Digital Video Cameras

noxibox said:
Optical without a doubt. I've yet to read a review where electronic was as good as an equivalent with optical.


I don't know about the codecs used for HD on mini-DV, but for SD mini-DV definitely seems to be the way to go.

I have read in several places that the motors in Canon mini-DV cameras are quite noisy. Definitely something you should check before buying.
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cool i'll have to do some more homework :)
 
if you can afford it I would spend an extra grand or 2 and import the ntsc canon hv20, they go for around $799 if you look around, matter of fact the pal one use to be +R10 000 and now its R8 700, I would go for it, its the quality that counts
 
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Bondizzo said:
if you can afford it I would spend an extra an extra grand or 2 and import the ntsc canon hv20, they go for around $799 if you look around
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the thing is, i don't want mini-dv cos it takes long to transfer it to pc. i'd prefer a HDD-based camera so that i can record much longer footage and transfer it to my pc in an instant.
 
Mini-DV output is also easier to edit. I was put off by reports of the video on hard disk recorders being more difficult to edit and not matching the quality of DV.
 
noxibox said:
Mini-DV output is also easier to edit. I was put off by reports of the video on hard disk recorders being more difficult to edit and not matching the quality of DV.
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what do u mean it's harder to edit? it's mpeg2 isn't it? i'm not being sarcastic, i'm genuinely asking. as for mini-dv quality - it will always have the best quality. what format is the mini-dv when u transfer it to pc?
 
Bondizzo said:
if you can afford it I would spend an extra grand or 2 and import the ntsc canon hv20, they go for around $799 if you look around, matter of fact the pal one use to be +R10 000 and now its R8 700, I would go for it, its the quality that counts
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Not true!!! Never go for a NTSC model in a PAL region unless it's switchable.

mercurial, you will have endless problems. ;)
 
mercurial said:
what do u mean it's harder to edit? it's mpeg2 isn't it? i'm not being sarcastic, i'm genuinely asking. as for mini-dv quality - it will always have the best quality. what format is the mini-dv when u transfer it to pc?
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Mini-DV is a tape. DV is the consumer codec that gets used in SD cams (gets recorded onto that tape). When you capture DV over firewire you are doing a bit-for-bit copy. Not to worry. ;) DV is an inter-frame codec and is therefor very easy to edit.

HDV is the consumer codec that gets used in HD consumer cameras. (also mini-dv tape) The codec uses a GOP structure. It's MPEG2. It's more difficult for a computer to handle due to the GOP thing. Having said that, a modern day PC with the correct software should be just fine. If you want to edit HD on Premiere then take a look here: http://www.cineform.com/products/AspectHDPPro.htm
 
56kMan said:
Mini-DV is a tape. DV is the consumer codec that gets used in SD cams (gets recorded onto that tape). When you capture DV over firewire you are doing a bit-for-bit copy. Not to worry. ;) DV is an inter-frame codec and is therefor very easy to edit.

HDV is the consumer codec that gets used in HD consumer cameras. (also mini-dv tape) The codec uses a GOP structure. It's MPEG2. It's more difficult for a computer to handle due to the GOP thing. Having said that, a modern day PC with the correct software should be just fine. If you want to edit HD on Premiere then take a look here: http://www.cineform.com/products/AspectHDPPro.htm
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thanks. yes, i know it's tape but i meant is there a default format that it exports to or does the format depend on what i want to export it to with whatever software?
 
mercurial said:
thanks. yes, i know it's tape but i meant is there a default format that it exports to or does the format depend on what i want to export it to with whatever software?
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For DV (over the firewire) it's aways going to come down as DV. (bit-for-bit transfer)
 
56kMan said:
For DV (over the firewire) it's aways going to come down as DV. (bit-for-bit transfer)
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oh ok. i'm just put off that transferring it to pc will take so long. else i would opt for a Panasonic PV-GS85. it's a 3CCD mini-dv and it costs R3200. at the moment i'm leaning towards the Panasonic SDR-H200 which costs R6700(30 gb hard drive) and it's also 3CCD.
 
Bondizzo said:
90% of the tv's we have now are multi regional, and in your software you can change it to pal or ntsc
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But it's a really bad idea. NTSC has a lower colour resolution as well as lower luminance resolution. In addition you'll need to convert frame rate from 30fps to 25fps, which is not a simple process.. and will degrade your video quality... Don't buy an NTSC camera for use in South Africa
 
arf9999 said:
But it's a really bad idea. NTSC has a lower colour resolution as well as lower luminance resolution. In addition you'll need to convert frame rate from 30fps to 25fps, which is not a simple process.. and will degrade your video quality... Don't buy an NTSC camera for use in South Africa
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yeah i agree
 
Bondizzo said:
and in your software you can change it to pal or ntsc
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He/she does not have the money for format conversion. Only the big production companies can do it quickly and professionally. This argument is superfluous. We live in a PAL region. Finished and klaar! :D
 
56kMan said:
Not true!!! Never go for a NTSC model in a PAL region unless it's switchable.
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It's not such a big deal. On expensive cameras you can save a huge amount of money too.

TV Systems: A Comparison

You can convert if you really want to, but it isn't strictly necessary.

Also depends whether you're buying an HD or SD camera. No point paying local premiums for an HD camera, just import.
 
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