Goal – Students will examine the variety of digital camcorders that exist and begin to study the features of camcorders. This knowledge will then be applicable as students use classroom cameras and other cameras.
There are several different video cameras in the consumer market place today. They range in size from palm size (often in cell phones) to full size, what may be called ‘prosumer’. The cost of a typical family camera ranges from $200 to $2000. Those looking for high definition quality or better can spend well over $2000.
Your assignment is to learn about the variety of cameras that exist in today’s marketplace. Learn about the different features offered in each camera and find out which features might be most important to live TV and video for editing. Are there cameras more suited for the studio versus outdoor use? Visit websites such as CNET.com and jnr.com to research different cameras and different camera companies. Learn about the differences between cameras and write a one-page journal entry on this topic.
Your responses must be posted no later than 7:30 AM on Friday, September 12th.
9 comments:
The Company for camcorders that I think have the best is, Sony. They have a
large selection of cameras to choose from, have some different types to choose from. They have original camcorders and high tech. camcorders as well. The Sony camcorder I like best is the High Definition Handy cam ® Camcorder HDR-CX12. It includes 10.2 megapixels and has a resolution of 1920 x 1080. I believe this camcorder is the best for professionally experienced people since there is so much more to work with. It currently costs $899.99.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665466947
The Sony camcorder I believe that is a little less complicated is the, DCR-HC52 MiniDV Handy cam ® Camcorder. It is a lot smaller and compact with not as many buttons for the people who don’t use high technology much. It currently costs $249.99 which is a cheap camcorder.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665335432
In all of the companies that make camcorders, my favorite is the Pure Digital F630B Flip Mino Pocket Digital Camcorder. This camcorder is from Pure Digital Technologies. This is my favorite because, it is only about ½ inch thin and can hold up to 60 minutes of video. It also features a touch sensitive buttons and offers built in software compatible to PC or Mac. This camcorder also on weighs 3 ounces, which I thought was great. This currently costs $199.99.
http://www.jr.com/pure-digital/pe/PUF_F360B/
Erin Johnson
Erin, This is a very good start for our journaling. You covered a wide range of cameras and offered some insight into each camera's advantages.
Out in the world there is many camcorders. Different brands, different types. The popular brands include Sony, Samsung, Cannon and many more. I believe Panasonic makes the best cameras and Camcorders.
Samsung apply a light weight camera and Camcorder to a massive memory card. These cameras are high efficient in video taping for amateurs. The Samsung SC-D382 MiniDV camcorder is a camera highly advanced in video taping but give simplicity to the ones who have no clue on Video taping. This is a basic camera equipped with zoom, 2 lights to give balance, an optional viewing screen, microphone plug, Head phone plug, quality adjustment, brightness adjuster and a lot more. It comes with a strap and a hook up to TV’s. Another simple one they make is Samsung SC-DX103 DVD Camcorder
It has34x Optical Zoom , 720 x 480 pixel movie resolution, SD/MMC card slot, Digital image stabilizer, 2.7" LCD screen, mic. Plug in, head phone plug in, brightness adjustment, and more. This one is more advanced than the other. I is highly liked by customers.
The best for professionals I believe is by a company called Panasonic. They make the best Cameras and Camcorders for professionals. The Canon XH-A1 High Definition Camcorder is highly used in movie making. Up to 1440x1080 Resolution in 16:9 HD Widescreen Mode. 20x Optical Zoom, Accepts 72mm Filters, Uses HDV tape, Slot for SD Memory Card. This camera has many buttons to change the screen to easy editing. Current price is $4,200.00. http://www.jr.com/canon/pe/CAN_XHA1/ . Another great Professional camera is Panasonic AG-HVX200APJ Professional DVCPRO HD Camcorder. Very costly but has a mic. Extending from it to pick up Audio better than others. It has Ultra-tough magnesium alloy chassis, Wide angle HD lens, 82mm filter diameter, Optical image stabilizer, Cam-driven manual zoom. This is one used in most movies. At $5,199.00 It is expensive. http://www.jr.com/category/cameras-and-optics/camcorders/n/4294562708/ Scroll this page to see other great professional camcorders.
Although many were mentioned my favorite I think Panasonic VDR-D50 DVD and SD Camcorder is the best because it applies simplicity with a professional video taping.
With today’s technology I am sure that in the next weeks coming there will be more cameras and much better ones than these mentioned above.
Matt M.
There are many different types of camcorders, whether they are cheap or expensive, touch screen or not, there are so many brands and types to choose from. The Sony Handycam HDR-HC7 is a small camcorder at only 1.5 pounds. It has automatic and manual focus and a touch screen. It is also in HD. In general, this camera is a good buy for people who are not to serious about filming. It is pretty pricey, at $889.95 to $1,599.55, though so if you are just a beginner you might want to consider a camera with less features. http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/4321-6500_7-6581227.html?tag=centerColumnArea1.2
Another camcorder is the Panasonic SDR-H18. This camera is great for home movies because of multiple features. It has a 30GB hard drive and 32X optical zoom. Also it has optical image stabilization which is great for home movies made without the use of a tripod to stabilize things. Average users rated it a 3 out of 5 stars. It is great quality for the average price of $429.99 - $501.95. This is one of the cheapest cameras available that work great for home movies. All in all, this camcorder is a great buy for any beginner. http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/panasonic-sdr-h18/4505-6500_7-32343416.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody
Last but not least is the Panasonic PV-GS29. It is a tiny camcorder with a ton of features. Included with the purchase is Panasonic MotionDV STUDIO software, which can help edit video clips. Also, it weighs 14.5 ounces so it would be easy to carry around if you are on the go. It also has manual focus, which is a great thing for filming anywhere. The best thing about this camera is its great price. Priced at $49.49 - $381.20, it is a super cheap camera with all the features we would need in class and it would also be great for someone who is looking to get into filming but doesn’t want to break the bank. This is the camera I would choose to get. http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/panasonic-pv-gs29/4505-6500_7-31660659.html?tag=dtBody;[object]
Melanie Schaefer
There are many different qualities that make one camera better than another. I’ve only decided to focus on four important ones: the CCD, zoom, data storage, and quality of camera in low light situations.
CCD stands for charge-couple-device. What the CCD does is that it converts the video that the camera is filming and converts it into something that the camera can read. There are three things that contribute to how well the camera takes in the image. The size, the amount and number of pixels. First, there is the size of the CCD. Typical cameras that you can buy as a consumer range from 1/6 of an inch to 1/3 of an inch. As CCDs go, the bigger the better. The larger the CCD, the more light it can take in resulting in a better picture. But, the bigger ones are usually more expensive. Another factor you should consider when looking for a camera with a better CCD is to look at the amount. Better cameras have three CCDs, one CCD per primary color. Obviously, three CCDs are better than just one. Third, the more effective pixels (the pixels that the camera actually uses) the better the image. A standard camcorder has around 340,000.
Zoom is also important for a camera. There are two types of zoom. Optical and digital. Optical zoom ranges from 2x to 20x. This actually enlarges the picture while digital enlarges the pixels. This makes digital useless because the farther you zoom in, the much more pixilated the picture becomes. This can range up to 800x.
Of all of the different types of data storage, DVD is the most popular. There are three different types of DVD storage: DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD-RAM. You can edit DVD-RW and DVD-RAM recordings right on the camera. Those formats do not play on some DVD players. DVD-R formats play on almost all DVD players.
Most cameras do not do well in low light situations, such as indoors. A lot of the time you are filming in these situations. Having a camera that can film in low light situations blocks out grains, or when film gets blurry because of lack of light. It may be the most important quality a camera can have to function well in these conditions.
Courtesy of http://www.camcorderinfo.com
Ethan LaFontaine
There are is an extraordinary range in video cameras available on today’s market. In fact, the price of cameras can range anywhere from $70 to $5,000 dollars.
The 70 dollar cameras, however, may be slim but also only retain about 2 hours of battery charge. Also, these cameras do not include very many features, and are created for the sole purpose of home video from your pocket. An example of this type of camera is the Creative Labs VF0570-P Vado Pocket Camcorder.
http://www.jr.com/creative-labs/pe/CLN_VF0570P/
This camera may be hassle-free, slim, and stylish, but it is definitely not made for professional use. Cell phone cameras are much like these types of cameras; more of a play toy than a video camera.
Cameras such as the Panasonic AG-HVX200APJ Professional DVCPRO HD Camcorder or the Sony HVR-Z7U Professional HDV High Definition MiniDV Camcorder are quite the opposite. Both 5,000+ dollar cameras, these cameras were designed for professional use and are top of the line. Sony, Panasonic, and Canon seem to make the majority of cameras in this category, although I prefer Panasonic cameras. One reason for this is because some of Sony’s cameras require special lighting, where as Panasonic cameras don’t require it. Also, the particular Panasonic camera I mentioned above has a variety of frame-rate recording. This would be very helpful when editing clips of recordings.
If you are not intending to spend so much on a camera that you will only be using for personal use, cameras in the $200-$500’s seem to be the most common and carry all the standard functions of a video camera. Sony, Canon, JVC, and Panasonic all are quality cameras that will serve your needs at a reasonable price. These types of cameras can be found at a local Best Buy, Circuit City, or any other electronic department store. It would be wise to purchase higher end cameras in a specialty store, however, to insure you get what you pay for.
www.jr.com was where I got most of my information, however http://www.easycamcorders.com/content/Beginners-Guide.htm was very helpful as well.
Leah F.
There are many different camcorders one of my favorite companies is Sony. They have so many different camcorders to chose from, you can easily find a variety of cameras that fit you. Sony makes camcorders in High Def one of them is the HDR-HC9 MiniDV HD Handycam® Camcorder. It cost $1,099.99. This camera has a very clear picture, it also has 6.1 Mega pixel. This camera is updated with a lot of features so it is a good camera for people that take a lot of videos.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665294474
Another good camera is the Samsung SC-D382 MiniDV camcorder. Like the Sony HD Hanycam this camera had a 2.7 screen. It has a battery life of 80 minutes. I like this camera because its is easy to use. This camera includes a digital image stabilizer which make the picture very clear. It usually priced at $229.99 This camera is good for families because it is compact and easy to use.
http://www.jr.com/samsung/pe/SAM_SCD382/
The last camcorder that I think is good is the Canon VIXIA HF100 High Definition Camcorder. This camera has 3.3 Mega pixel and a 2.7 widescreen. It is also a High Def camcorder. It is a relatively easy camera to use. It takes great pictures. Its is priced at $899.00. This is a good compact camera for families and people into filming.
http://www.jr.com/canon/pe/CAN_HF100/
Overall, I think there is a good variety of camcorders throughout the different companies. Like these three they all have something that everyone can use.
Sara P.
Matt, you focused on a few of the high end models it seems. They all have nice features but go from expensive to very expensive. Thanks for covering cameras from several brands. Next time try to do less quoting of statistics and more interpretation of what they mean.
You covered a nice variety of cameras in price, style, company and features. Direct comparisons would be another nice way to compare them instead of writing each one in its own mini-review.
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