Digital Video Cameras

[BigRay]

I've been very tempted recently to pick up a digital video camera. I think it would be a cool toy, but I'm not sure if I will continue to use it once the novelty wears off.

Does anyone have or use a digital video camera? Do you like it? Do you ever watch the videos after taking them?

Basically, I'm curious if the people who have one enjoy using it and would recommend them. I would hate to fork over the money for one and have it collecting dust.

Thanks,
Ray

[Patrick]

Hi Ray,

A lot of people I know own digital video cameras but not all of them watch or record much all the time, but there are a few that use them quite a bit - I guess it's really up to you and you'll have to consider if you have the time or want to watch the footage you shoot.

I shoot video every now and again since I edit on my computer quite a bit. I've made a few travel videos, short films and other video clips and enjoy doing it and having a nice finished product. That may be something to consider if you have a computer/laptop or even access to any at schools or wherever. It can be another fun aspect of owning a camera.

You could also look into buying used on ebay. I've seen decent cameras there for $150 that would get the job done just fine.

Good luck with everything!

[jessica]

Question:

Do digital video cameras record to a DVD playable in any player or do you have to download to your computer then record to a DVD?

I have no experience with them and was just wondering. Thanks--jessica

[Patrick]

Jessica,

Most cameras now record onto miniDV tapes. Generally people then transfer the video from the miniDV tape onto their computer and burn their movies onto a DVD using a DVD-burner.

You can also use free software to convert files to VCD (video cd) format or (SVCD) and burn movies with a regular cd-burner, the only downside being that it will be lower quality then a DVD. Video CD's will play in most DVD players.

I'm sure there are probably places that transfer miniDV to DVD's for people as well, or if you have any friends with the the right hardware they may be able to do it for you.

[Michelle]

There are video cameras that record on to miniature DVD. I know this because my brother just bought a Sony one... They are really, really cool! Basically instead of a tape, there is a DVD disc (about the size of the small discs that you use for Nintendo GameCube) that records the images, and then when you are done filming, you just pop the little DVD into your regular DVD player and you can watch it! You don't have to worry about transferring your tape to VHS or DVD, so it's really simple. They aren't terribly expensive either... my brother bought his brand new for about $1099 CAD, and it's really small and compact too, so you don't have to haul a bulky camera around!

[Eagle]

BIGRAY, It's difficult to recommend whether you should buy a Digital Video Camera or not, as you're the best one to judge whether you'll use it enough to justify the cost.

Having a DVC would probably open up a lot of possibilities for recording all kinds of interesting sights of your travels in Europe. However, unless you're satisfied with only watching "raw" footage you will probably have to spend a lot of time in front of a computer cleaning this up to a point (ie: adding music, reconfiguring the scenes to make a story line, etc.) where it would be watchable by a wider audience.

I've been tempted to try this out myself, as the Macintosh I-Movie looks so easy, even I could probably make a watchable video!!! However, so far I've been restrained by the fact that I've had a "normal" Sony 8 mm Video Camera sitting on the shelf gathering dust for a while, so don't feel that I'd use a DVC any more often at the present time.

Now that my children are grown, I haven't had many occasions to "shoot" video lately, but it's nice to have it available anyway. Also, I'm having a lot of fun lately learning how to properly use the features of Digital Still Cameras, so that's been taking up a lot of my time.

Again, if you think you'll use it on a regular basis, and it's not too big a strain on your finances, you might get some good footage to send the folks back home.

Good luck with this. Cheers!!!

[BigRay]

Thanks for all the advice. I don't think I will rush out to get one now, as the price would equal two weekend trips away.

I'm not sure how much I would use one. I've been throwing around the idea for some time now. I posted about them here after seeing "The Intrepid Berkeley Explorer" videos. I'm not sure if you've seen these, but this guy posted in one of the boards here and linked to a bunch of homemade travel videos he put together from all over the world. He did a great job of editing them and putting together little "shows." It does look like it will take a LOT of time, though, to make it worthwhile.

Cheers,
Ray