mini dv

[phere126]

What's a good mini dv cam?

[2000lux]

Professional, prosumer, or personal?

[phere126]

personal.

[2000lux]

Hrmmn. That I don't know much about. I have heard that Cannon is coming out with some new one chip DV camcorders this month that are supposed to have a very good picture, robust tape transport, etc.

There are several very small camcorders, the Sony PC-5 comes to mind. I've thought about getting one my self. They can be very handy in the field getting interesting shots (like from inside a mail box) that you just can't get with your work camera. Also, the smaller the camera, the more likely you are to put it in your pocket and take it with you on vacations.

Look for one that has analog inputs (and a mic input for that matter) so that you can also use it as a DV converter to input your older VHS (or whatever) footage on your computer to edit.

[<mini dv shooter>]

How much money do you want to spend? If your a proffesional yourself you know what your looking for. I bought the panasonic dvx-100 for my personal camera because I can also make money with it. I paid more than I wanted to but I make money with it to pay it off and it's a beautiful personal camera.

[phere126]

Well I was thinking about spending around $500. Something that I can make home movies on and edit on my pc. Not really looking to make money off of it though. Also that mailbox idea is a good one. I might have to do something similar one day. Thanks lux for the support.

[Tippster]

I have the Sony TRV17. Zeiss lens, pretty sturdy. The wife gave it to me "for the kids." I hate it. I tried to tell her that it's like giving a NASCAR driver a Ford Probe to use at home. Sure, it works...but...

I'd much rather shoot stills with the 15 gorgeous cameras I've managed to accumulate over the years. Seriously, wouldn't you rather have some kick-a$$ stills on the wall that you look at daily rather than some tapes somewhere collecting dust?

I've had the damn thing for 3 years, and have shot maybe 4 tapes worth. Nice picture, though... I guess.

[commercial hack]

I'm going to purchase a Sony DCR-TRV950 next week. About $1500 from B&H. 3CCD. Looking forward to it!

[<bargain hunter>]

I would not recomend b&h for that. They are a great provider of hard to find stuff, but, can be overpriced. I would recommend ebay. I know some people are uncomfortable with online purchases, but personally I've had great experiences with it. I would caution you to only buy items that are factory sealed, and avoid used! Especially delicate stuff like a camera.

[fstop]

Try the Canon Elura 50. It's small, analog in/out, and mic input. Good family camcorder.

[Schett]

I just bought a Cannon Optura 20 from B&H. It is a great little camera for vacation pics and home video stuff. I can take still digital photo with it while shooting video at the same time. The automatic settings seem to work well for most shooting situations but the camera does have manual functions as well. The lens is easy to focus manually using the focus ring. Most handy cams do not have this feature.

I would not suggest this camera for pro use. It's small size and light wieght make it perfect for vaction pictures and video. I found mine at B&H for $540. I would suggest buying the wide angle adapter because the standard lens has a narrow field of view.

[FatStinkyPhotog]

3 1/2" CCD's...That's about as good as is affordable. Happy shopping. Buying anything less than 3CCD's is a complete waste of time. Patience is advised.

[phere126]

Yeah patience on waiting for a 3 ccd camera to go down in price will take years Stinky. I think I am going to buy a cannon eos or something. I guess video can wait for awhile. I'm going to decorate my wall hehe!!!

[<huh?>]

Go to BH!!!! someone above said they were overpriced... not true... I have 7 cameras from BH.
2- XL 1 s
1- GL 1
1 elura 5o
3 digital stills....
never tried ebay cause i like BH... only had on defective camera from BH and they took car of it immediately... try that on ebay.
good luck, DV is quite affordable these days.

[Icarus112277]

B+H is most definitely overpriced

they have everything, but at a price

[<b & h fan>]

Don't know about B & H regarding video gear, but I used to buy a lot of equipment for still photography and more times than not they were the cheapest, and of course always had the best selection.

[Icarus112277]

I work around the corner from them and knwo a lot of other sales people in the are. They are definitely not the cheapest if you know who and how to ask. In fact they have quite a mark-up. If you don't have anyone else to go to they're okay but I would neve buy anything from them. I go there to windowshop or demo items, but in all the times I have gone have only found one or two things to be the least expensive there.

On the other hand they have a very good selectriona nd will get whatever they do not have. If yo are short on timwe or don't have better options they are excellent.

[<So>]

If there are cheaper places to buy stuff, why not start listing who they are...

[<duhTV>]

there really is not a "bad" DV camera... i am not a big fan of JVC but that ia a professional bias... any canon, sony, panasonic is going to be good electronics... as far as BH... you can find "cheaper" then BH but other companies in NY or catalogue places have hidden cost in shipping and handling.... ALSO, other places sell "gray market" so if you really like a refurbished item or non warranty item and save money, go get it but BH does not sell gray market items!!!

good luck, happy spending!!!

[<extvtog>]

buy your camera professional, prosumer or personal from zotzdigital our of Oregon. I bought my GL1 from them and they are definitly the best priced and the owner, Brian was very helpful when choosing and placing the order. Plus there is no state tax and shipping is usually free some of the items. www.zotzdigital.com (http://www.zotzdigital.com)

[<mini dv>]

i have a trv-33
it is what it is
but i have had great luck with it.
if you need a cheap (compared to 3 chip)
camera for traveling or home use this one
is great
and it has nightshot
i don't think the cannon has that

[Macro]

If you have the money, go with the TRV-950 or the PDX-10. Both are worth the money if you want a small 3CCD camera that can work for home or work. I use my TRV-950 for specialty shots all the time and my pictures of the kids never looked better. I agree with the other posters, B&H is too much! Check e-bay or other smaller houses for a better price. Be careful though! Some have hidden costs. (No charger, battery, cables etc. included)

[Baltimore Shooter]

Originally posted by phere126:
What's a good mini dv cam? That's a contridiction in terms. Why do I say that? Go to this link - www.bvatv.com/analogvsdigital.htm (http://www.bvatv.com/analogvsdigital.htm)

Warren

[CWeldon]

Hey BS,

Pay attention to the original theme of this thread and save the propoganda for somewhere else. Phere126 asked about a MiniDV for personal use. I doubt that he's very concerned about your Beta v. DV rhetoric in this case.

[cinehead]

BS, I agree with everything in your link, but CW has a point. If any of us could purchase Betacam gear for $500, we would.

[Baltimore Shooter]

Opps, sorry. I don't see the personal use thread. Then mini dv makes perfect sence for personal use. My fault.

Warren

[quicklad]

I just bought my wife the Sony PC-105 for her birthday. It is small enough to fit in her purse, takes the same batts as our Sony digital still camera, and takes stills (stills not nearly as good as the dedicated digi still camera).

I did not know about the new Canon models, but I probably would have gotten the Sony anyway - I like their video products more than Canon (of course I like my Canon L optics for my 35mm).

The quality is, on the one hand, noticeably bad compared to my PD-150 and my D-35 (one chip is one chip). But on the other hand - for "home" videos -it looks fine (the more light the better) and stands out for it's convenience, portabilty and ease of use. I wanted something my wife would not be afraid to pick up and use.

I already have great shots of my 3 year old singing along to her favorite scenes on the TV, shot with a wide angle adapter and from a "TV eye" point of view. The larger cameras would have been more distracting, to hard to mount and overall much more inconvenient.

So I am very happy to have the shots - even though I do wish they had been able to stuff some more chips in the camera.

I got mine from Crutchfield in their "Scratch & Dent" dept. It saved me $150 off the price and there weren't any scratches or dents!

good luck,
Eric