Sony Camcorders Best Buy
what’s the best camcorder for its quality, price, and convenience?
I’d like to buy a camcorder ($300-$400) to make home movies etc. I was thinking of sony camcorders with dvd built in, but it has both good and bad reviews. Now I’m confused. I never had or used a camcorder. I’m new to this. Help!
If you are considering editing the video, you will stay FAR away from DVD based camcorders.
In your price range, there are several good entry level camcorders available to you… for miniDV tape based camcorders, the Canon ZR900, ZR930 or ZR960. These are the least expensive camcorders with a mic jack (they do not have manual audio control). Being miniDV tape based camcorders, this assumes your computer has a firewire port – or, if it does not, you are able (and willing ) to add one.
If you cannot or will not add a firewire port, then the Canon FS100 is a good flash memory camcorder. It also has a mic jack (but no manual audio control). The flash memory camcorders use USB to transfer video, and you normally need to convert the video to a format your editor can handle. I like StreamClip
http://www.squared5.com/
A mic jack is important if, later, you decide you want to use a mic – typically for really soft audio and you can’t have the camcorder (and the built-in mics) to be right next to the subject being captured to video.
For really loud audio, no mic – internal or external – will make much difference – the audio will be muddy and clip a lot. To resolve this, you need manual audio control. The cheapest camcorders with a mic jack and manual audio control are the Canon HV20/HV30/HV40 and the Sony HDR-HC9.
Good luck!
Welcome to the fun world of video!
Top 10 Best Buy Flash Memory Camcorders
|
|
Olympus ME-52W Noise Canceling Microphone $11.99 The ME-52W plugs directly into your digital recorder”s 3.5mm microphone jack for uni-directional recording in high-noise environments. It will cut down on much of the background noise and result in a more accurate transcription…. |
|
|
Kingston 4 GB Class 4 SDHC Flash Memory Card SD4/4GB $1.99 Class 4 speed rating with 4MBps minimum data transfer rateBuilt-in write-protect switch prevents accidental data lossCompatible with SDHC host devices not patible with standard SD -enabled devices/readersIncludes lifetime warranty… |
|
|
Maxell Cassette VHS-C Adapter $6.13 Maxell Mechanical VHS-C Adapter allows you to watch your VHS-C tapes in your VHS player Manually operated. No batteries required. The part number is VP-CA… |
|
|
Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11 Production Suite $54.95 Video editing audio mastering & disc authoringVegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11 Production Suite takes HD video and audio production to the next level with tools for professional-level sound design and more video effects and transitions. Edit video in nearly any format including high-definition HDV and AVCHD and create a 3D project using the innovative stereoscopic 3D tools. Use the included Sound… |