Best Camcorders Value
Which camcorder technology would be best for creating internet broadcasted educational videos?
I have a limited budget for a camera. $400-$700. I want to do educational videos that will be put on the internet. I plan to have some text, photos of documents, some green screen and some studio lit lectures: Basic stuff. The quality of the video for my web site will be better than You Tube, but not as high as standard DVD quality – something in between.
It seems I get good value from a high quality MiniDV camcorder like the Panasonic PV-GS500 with exceptional video quality in standard definition. On the other hand, some low end High Definition camcorders from Sony or Canon also seem attractive. Which technology would be best for my purposes? And why?
Mr. Safety knows…
And check out the resolution at vimeo.com if you are considering external hosting…
In addition to video quality, I would be looking for a mic-in jack and manual audio control… The ONLY sub-$1,000 camcorders (of which I am aware) that have both mic-in jack and full manual audio control are the Canon HV20, HV30, Sony HDR-HC7 and HC9.
I would suggest doing one of these four – at some later point, you may want to do high-definition. If you get the GS500 (which is a fine camcorder), you would need to replace it. If you get one of the HDV camcorders listed, you can do DV or HDV.
Your decision should be based on the WHOLE system:
Will you require external mics? Remember to add that to your budget. Mic stand or boom pole or mic shock mount or ? What sort of mic do you need? Laveliere or shotgun? Does it use 1/8″ jack or XLR? Will you need an XLR adapter?
Tripod? LANC?
What kind of computer are you using? Does it have a firewire port? (That’s how miniDV tape video is transferred.)
How much available hard drive space do you have? (DV uses ~13-14 gig of hard drive space per hour of imported video… HDV uses 3x-4x more than that. Do you need external drives?)
How much have you budgeted for lighting?
So… there’s a bit more to it than just the camcorder…
Panasonic HDCSD60 Best Value..
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Kingston 4 GB Class 4 SDHC Flash Memory Card SD4/4GBET $4.98 Kingston Technology’s Secure Digital High-Capacity (SDHC) memory card is designed to meet the storage demands of high-quality digital still and video cameras and other high-resolution image recording devices…. |
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Transcend 64 GB SDXC Flash Memory Card TS64GSDXC10E [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging] $72.98 Featuring 64GB of storage space with the exFAT file system that supports files larger than 4GB, Transcendâs Ultimate SDXC Class 10 cards are the ideal complement to todayâs high-end SDXC-compatible DSLR cameras and HD camcorders. Thanks to its unprecedented amount of storage capacity, the SDXC cards enable extended HD video recording time as well as high-resolution digital photography. F… |
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Sony DVM60PR10KB 60-minute Premium DVC / MiniDV Tapes (10 Pack) $17.99 Watch your videos come alive when you record using SONY DVM60PRR Digital Video Cassettes. Each tape provides 60 minutes of premium quality digital video in a convenient pack. They feature metal evaporated tape, with a diamond-like carbon coating protective layer, which improves durability and helps prevent shedding and dropout. Start recording now with a SONY DVM60PRR 10 pack…. |
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2-Port USB Car Charger Adapter $0.01 Technical Specification: Input Voltage (DC): From 12 Vdc Nominal / From 10-24Vdc Maximum ; Input Current: 1.0A max at 12Vdc ; 75% minimum at dc output full loading and nominal DC input voltage range. Output Voltage: Vout: 5.0V, Range: 5.0 – 5.6V, Vpp: 200mA max ; Output Current (DC): 0 – 1.5A ; Protection: SCP : For short circuited protection and with auto-recovery function. Operation Temperature:… |