Looking at HDV Cameras. Need advice.

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I am looking to pick up a HDV camera similar to this Sony HVR-A1U.

http://www.sundancemediagroup.com/articles/A1U/SonyHVR-A1U.jpg

I know very little about Camcorders, but this was recommended to me from a Vendor we use.

I will be shooting video out at events and need something that won’t be impossible to use, but will record better video than a standard camcorder. The studio who does our video work is requesting video on DV minicasette. I’d also like to have something that I could DL straight to my computer. (If thats possible. Again, I am newb in the video world.)

I’d pull the trigger on this one but its more than I have budget for. I have seen pricing online for this Sony camera from $980-$2700, so I don’t know what the actual pricing is and why there is such a discrepancy.

Let me know if there is anything out there in the $1200-1600 price range that would better suit me, or if I need to look at something different.

Thanks in advance.

-Mike

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u gonna bring back buffalothong.com but with videos?

3

err… Never heard of that site, but it sounds like it was awesome. Then again, its Buffalo. There are minimal hot chicks.

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I have the SR1… it is amazing.

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The SR1 only records to the Hard Drive and not a casette, right?

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[quote=“Jagermeister,post:5,topic:27158"”]

The SR1 only records to the Hard Drive and not a casette, right?

[/quote]

Yup. Only to a hard drive.

What you want is a HDR-HC5

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[quote=“Onyx Z32,post:6,topic:27158"”]

Yup. Only to a hard drive.

What you want is a HDR-HC5

[/quote]

I have the HC3 which is the predecessor to that. I have been really happy with the camcorder although it would have been nice if it came with software. Feel free to give mine a try if it would help you make a decision.

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[quote=“Onyx Z32,post:6,topic:27158"”]

Yup. Only to a hard drive.

What you want is a HDR-HC5

[/quote]

I was looking at that one last night.

Is it possible to download straight from the HC5 to my computer? Would I need a special program?

It seems like I would like the UX7 better with the miniDVD format, but I assume the DVD’s are not as easy to edit with?

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Yeah, HDD or mem stick… I was moreso commenting on the HD factor of it. Amazing.

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DVD = bad.

I liked the HDR-FX1 (out of your budget) and played with it’s replacement, the FX7 while in Boston last week. Those are nice “prosumer” setups.

If it were ME, I’d tell them to go stuff it, and buy something that shot AVCHD aka H.264 / MPEG4-v10 and send it to them on a DVD-R as files…

BUT - there’s one small problem right now. Apple hasn’t announced support for that codec in Final Cut or Quicktime yet, and even on the PC, AVID or Premier can’t see them either - you’re stuck with the garbage Sony software until the vendors come through.

My point is, if you can wait a few weeks (NAB2007 starts Apr 14) there’s a strong likelyhood both will announce support (or dates for it).

Here’s my reasoning:

HDV is a miserable codec. It’s 960x1440 not 1920x1080, its very VERY compressed - and poorly written (ever notice the stutter frames? that’s the codec CRASHING due to lack of data or overflow). DV is oooolllld. Tape is dumb anyway, hard drives or P2 (flash / SD) is where it’s at… direct-to-disk or tapeless (copying files to your machine) editing is the future. Just like DV revolutionized desktop video, tapeless workflow will…

Of course I could be DEAD WRONG (and could have wasted > 100k at RIT lol)… but again, that’s what I would do :wink:

However, if you’re in a hurry or just don’t care, when it comes to consumer camcorders, just get what you are comfortable using and can afford - honestly, under 3k they are all pretty much the same it’s just “features” (marketing) more than anything…

PS - 2400-3k is a LOT for a 1-chip HDV camcorder… sure, the Sony HVR-A1U is nice looking, it reminds me of the old PD-x10 (but HDV) - and I’m sure it’s a lot nicer to work with than the consumer stuff… but if you can float that, spend the extra money on a 3-chip setup…

PPS - re pricing, most of the lower prices are scams. Avoid anything that seems too good to be true (Abes of Maine fucked me once, I’ve heard horror stories about Beach Cam). Want a fair / realistic price? Check B&H Photo in NYC - www.bhphotovideo.com - I spent over 30k in one afternoon with them on my Thesis shoot, and have given them a ton of business over the years cuz they ALWAYS come through on time.

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[quote=“Jagermeister,post:8,topic:27158"”]

I was looking at that one last night.

Is it possible to download straight from the HC5 to my computer? Would I need a special program?

It seems like I would like the UX7 better with the miniDVD format, but I assume the DVD’s are not as easy to edit with?

[/quote]

You’ll need software for any camcorder you’re going to buy. Even if it comes with something basic, it most likely sucks or might not work on some computers.

DVDs SUCK. Either DV or Hard Drive is the way to go.

And Dave is right + B&H is an awesome place :tup:

12

Cool. This info definitely helps.

So, if I get a Hard Drive format camera, I copy the footage from camera to computer and then copy to DVD and send to the studio for editing? Teach me the process…

Is this something that will be a lot easier to manage with Apple software? I travel a lot so I only use a dumb, work provided dell laptop. If I get the appropriate software to manage the camera footage, will it work okay or take up too much space?

At the end of the day, work is paying for it so I want to do what makes sense. But I would love to be able to use it for personal (look Xander just smoked Poopra’s Supra with an SRT-4 and I have footage!!) video, and I don’t think the tape is the best in that regard.

Thanks Guys.

13

Apple would make it a LOT easier. The free built-in tools like iMovie are 1000x better than, say “Windows Movie Maker” (laffo). The main thing is, I’d wait for AVCHD, no matter what brand of camera or platform you want - its THE upcoming consumer / prosumer format.

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Gotcha. Thanks for the input. :tup: