Guest Lethargic Report post Posted November 13, 2002 I didn't know if this was the proper place to post this or not but I'm posting it here. So this Friday me and a friend are going to go look/get a digital video camera so we can finally start making all these movies we've written. Problem is, I don't know shit about those things. Anybody have any suggestions on what kind of crap I should make sure to look for in those things? All I know is that I wanna get one with a USB hookup since I don't have any other way to hook up without buying a new video card or something and I don't want to do that because my video card is so powerful that I'd have to step down just to be able to hook the camera up. I also want to make sure to get the steady picture whatchacallit crap and the night vision stuff. I'd also like the ability to use an external microphone for boom micing people. That's about it. That's all I know. But I really don't know what sets one apart from another. Why b camera is better than c camera. Any suggestions on what to look for what to watch out about? Anything at all? The battery and record length also worries me since like I said, we're getting this to make movies with. So we obviously would need the ability to film for longer than an hour. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Razor Roman Report post Posted November 13, 2002 Hey, I actually play with digital camcorders for a living, so here's the deal. You actually don't want to use a USB hookup, what you want is IEE1394 (aka Firewire) connection. You don't need a new video card for that, just a firewire card. (Dazzle makes one that can be had for under $50 bucks) The best DV Cams I've used are the Canon XL1 and the GL1 and GL2. The GL's are smaller and much more affordable than the XL1, and they all support Mic inputs. They've pretty much set the standard by which most other DVCams are judged. I don't think they have steady shot or night vision, though... those are usually more "consumer" features that people use when making home videos and not really on the higher end equipment. Sony makes some pretty good camcorders that support that stuff and their Infolithium battery system is excellent if you're going to be shooting off of battery power. If you have any more questions, let me know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest I'm That Damn Zzzzz Report post Posted November 13, 2002 I found this and this on google that you might find useful. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Lethargic Report post Posted November 13, 2002 Why is firewire better than using USB? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Razor Roman Report post Posted November 14, 2002 I've never used any digital video cameras other than little Quickcams that send video over USB. Firewire is a higher speed cable than USB (not sure about USB 2.0) and is capable of sending full screen video and stereo audio through at the right speed for capture. I've never seen a digital editing setup that used USB. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Matt Young Report post Posted November 26, 2002 About how much would a decent one of these things cost? I've been planning on finally buying a camcorder, and a digital video camera with the features described here sounds like just what I want. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
