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• (January 12, 2023, 01:18:11 AM)

[12AX7]

Digital video cameras... anybody got any favorites, or recommendations? I am just starting my pre-purchase consumer research, and I admittedly don't know a whole lot about them. At this point; a three-figure price tag is my initial target range, with my willingness to purchase dropping sharply after around 700$. I dont make a living by a camera, however I have a fetish about getting the top-of-the-line-with-all-bells and whistles on just about anything I spend that kinda money on. Why not go the little extra, right?
 Anyway; any recommendations, suggestions, etc from you guys would be greatly appreciated. I will be using it to get pics of my house and property (befores and afters) with my renovation projects, for clips to use in music video production, stills of artwork (paintings), action stills (for example; neither the dog nor the ferret will be still long enough to be anything but blurs), portrait-style pics (the example here is the cat; he actually poses for pics). And while it needs to be small enough to carry easily, it doesn't have to "fit" into anything other than it's own case. I won't be carrying it in my pocket, for example.

[BizB]

I wish I could help.  My digital camera buying experience is more along the lines of - Which Fuji camera can I get for $150.  And, does it at least have a flash?

Good luck with this.

[TerrorDronze]

do you want a video camera, or a camera camera?

[12AX7]

Aren't there ones that do both? I don't need a "professional" photographer's setup; with all the lenses and all. So, actually; yes, I guess- a digital video camera.
  I'm kinda old, so when I think "video camera" I think videotape. VHS, etc. That's why I didn't think to say 'video camera'. Sorry, I'll try to keep up.

[TerrorDronze]

sony makes some good, solid hardware.

[Dark Shade]

I have a Pentax Optio 330 sitting right here beside me. It's a very solid camera that I picked up several years ago, and works just fine to this day. In terms of video recording; it does have that feature, but it's extremely limited. But it is a fairly decent camera that I've never had any problems with. Hopefully that gives you a little insight into the Pentax world. Pentax does have a wide variety of equipment, and there's certainly something more recent out there then my camera. But it's a start.

[TheJudge]

Factors to consider (and that will influence price tag)

Optical Zoom: Your standard digital camera usually has around 3X zoom. You can purcahse cameras that do much more. The higher you go, the more you pay. Or you can get a digital camera that allows you to use attachement lens for more flexibility. Then, the price range affected by the kinds of lens you want to buy.

Camera's will also list digital zoom capacities. Ignore it. All it does really is a merger of pixels to create the illusion that your are zooming in, but the more digital zoomage you do, the more you destroy the quality of the picture. It sucks. Don't use it.

Mega pixels: A digital camera's resolution (a measure of how much fine detail the camera can capture) is rated in megapixels. The higher the number of megapixels used by a digital camera, the higher the resolution and the sharper your pictures can be. Again, the more mega pixels you have, the more it's going to cost. 4 mp is pretty much a standard now and unless you will beprinting huge posters of your pictures and want to keep the image quality, my opinion is that you never need to stick in the 3-5 mp. Anything more is just throwing your money away.

Power: You need to consider if you want a built-in rechargable battery or you want a camera that uses AA batteries. There are pros and cons to both. If you go with something that has it's own internal battery, then you are forced to buy your battery from the manufacturer, and they are usually overpriced. I'm not sure how long the battery charge will last, or what the battery life is as it varies from camera brand and model, but ask. Compare it with what you could get out of a decent rechargeable AA battery. (decent meaning NiMH 2300mAh or more). Because internal batteries are usually small, cameras that use them can be light and small, while a camera that uses 4 AAs will be bulkier. Size of the unit is a matter of personal preference. Any woman can tell you that. But remember that too small is often inconvenient. You're just not feeling it and there's nothing worse. And that concludes the sexual inuendos.

Wireless: Wireless technology within cameras has been around for a few years, but it's never been widespread. It's starting to get more and more popular now. You could upload your images and videos to an FTP server directly from the camera if it was connected to a wireless network for example. If you're going to spend $700 on a camera, you may want to think about the future and how images and video files will be transfered to other devices i.e. swapping images from a  camera to an other device, such as the Zen Vision (the portable media center from Creative Labs - not wireless now, but I'm pretty sure it will become wireless). Some cameras use bluetooth technology, meaning they can talk to other bluetooth devices like a bluetooth enabled cell phone for example.

Storage: You want to look at both storage capacity and storage format, and may in turn eliminate some brands. Some cameras has built-in memory. It's useless. It's never big enough. Camera's will include a memory card that is also useless because it's too small. In all cases, you know you'll need to buy additional storage so factor this into the price.

Now, you've got all kinds of memory cards. Sony stick, Compact Flash, XD card, SD card, and a couple more. These are the most popular.

Personally, I tend to go for generic stuff because I hate to be at the mercy of one company when it's time to buy components of any kind, and that includes memry for the camera. Altough Sony makes excellent cameras, I don't like the fact that thay force you to purchase components that only they can provide because companies who operate like this tend to overprice their stuff. Competition is good. Both for price and performance. For that reason alone, I will never own a Sony Camera. I just don't support that practice. It's a personal choice. If you like the Sony stuff, go and buy one. They make fine products.

When you have multiple manufacturers for a specific card format, then you have competition meaning better prices for the consumer and faster product evolution. In the case of memory cards, that equates to better quality, durability, capacity and transfer speeds.


Other things you want to consider is equipement. Will you need a tripod? Well, I can tell you that if you'll want to do night photography you absolutly need one. But even if you're not, a tripod can come in handy in many situations, and there's a lot of different types out there. You can pay $20 for one, or you can pay as much as $300 and more.

This page offers 30 tips or point to consider when purchasing a digital camera. They are to the point, and most of them are worth considering.

So, as to what kind of camera I recommend specifically? Well, it's hard to pick just one because there's way too many options out there! If you want something to point and shot, something simple to use, then please do not blow $700 on a camera. It's really not necessary. If you want something that is fully automatic but can be fully manual as well, if you think you'll really get into photography, then go ahead and spend a bit. A unit like the Nikon D70 Will run you around $700 (maybe more with the memory card) but it will also provide you the the flexibility to grow. You can attach a bunch of Nikon Lens to it which could be purchased at a later date if you wanted to get into photography. Altough it has a flash, there are different kinds of flashes that can be purchased for it. It has the adapter. If you really get serious about phtography, then lighting will become important and you'll be happy to have that option. On the other hand, if it turns out you're not that interested in photography after all, then you've purchased more then you needed. You could have saved a few hundred bucks with lower end gear. But it's something to consider before you buy.

I'm not saying that this particular model is the ideal for you, but maybe you want to look for something similar to it.  Something that allow you the opportunity to grow if you choose too. I'm certain it will meet your fetish requirements! I picked this one because of the brand reputation, some key specs, and the ability too add lens and other devices. There are things in it that I personally don't care for, like the battery for example. I just prefer the AAs myself. Anyway, read the tips I linked and keep those in mind when shopping. You can pick out something from that. Before buying, make sure you read a few product reviews.

[dcrog]

I've had a couple of digital cameras.  Started with an olympus back when 640x480 was teh schiznit.  The latest is a Fuji finepix with 3.2 megapixel resolution.  The first got dropped by a niece and stopped working.  The Fuji is a great little point and shoot camera.  Plus it will take video, just not in a very high resolution.  

But if I were going to buy a digital camcorder/camera I would buy one that recorded directly to the mini dvd in a true dvd format.  I know some have their own propritary type files and makes it a little harder to copy and distribute.  Digital video is great and all but unless you have major hard drive space to keep things,video takes a lot, I think the dvd's would be better.  JMHO YMMV

Oh and when shopping for a camera of either sort choose the ones with the highest optical zoom, not digital zoom.  The optical is much better than the other because the pic/video becomes pixilated during digital zoom.

[TheJudge]

Digital video cameras...

Fuck... I didn't see "video" the 1st time. Forget what I posted. I was thinking photo.

[dcrog]

Digital video cameras...

Fuck... I didn't see "video" the 1st time. Forget what I posted. I was thinking photo.

Yeah and your post wasn't there when I went to typing mine.  

But all of Judgies points are valid and most will hold up to the purchase of a digital camcorder.

Long winded but thorough, and a very good job Judge.

Just where is 12 anyway?

[Dark Shade]

Digital video cameras...

Fuck... I didn't see "video" the 1st time. Forget what I posted. I was thinking photo.

Ditto. I'm an idiot.

[12AX7]

HAHA!! Holy cow, fellas... thanks MUCH! I appreciate your time and effort in the replies... especially Judge! You go all out all the time, don't ya?
 So, yeh; I indeed was looking for a digital videocam, but all your info has clued me in on a few things. I think I want two different things that I thought I could find in one piece of equipment... ah- maybe not. I am gonna go with a videocam first; (the ones Im looking at allow for still pics, too) but I have that Nikon D70 bookmarked, hehehe. THAT is a sweet picture-taker. With something like that, I definately could make photography an actual hobby instead of a passing interest. I've always been interested in photography, but not quite enough to spend any reasonable amount of money for a good camera. That (D70) would certainly bring the cheese.
 But for the time bean, I'm gonna get a digital videocam... I can still get good stills with it; and the models I'm looking at have multiple media options; ie., all the DVD*.*s, SD, Memory stick, etc... all on the same camera. I'll let ya know which model "wins", lol.
  Again, I sure do appreciate that tutorials above. That was a big help!