Here's where I'm hoping that my friendly vlogger friends (oh, Destinee...) can help me out. I'm looking for a (relatively) inexpensive handheld HD videocamera; something in the $200 - $400 range. Basically I want to be able to take decent video from < 1 minute to maybe 15 minutes, tops - certainly in the realm of a 4 GB HD card (that I already possess for the digital SLR). While my Nikon allegely can take HD video, it's a bit unwieldy for shooting quick videos at the range or holster demonstrations.
I'm looking for one of the Handycam-type camcorders, something that can be easily operated in one hand or left on a tripod. Given that my last camcorder was VHS, I've been out of the game for a while. I've been content so far to use the video component of my digital camera - most videos I've shot the past 10+ years have been 15 - 30 second clips of my kids and such. I'm not looking for much more time, necessarily; I'm looking for a better video quality. It seems like an HD camera should be the way to go. I'm thinking that SD-based storage would be preferable - on-board hard drives might hold more, but the cards are much easier for file transfer.
Any thoughts/preferences/suggestions for the budding videographer?
That is all.
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Cruise the pawn shops.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+-+W300+HD+Flash+Memory+Camcorder+-+Red/4877359.p?id=1218572405022&skuId=4877359&st=New_in_Camcorders_2012&cp=1&lp=6
I own that camera and the video it's been taking is great. It is pretty basic. Your only quality options are 720p or 1080p, not that either of those are bad choices. There *IS* a standard tripod mounting hole on the bottom so you can still use a tripod very easily. It's the size of a smart phone, if a bit thicker (about as thick as a deck of cards). The best thing is it's waterproof. You won't be taking it to the bottom of the Atlantic, but rain, snow, the kiddie pool are easily handled by the camera. The sound quality is very decent compared to what I was expecting. It outputs to MP4 format, so compatibility is a non-issue. The storage is handled by a single MicroSD slot on the side. The interface with the computer can be handled in 2 ways. First, there's a USB plug that pops out of the bottom beneath another waterproofed door. The other way is to simply eject the MicroSD card and throw it into the PC. It formats the card to FAT32 if it's not formatted already. And... it fits right in your shirt pocket.
Now you know!
Actually, the video capabilities of your iPhone are probably as good as most low-end digital video recorders out there. Plus, there are so many apps to play with it...
Email sent reg a possible camera for you.
in the price range you are looking at, and has some gre functionality i would look at a contour gps camera like this one.
http://contour.com/products/contour-gps
its ~299 MSRP, but can often be found for a lot less(i think i paid ~200 for mine) its a nice camera and you can get mounts for it for firearms, helmets, windshield, what ever you want. They are great for auto racing events, or recording your bike rids/drives to work.
I love mine.
I have a small Canon camera, was ~ $200.00. It takes 720 video and will record an hour on a 8 GB card. It's a camera with video capability, my model is SX130, there's a newer one out (SX150?, maybe).
The lens retracts, making it small enough for a jacket pocket, takes great pictures in a bunch of different modes, and does video. I use it for to video USPSA pistol matches. It comes with some pretty good video editing software that allows you to save the output in different sizes and quality.
Flip Mino HD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=AeZ2afEIdB0
Or GoPro H Hero ( at Best buy)
http://gopro.com/products
Both provide great simple to use HD video in small phyical format and easy down load.
Also both can be easly mounted on a tri pod. helmet , hat, head stap, Car/truck and there may even be some one who makes a rail attachment.
Also would recomend iMovie as your first video editing sw
ASM mentioned the Canon SX130/150 - oddly enough, I *just* blogged about a deal on those.
$110 shipped is a smokin' price.
Like guns Jay, go and try some at a local big box store.
Try to find one with a focus lock or manual focus adjustment (a button or in a menu is fine), cause videos where the "auto focus" are very distracting.
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