Video cameras

[kaiser]

Looking for a quick idea about video cameras. Any recommendations or tips on what to look out for? Its a gift too, so nothing too expensive. Not looking to film documentaries or owt either. Just to record the baby growing up, stuff like that.

 

[Alba 7]

It depends on how much work you (or the person you're buying the present for) wants to do to be able to produce and share the video.

All modern cameras can be plugged into the AV port on a TV and played back directly, which is great for immediate viewing. It then comes down to the media you want to use for recording; Dv tape, direct to DVD or solid state "flash" memory. The latter used not to be much cop but now that memory size has increased you can get a reasonable amount of recording onto one card.
Direct to DVD makes it easy to film and pass another person a disc that they can play in most (so long as it is DVD +/- compatible) DVD players.
Dv tape (and Flash memory) is perhaps less user friendly for sharing; you have to plug the camera into a PC (usually using a firewire connection and not every PC has a firewire port) download the film and render to a format that can be shared (e.g. MP4), then burnt to disc or saved in a compressed format for sharing on line (Youtube for example). This does take a bit of time but when the footage is on the PC you can of course begin editing, adding titles, music, fades etc. All depends on how much effort the camera operator wants to go to, to produce the finished film!

I got my camera from here (it came bundled with a firewire PCI card which was a doddle to fit to the desktop computer) http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Canon-Outlet_C ... idZ2QQtZkm
Watch for while to see what things go for but you should be able to pick up a bargain.

HTH?
Nick.

 

[kaiser]

Nick


Super stuff Quite happy to fanny about with it on the computer. I take it the flash memory ones are at the cheaper end of the scale?

Whats the software like these days for editing and such, used to be a bit canny with computers but it seems to have moved on a few steps since then.

 

[Alba 7]

I take it the flash memory ones are at the cheaper end of the scale

Used to be and to make the most of the memory available the picture quality wasn't always that good. They have improved greatly and are usually smaller and a tad more robust than ones that record to disc or DVD. Robust is a relative word - none of them are indestructable!

If you were thinking of using it on the bike (heaven forbid ) then you might want to consider one that has AV in (they will all have AV out but not all go the other way). This allows you to connect up a separately purchased bullet cam (about the size of a whiteboard marker which you can then fasten to your helmet, front fork, chainstay - just about anywhere the lead will reach to). Allows you to do this sort of thing (I know it isn't biking but you'll get the idea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FPQzD6Cm-M )

Software - you have plenty of choices - Windows XP has a built in Windows Movie Maker (surprisingly capable for a 'free' product), in the mid range there are programs like Pinnacle (used this in my last job for making promo vids and videoing feedback seminars) and it is pretty good for the price, at the top end is Adobe Premiere - the same sort of program that broadcast video editors use. Utterly amazing, incredibly powerful, very expensive (if you have to buy your own) and totally baffling for the first couple of weeks. Adobe also do a Premiere Elements which I've not used but I'm guessing is a cut down version a bit like the Photoshop Elements programs. Also a good deal cheaper

 

[kaiser]

Excellent info buddy