# Dvd Video Camera



## daslobo777 (Mar 24, 2007)

Hi,
We have digital 8mm video camera that can also take stills but thinking of moving to dvd so we can just pop a home video into DVD player anytime we want.

Any experience to brand/model pros or cons would be helpful. thank you

Cristy


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Cristy,

Sony and Canon are probably the best out there. JVC also make good cameras. I have been looking as well, and my main concern with the DVD based cameras, as well as the hard-drive units, is reliability. Camcorders tend to live in a somewhat harsh environment, susceptible to all kinds of bumps and thumps. Unfortunately DVD and hard drives are relatively delicate instruments. Now I'm sure (or at least hope) that the manufacturers are putting in more robust drives than they do in your typical PC, but still it's a real concern to me.

On the other hand, the new flash memory based units have no moving parts, and that can only lead to greater reliability and longevity. Furthermore, with the size of flash memory available these days, you can easily get a couple hours of recording in memory before you have to download or swap cards. If you have previous experience with a camcorder, you know that's a lot of recording! The rub, of course, is that you have to have something to download to. But if you have a computer with a DVD writer, it's possible to make a DVD to use in your regular DVD player. Going through a computer first, will also give you the opportunity to quickly and easily edit your opus into a much more finished and watchable show than was ever possible with the old tape based camcorders.

Just a couple of things to think about.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Although DVD camcorders are convenient, they are limiting as well. I don't believe that you can, or easily edit footage recorded natively in the DVD format.

I personally like to dump the event footage into my computer and edit it down to just the good stuff. Throw in a few titles and Voila! Instant archive without all the undesirable footage to view. And because it's now IN my computer the possibilities are endless.

I do understand that this can be an unfriendly process on a PC and I do MUCH more of it now that I have an iMac. Good grief it's SO much easier and stable now. My 8 year old can do it.

Your results may vary


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## CanadaCruizin (Jul 3, 2004)

We just bought a Panasonic SDRH40 40GB HDD / SD Camcorder which records to its internal hard drive, or optionally an SD card.


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## NDOutbackers (Apr 19, 2008)

We have a Panasonic DVD camcorder. Cheap one, $350 or something like that.

Pros - you never accidentally recorder over anything, easily played on DVD players, great image quality.

Cons - Mini DVDs only hold about 30 minutes of footage, so for long recordings you may need to swap DVDs, to finalize a DVD it takes several minutes and requires that you are plugged in to do so, ours does not have a line out (probably specific to our model but it is a pain if you just want to watch something on TV without finalizing the disc). It can be hooked up to the computer either USB or firewire for editting.

Those are things that stand out to me.


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## justinsnow0 (Feb 5, 2007)

CanadaCruizin said:


> We just bought a Panasonic SDRH40 40GB HDD / SD Camcorder which records to its internal hard drive, or optionally an SD card.


We have a Sony but also HDD. It's 30Gig and I really like it. It's was a low end cam and the only issue I have with it is that it's auto focus could be a little better. It's kind of slow. I would go HDD now a days if you are going to buy a cam. I don't think I would inverst in solid state stuff just yet.


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## daslobo777 (Mar 24, 2007)

Thank you for those that had input. I just came across a site http://www.thecameraprofessionals.com that appear to have really good reviews and prices beating anyone.

I am still searching criteria as I really just want to take the DVD out of the camcorder and be able to put into DVD player. I don't really need the camera still photos as I have a small digi camera for that.

From what I can tell thus far is all DVD camcorders have a short DVD recording time and then you take those mini DVD's and put onto one big DVD or have lots of short ones to play. It actually would be better for me to go to the store so I can see one and better understand the entire process.

I want small, easy to use, high quality picture, ability to play directly onto t.v. in matter of seconds, a price related to 1950's era and a forever warranty................Is that too much to ask? What is wrong with us consumers......demand, demand, and demand. Technology is ever changing because of us! I thought my video canon optura 20 with a 1.33 mega pixel still camera feature would be the camera of forever (ahead of its time when purchased)......now that is funny!

Cristy


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

daslobo777 said:


> I want ...ability to play directly onto t.v. in matter of seconds...Cristy


Cristy - Remember, no matter what format you pick you can always grab the AV cable that comes with the camcorder and plug it right into the TV for instant gratification. Most camcorders have a remote control too so you can go put your feet up on the coffee table









Whatever you choose will be right for you. Capturing memories is all that matters regardless of the format









Good luck with your search.


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## Beaner242 (Jun 25, 2007)

We just bought a sony with 30 gig hd. I love it so far. I didnt want to have to mess with dvd's. I've heard of compatibility issues with dvd players and the discs the camera burns, and also the disc skipping if you bump the camera while recording.


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## daslobo777 (Mar 24, 2007)

PDX_Doug said:


> Cristy,
> 
> Sony and Canon are probably the best out there. JVC also make good cameras. I have been looking as well, and my main concern with the DVD based cameras, as well as the hard-drive units, is reliability. Camcorders tend to live in a somewhat harsh environment, susceptible to all kinds of bumps and thumps. Unfortunately DVD and hard drives are relatively delicate instruments. Now I'm sure (or at least hope) that the manufacturers are putting in more robust drives than they do in your typical PC, but still it's a real concern to me.
> 
> ...


Just was at Best Buy and I was surprised by the guy wanting to sell me a lesser costing model as usually it is the other way around. He is recommending going the flash memory route because the price is much lower than hard drive at this time and you don't have to mess around with DVDs. The model he showed me was under 300.00 and fit in the palm of your hand which he said is popular especially with people traveling. Taking something like that on a hike is like taking your digital camera and could go in a pocket. He said a 2gig memory is about 17.00 so inexpensive and you get longer video time and then you can burn to DVD on your computer. If California Jim's 8 yr. old can do it then maybe I can have my 8 yr. old do it







I actually don't know if we can do that. We have compaq CD-writer/DVD-ROM combo if anyone knows if this is doable? I saw you can buy specifically a burner for 299.00, but the guy said that was for people traveling and wanting to download and didn't have a computer with them. Cristy


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## CanadaCruizin (Jul 3, 2004)

The camcorder I mentioned above also has the image stabilizer so when I zoom in, the picture doesn't bounce around. It still does, but not nearly as bad as my old camera. I've also been lurking the internet for a how-to-do-it home-made camera mount for inside the vehicle so I can video out the front windshield. Similar to the cop videos you see on television. Might come in handy if something unexpected happens that I capture on video.


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## daslobo777 (Mar 24, 2007)

CanadaCruizin said:


> The camcorder I mentioned above also has the image stabilizer so when I zoom in, the picture doesn't bounce around. It still does, but not nearly as bad as my old camera. I've also been lurking the internet for a how-to-do-it home-made camera mount for inside the vehicle so I can video out the front windshield. Similar to the cop videos you see on television. Might come in handy if something unexpected happens that I capture on video.


We are leaning towards the hard drive........have you made any dvd's from it? thanks cristy


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## justinsnow0 (Feb 5, 2007)

I have made many DVD's with mine but I don't use the software that came with the camera. I will look later and tell you what software I use. I also use it to edit my videos and downgrade the qaulity to post on my website for family to see. I try to shoot only 1 - 2 minute at a time as it's easier to edit later on. I'm no genius when it comes to doing this stuff so the program I use is very easy and user friendly.


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## justinsnow0 (Feb 5, 2007)

I use MyDVD 9


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## bradnjess (Mar 25, 2007)

I was in the same boat as you this past weekend. I wanted to get something more practical than our old Sony Hi8 camcorder. I ended up getting the Panasonic SDR-S7 flash memory. $279.00 at Best Buy and 4 GB SDHC cards were on sale for $25.00, I bought two of those. Its easy to get caught up in all the HD stuff especially since most of our tv's are now HD, but what I was really concerned about was getting something small enough that I would actually take it with me places and cheap enough that I wouldn't be scared to take it with me to all those places. The picture quality is just as good if not slightly better, at SP (medium) setting, than the Sony Hi8. It's just what I was looking for, just something to throw in my pocket and capture priceless memories of my family. It should last me until the HD camcorders had dropped in price and improved on capacity. The battery could be an issue for some depending on you needs. It has a 40 min life but I've found that it's longer than you'd think, you can get extras online for about $11.00. The best thing is that it is compatible with my macbook, iMovie '08. I didn't even bother w/ Panasonic's software. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Brad


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## having_fun (Jun 19, 2006)

And you don't need a computer to burn DVD's. I have an in-expensive DVD recorder with a firewire input. I just plug the camera into the DVD recorder via the fire wire, and I make DVD very easily, without a computer crashing all the time! The DVD recorder actually controls the camcorder so it really is one touch operation to cut a DVD. I still love my digitial 4mm tape camcorder. You do lose some ability to edit out shots, but it can be done.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

bradnjess said:


> ...The best thing is that it is compatible with my macbook, iMovie '08. I didn't even bother w/ Panasonic's software. Hope this helps. Good luck.
> 
> Brad


Sounds great! On a related note for Mac users. I paid the extra $ to get a .mac account and used it for the first time last night. OMG was it easy and cool. I'm a total web idiot and with the push of a button I now have a password protected online gallery with family event pictures and video uploaded and organized. It was sooooo easy.

Just another reason to get those precious family memories into your computer.

To see the .mac galleries in action CLICK HERE Then under the "Web Gallery" selection click "Watch the Demo". If that doesn't impress you then I don't know what will


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Ill add a thumbs up for our Sony 40GB HDD video camera. We love ours!! quickly get the videos on the computer, emailed or put on your website, hook up to a TV and view, whatever you want. Using Windows Media Center hooked up to the 58" tv we have a lot of fun having family movie nights going through all the videos stored on the computer!! We have been really happy with it.


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## CanadaCruizin (Jul 3, 2004)

daslobo777 said:


> The camcorder I mentioned above also has the image stabilizer so when I zoom in, the picture doesn't bounce around. It still does, but not nearly as bad as my old camera. I've also been lurking the internet for a how-to-do-it home-made camera mount for inside the vehicle so I can video out the front windshield. Similar to the cop videos you see on television. Might come in handy if something unexpected happens that I capture on video.


We are leaning towards the hard drive........have you made any dvd's from it? thanks cristy
[/quote]
Not yet. Still fresh from the box. I've recorded my kids at their year-end school concert but haven't burned a DVD yet. When I do, I'll download the mpeg to my PC and probably use the Pinnacle s/w I bought for making movies. I don't know how good the s/w is that came with the cam.


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## Acadia Hiker (May 29, 2007)

Hey, this sounds like my new job!

*DON'T* buy a DVD camcorder. I won't reiterate what has already been said, but if you want cheaper, I'd buy a miniDV (digital tape) over a DVD any day. I'm having a problem right now with a DVD camcorder that a professor took on a two week trip to Japan. She had a grant to put together two different videos about historical aspects of their society. Right now I have not one, not two, but FIVE DVDs sitting on my desk that the camera itself won't recognize--the same camera they were shot on. Quality on these cameras isn't as good either.

Go the flash memory or HDD route (HDD is hard disk drive--not high definition). Flash memory is so cheap these days. I just bought 3 2GB microSD flash memory cards with adapters this morning from woot.com for a whopping $6.49 each. I've heard good things about these flash memory recorders. Small, light, inexpensive, and typically trouble free.

Don't forget to check NewEgg--great prices and excellent shipping!

FYI, they are now starting to make laptops with flash memory instead of traditional hard drives. If you drop it, there are no moving parts to break. Really expensive right now, but you know the price will drop like a rock.


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## daslobo777 (Mar 24, 2007)

Acadia Hiker said:


> Hey, this sounds like my new job!
> 
> *DON'T* buy a DVD camcorder. I won't reiterate what has already been said, but if you want cheaper, I'd buy a miniDV (digital tape) over a DVD any day. I'm having a problem right now with a DVD camcorder that a professor took on a two week trip to Japan. She had a grant to put together two different videos about historical aspects of their society. Right now I have not one, not two, but FIVE DVDs sitting on my desk that the camera itself won't recognize--the same camera they were shot on. Quality on these cameras isn't as good either.
> 
> ...


My first thread is in error as I have a mini DV right now, had the 8mm many moons ago I guess. Thank you for the info as we are looking at hard drive and the flash combo unit. Although, I think hard drive holds so many hours you don't really need the flash. High definition is too expensive and reviews are coming back you need special devices to play it. My Canon mini DV is in the shop (out of state) under warranty and may not get back in time for our 19 day excursion.....NICE!!! We may be getting that new camera sooner than expected. I still need the canon back to convert the rest of the mini DV's into DVD. This will be new as I had only done VHS. We are leaning toward sony hard drive right now. I will check out your website......thanks to everyone for all the information. Cristy


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## daslobo777 (Mar 24, 2007)

Just an update: I found a screaming deal on a JVC HDD 30GB hard drive camcorder because it was new, but a return. Walmart has them for 499. and I got it from best buy for 260.00. It works great and I was able to film right away and was able to watch on t.v. easily. Because of all the savings, we purchased the sony MCV dvd burner as well. This is portable take with you that way I can burn DVD's anywhere or in any room. My computer doesn't have burner capacity nor does our main DVD player. The portable burners are still a bit pricey but I am going to use it to make my DV tapes into DVD's as well so it is worth the money to me. My camera does not have tapes or DVD's to mess with and records over 7 hours time on this 30GB and it has flash drive ability as well for even longer recording. I was going to purchase a Sony 40GB from Costco (they have the latest model in and other stores did not). I went to price match it at Best Buy who had the older model and more expensive. Costco has the sony around 500.00 I think and it is a very good price for that model as it was running 800.00 if I remember correctly. Just in case others are shopping out there. Sam's club has the higher end models....good deal on them but much higher price. Now, just need to familiarize myself with this camera prior to yellowstone so I can get that moose and not fumble around at the buttons









Cristy


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