HDrive Camcorders vs Mini DV vs Hi Def

defreak

I'm thinking of getting a new camcorder. I mostly use it to record basketball and volleyball games (I'm a coach).

I have a Sony DCR-HC96 Mini DV Camcorder, after transferring the video to the computer, the picture quality is pretty good when viewing it on a computer monitor (could be better). However, when viewing it on a 56" plasma, it looks like crap. Also, I'm getting tired of all the DV tapes and the slow transferring process. So I have three questions.

1) will a hard drive camcorder (non Hi Def) have better picture quality than a mini DV camcorder?

2) how much better is the picture quality of a Hi Def camcorder, is it the same gap as SD and HD television programming? Let's say something like This.

3) I see these type of camcorders getting really popular, is the quality on par with the Sony I linked to above, or is it worse? What's the reason for it being less than half the price?

Thanks.

RUNN1NGMAN

MiniDV is going to be just as good, if not better than the hard drive camcorder. The DV format is better quality than AVC, even though that gap is much smaller than it used to be. And even though you have to keep buying cassettes, they provide a really convenient way to archive your video without filling up your computer's hard drive.

The difference between a standard def camcorder (480i) and an HD camcorder (usually 1080i) is HUGE. Especially if you are planning on playing the videos on an HD TV. Totally worth it if you can afford it. Even if you're compressing the video and putting it on a website you'll notice a big difference.

The reason the Flip is cheaper is that it has no useable zoom and no image stabilization. Those are two pretty big things to do without in a camcorder, but if you're just taking brief videos of relatively well-lit, stationary scenes, then it's a good choice.

Blake T

Flips are great for what they are.

That is cheap and mobile. They can actually record for a reasonable amount of time as well.

Do you want something that you can fit in your pocket for a day trip?

Or do you want something a little more professional to carry around in a bag?

Sir Carcass

We have a 120 minute HD Flip and love it, but we're not camera people. If you're serious about filming, it's probably not something you'd want. They look pretty good, though (without zooming), and have a tripod mount. They need good lighting, though.

defreak

Thanks for all the info.

Kobo

Nevermind, wrong kind of drive

RUNN1NGMAN

Kobo wrote: »

The local tech shop in my area stopped carrying USB mini hard drives (the ones that look like big flash drives) because they like to lose files or fail completely.

?

The HD in a camcorder is just a laptop drive.

Mom2Kat

While not HD I absolutley love my Sony DCR-SR85. It takes awesome videos and with an 80gb hardrive I don't think I will ever fill the damn thing up. It is small and fairly light, I can even pack it in my purse if needed. the only issue is that I want to get a high capacity battery for it because I find I get about 75 min of battery life out of it at Judo tourney's (where I do most of the recording and there is lots of off/on and recording), even the pictures come out great. I love that right in the menu on the camera itself it lets me screen cap from the video.