Help me with a camcorder Purchase!

[StukaJr]

All right - I want a (MiniDV perhaps) camcorder - up to $1000 range (maybe slightly higher, but don't know yet). The place I'm buying it from will charge me a 10% restocking fee if I return it - so I don't want to end up with something crappy and having to eat a bullet on return...

Good quality - don't know the specifics... Has to capture good sound - if I take it to videotape shooting, I don't want it to sound like bubble wrap as some videos tend to dampen high decibel sounds. Steady cam, night mode would be plusses. Size of the camera doesn't really matter.

I have no idea about cameras in general and the last time I trusted my gut I ended up with a worse possible camera I want to accidentaly run over with my car... I'd make this post more specific, but that's about all the information I can muster :D

[Greek soldier]

I have a Sony DCR-PC109, but I had to buy a 3-hour battery (€115) and a 512 MB Memory Card (€75).

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/9985/dcrpc10901ao9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Info:
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sony-DCR-PC109-Camcorder-Review.htm

[CruddyLeper]

Good quality - don't know the specifics... Has to capture good sound...


I'll do things which affect picture quality first;-

1) Lens. If the lens is bad, nothing else will improve it. Look for Japanese (Canon, Fujitsu, Sony) or German. Ones which can take different lenses (for night vision equipment, wide angle, telephoto etc) are best, they let you handpick the lens. If you want something built in, check out the lens first. True on any camera ever.

2) The CCD. That's the bit that turns the light into electrical pulses. A good lens on a sh1t CCD is a waste of time.

3) The electronics. This is something you have absolutely no control over. So test run in store - also ask if you can try a test out of store, to see how it handles changing light conditions.

SOUND QUALITY: Down to the microphone (mic). These are rated in frequencies capture. Human ear runs from about 7Hz up to 20 KHz (KiloHertz). An average mic can detect sound from 100Hz up to maybe 12KHz. A good mic goes from 20Hz up to 20KHz. Sensitivity to volume isn't so important (can always be amplified), but if it can't get the frequencies in the first place then you can't amplify it!

One way around this is if a camera can take an external mic. If it can, you can mount a really old fashioned studio mic to the camera - that will beat the crap out of built in. It might look strange, it works fvcking great though.



I have no idea about cameras in general and the last time I trusted my gut I ended up with a worse possible camera I want to accidentaly run over with my car... I'd make this post more specific, but that's about all the information I can muster :D


After you've checked over the lens, make and frequency response to get a short list, then you can check over what the store stocks. If they're going to be picky about returns, then they can't very well complain if you spend a couple of visits going through their stock and deciding what's the best for you on offer, can they?

I am a horrible shopper. I give store assistants hell, ask them questions they can't answer without reading the manual, and generally behave like if I don't get service, I will walk out of the store shouting my head off.

If they give me sh1t, then I do indeed walk out of the store shouting my head off. So much crap gets sold to unsuspecting customers I see myself as...

... PAYBACK TIME. p-)

[RomanS]

CANON GL2 man

2K but its the best consumer/pro you can get.