Camcorder advice

[atross]

Hi

With a baby on the way I am thinking about getting a camcorder. I have no idea where to start! I need something that is easy to upload onto the computer and as well as baby shots I am hoping to start to add video to my blog so needs to have a good mic or the opportunity to add a better one. I spend a lot of time around water so the ability to have a waterproof housing or splash proof design would also be an advantage.

Got a budget of about 450, but paying less is always preferred.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[garethw]

Hi there
I've not much experience of the smaller camcorders, but the principle is the same as with pro models.
Get the best once you can afford. Go for a top brand. Most pros use either Sony or Panasonic, so I'd opt for one of these. (A quick google saw me find a Panasonic HD model for just under £400 on Best Buy!)
Go for a Full 1080 HD model, you'll get much nicer pictures. It's useful for it to record to something like and SD card as you can change it when it's full.
You may find it cheaper to get one second hand on ebay, but these cameras become obsolete very quickly so even if the price is good, if you don't know exactly what you are buying you may end up with a dinasaur.

Don't forget, the camcorder is just one of the items you need to do decent video, to edit and upload to the net. It is virtually impossible to hold these cameras steady to get good quality images....so an essential item is a good tripod. Photo tripods are no good for video as you need a fluid head to keep images smooth. Manfrotto do some good reasonably priced models. Many think a tripod is not necessary, but believe me it is!!!
You'll also need an editing software.. One of the better budget version is Adobe Premiere Elements..

Finally I recommend you read up on the net about the basics of how to shoot video. There are a number of rules, as with any photography, and to do it properly these need to be adhered to. so many people ignore the fundamentals and their clips quickly become unwatchable.

Hope this helps.
Cheers
Gareth

 

[Tank]

if i could give you some advice it would be to also get a cheap £100ish small SD camcorder. I have the Toshiba Camileo and its nice and small and not that expensive so you can put it in a nappie bag and always have it on you without a huge worry of losing it and allows you to capture those moments you didnt have your larger expensive camcorder on you.

 

[atross]

Thanks both of you, some really good advice! I will have a look at both options.

 

[garethw]

Hi I forgot to say...
You mentioned a mic.. this is an area most people over look. In any video audio is over 50% of your film. Bad audio will ruin it... The mic on the camera is THE worst place to have a mic when filming all but close up stuff. Voices will be too quiet and room noise or wind noise will be exaggerated.

To get good audio you need to get a mic off the camera and as close to the person as possible.

There are a a number of small plug in mics, both tieclip type or shotgun types. Even a budget one of these will give you better audio if it is placed correctly than the camera mic.
You of course need to ensure your camera has a socket that will let you plug an external mic in... It has always amazed me that camera manufacturer zap this vital piece of video acquisition.

Finally housings cost a lot of money so I personnally would forget this to start with... I have shot many many times around water and from boats... you are better off getting a decent rain cover by a company like Kata or Petrol. This will protect the camera from the splashes you may get, but naturally won't allow you to shoot under water.

Check out this place for affordable accessories: http://www.cameragrip.co.uk/index.html

cheers
Gareth

 

[atross]

Thanks Gareth, found a few i am interested in. will be testing a few out at the weeked!