. You'd have a nice video file for each trick. Just grab all the good ones, drop them in the order you want, and your done.

Maybe its not worth 2x as much though, there seems to be some good cams in the 3-4 hundred range that have 3CCD and good quality overall. The hard drive ones in that price range don't seem to be rated as high in quality. Here's a miniDV one that seems to hit a good quality/price point:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Panasonic-PV-GS300-Camcorder-Review.htm

Here's a bunch of ratings:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/ratings.php

jahmbi · Wed Sep 27, 06 7:57 pm

Inept_Fun · Since 14 Apr 2005 1417 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

I would say just for better viewing pleasure you should go for 3 chip, anything else will just look kinda well... Shitty. Hard drive cams arent there yet I dont think either. Even if you start the filming right before the trick and end it right after, the clips still need editing, and any editing program makes it super easy to shorten the clip, it's usually just a click and drag. 3ccd cams are getting cheaper now to, thanks to the HD thing, so I would definately go with a 3 chipper.

Kataku2k3 · Since 14 Aug 2005 3753 Posts Los Angeles, CA Videographer

Ian, single chip cams aren't that bad... so long as they're uploaded digitally. Either one's going to look like shit if you have to use an analog computer adapter or something, but come on. The vid I did last year was shot with a Canon ZR-90 and Sony TRV-18 (both low end, miniDV, 1CCD cams), and I think it turned out alright (quality wise). If you can afford it, I still say go 3 chip though.

Inept_Fun · Since 14 Apr 2005 1417 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-PV-GS500-Camcorder-Optical-Stabilized/dp/B000DZFUIO/sr=1-1/qid=1159417921/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-8425746-9168968?ie=UTF8&s=photo

kiteboard117 · Since 02 Mar 2005 450 Posts PDX McLovin

yea i use that panasonic for video productions class quite a bit. the 3 ccd image is nice but if i were going to buy my own camera i think i would still pick a sony even with only 1 chip. the quality of the body and the simplicity of the controls is just not as good as the sonys. we have a few 1 chip sonys that have about the same sharpness and clarity just not as nice color reproduction. the one i like to use the most is the HC1 (3ccd HDV sony) but that one is wayyy more expensive.