Category: accessible Devices
I'm looking for a camcorder for when I'm out and don't feel like dragging the netbook or Mac with me. I saw tons on ebay and am totally confused as to what I should get. I'm not sure, first of all, if I should get a full-size vhs camcorder or a vhsc one. The advantage to the full-sized ones is that I can easily get tapes for them and I don't need any adapter for putting them in my vcr. True, there is a vhsc machine out there but not sure if I could find it or how much it would cost. On the other hand, vhsc is smaller and makes the camera lighter. Then, there's super vhs and super vhsc. All I know is that I want a camcorder that can make highfi videos. I also don't understand the various options that some cameras have. What's the best number for zoom and is it better to get one with a manual or an automatic focus? I get one with lots of options or just a simple one? What's the average battery life on a camcorder and do the more high end ones last longer? These are just for regular home videos and no one will be editing them or whatever. Another factor to consider is that I might want to upload them to youtube or send them to friends, though this is on the bottom of the list. If I do though, are there any that would allow me to hook the camera to a computer? What about a Beta Max camera? I forget which format is better as far as durability, sound/picture etc and am not sure on the size of those. I also don't have a Beta Max player at this time, and though I've seen some of those, they're pretty expensive. I know that there's a talking camera for still pictures called the Minolta Talker but not sure if such a thing exists for a Camcorder in any format.
get a digetal vedio camera instead. they come with harddrive by itself. not to worry about tapes and stuff. they are quite affordable. no need to go for very high end, since you are more interested doing home vedio etc etc. brand to consider, canon and panesonic. they varies from perhaps, 250 to, er, 1500. to get your started, any introductry level will do for what you need to do.
they harddrive varies from 40 to 120 or even more now, but 60GB is the common one. as far as battery goes, depends on what you want to use it for, and how you using it. it come with different setting for different purposes. and most these camera come with software which allow you to convert the file format to mpg or such. that will allow you to upload to youtube.
There's no way on Earth I'd spend $250 for a video camera, not even a Beta Max. I'm talking under $100, sometimes even well under $50. And I wanna watch them on my tv via my vcr so would have to convert them anyway. However, I'll check out the brands you mentioned, since I know they also made the kinds of cameras I want.
i was going to suggest one that worked with flash media cards like compact flash or SD cards, but i guess i would be wasting my breath, or rather my energy to type this out. I guess sugesting checking out something like the Zoom q3 would be a bad idea as well. However i will point out .. if you don't get a digital one as the above poster recommended that transfers via usb or firewire, you are gonna have a bitch more of a time geting them on to your laptop and onto you tube . oh and you want to pay more attention to optical zoom than digital zoom. also buy.com has few low end no brands i have heard of camcorders for under $100 if you want to check there.
I didn't know there are cams that work with compact flash cards. I'm going nuts trying to find some Type II pcmcia ones to see how much memory they hold and if the prices for them went down. Really need some. I also heard that there are mp3 players that use them. Is that true and how accessible are they? I'll check out your suggestion on buy.com just for the hell of it. I guess I can do the digital to analogue conversion and keep the former for youtube. Then again, I could just bring my netbook with me. What's a good optical zoom for a camera to have in general and what about other features? Can anyone recommend one like the kind I was originally seeking and do I need special highfi tapes for them in order to make the picture/sound come out the best or is that really all in the camera?
It is usually the camra, I would sujest to get a camra from a place wear you can take it back with little or no ishues, just in case you decide it isn't good enough. I would also try to check some out in person at places like radio shack, bessbuy or staples. If you are able to play with it, then you would have a better idea if you like it than just ordering it off line. You could check them out in the store adn just buy the same moddle but higher or lower quallity on line. Walmart even sells them.
True, but I don't think any of these places sell vhs or even vhsc cameras, so checking them out really isn't an option. I might go with amazon, since they're reputable, but even with ebay, for 30 some odd dollars or below, it's really no big loss if the camera sucks. *smile*
yeah if she is hell bent on bhs then its pretty much ebay or craigs list. Most of the newer ones use SD cards since those tend to come in higher memory capacities.
yeah, the sd card ones are handy. you can use it as a video camera or a regular digital camera. and it all stores on the same card. it's also small and easy to carry around.
so there are ones that use sd and ones that use regular compact flash? And how do you know what's what when you view them in your computer?
It should tell you, and maybe you can try going to a store and asking people who would know. I am shure you could just call them and they could tell you what to look for and so on. I am shure you are likely to get better answers that away because you can get more one on one thing going on instead of a bunch of people trying to answer your questions quickly. Hope I make any since.
Yes. Let's hope they have a senior member of staff who can actually help me instead of a newly hired kid who was only trained in what they offer now.
for the later camera, it is most common to come in SD card instead of compack flesh, perhaps they are some around, but i'm not aware of. if your purpose of getting a camera just for the sake of doing home vedios, most basic camera will do the job. if you gonna limited yourself to tape, by the time you by the camera and tapes it will cost you the same as you getting a camera with SD card.
you will have more issue uploading your tape vedio on to youtube than a digital camera, for example. and remember that, tapes won't last forever years down the track, you might found that the quality will be fading. as post 9 said, with the SD card or harddrive camera,, it not only lite and compack, also, you can edit and delete your vedio immidiately, as well as taking picture at the same time.
for doing what you want to do, i'll suggest you spend between 150$ to get a camera that can do evereything you want but using a SD Card. they are compack and lite, instead of having a camcorder around.
lol I don't even have $10 right now let alone $150 and think it would be obsurd to ask people to spend that kind of money to get me a camera when there are other more important things that they could get me or for which I could save up. I'll do a search for compact flash cams and for vhs ones and see what I could find, since no one here seems to be able to help me with choosing one that's actually within a decent price range.
*sighs* Just buy an iPod Nano that has the camcorder built in. Forget the tv and vcr...The vids will just import right into iTunes, and you have a fully accessible music player as well.
No IPods. I hate touch screen and ITunes sucks. Yes, I know it's accessible on the Mac, but I just use VLC cause I like copying and pasting stuff right into the folder/player and not having to deal with libraries and all that. For travel, I got my Zenstone for music. But I must say, I never knew that you could record video with an IPod. How strange. I thought they were purely music devices.
There is no touch screen on the Nano. There is no video camera on the Touch. iTunes is so much better than VLC in so many ways anyway, but that's a different topic for a different day. Definitely better not to overcomplicate.
If it ain't old, clunky and antiquated it is no good.
Of course such a thing as a beta max camera for 10 dollars that uploads videos directly to YouTube should exist, I mean, why not?
Actually, they only stopped making Beta Max a few years ago, so who knows? One may even exist or may be possible.
Considering that is analogue technology i doubt there is one you can upload directly to youtube even if they only stopped making them a few years ago. And while i do agree with you on VLC media player the ipod nano may be right up your alley for what you are looking for and you can sell the zen stoen to make a little money to help defray the cost of the nano. iTunes is usuable and pretty simple to wrap your mind around once you start to use it. i use it myself and i still do things via folders and the like so it can be done both ways. Oh and to answer your other question when you plugh in the sd card or ipod nano to the computer it will most likely have th epicturs labeled as .jpg and the videos as .avi so you will be able to tell them apart that way.
I meant the actual file names. Do they group them by date or whatever? I'd really prefer to stick with audio tech that I can use cross platform without any hastles. As for analog and digital, I've heard that there's a way to actually save data from a computer onto a vhs. They said it in Wikipedia, but in all fairness, the writer wasn't 100% sure about it. Still, I have heard with alot more certainty that there is a way of transferring video to a computer, so why not the other way around? The only thing that perplexes me is the interface used. I can't see how a vcr could hook into a computer.
Then again, there are taperecorders that can handle computer data as well as regular audio cassettes so.
No, Tiffany, you fail to understand how the technology works. Here is what you would need to go from an old clunky analog machine to the computer.
1- Video capture solution, such as an interface that plugs in with the AV cables from the vcr to a converter box, which would plug in via Firewire to your computer.
2- a program to decode such recordings once they get into the computer.
3- lots of time and patience. If you want to spend hours doing the conversion and editing, help yourself. Personally, I'd rather record video on an iPod Touch, sync it with iTunes, burn a DVD of the movie files, and have done with the whole process in 10 minutes. By wanting to go back with the old technology, you're overcomplicating what is a very easy process by today's standards. Not saying that to be mean, as I love analog gear, but in everyday life, it's so impractical and unmanageable nowadays.
Well, the best suggestion is a DVD recorded with hard drive, but that's a bit out of your price range. However, if you're bent on VHS video, your only options probably are going to be the below links as I know of no regular stores that stock them anymore. Even the duel DVD/VHS players are pretty much difficult to find now because lots of stuff is switching to the Blue-Ray formats. Also remember this that the VHS recorders are sort of cumbersome and can be heavy to carry around. You might be better off saving up for one and now it doesn't matter the price as long as the thing does what you want and for what you mentioned all you need is a basic one, no fancy movie type stuff. As far as I know most VHS recorders weren't available when computers came out originally so it may be difficult to find that has a USB cable that will attach. You might have to go with the older prong cables. And most computers now aren't equipted to transfer VHS to code to upload it to U-Tube. At least it's going to be rather difficult to do.
I'd personally recommend saving up for a cheap DVD recorder and go that way. Anyway, good luck and see links below.
Amazon
ebay
Craigs List
Opa! Links and finally, an answer to my question. Remember, I currently have 13 computers, with a 14th on the way, everything from Apple IIC and IIGS, to Win 3.1, 95, 98, XP, Leopard, MS and soon Enhanced DR-DOS. lol So I'm sure at least one of my machines can handle it. What kinds of prongs do you mean, so I can see if I have them in my boxes of cables? I could practically start a store just for cables! haha I do know my Compaq Armada has video in/out, have to see which one. I'm not sure if you were trying to send me to specific links on those pages, but all just sent me to the main sites. I know they've got tons and that's why I made this post, so that people could help me narrow down my choices and see what, in general, would be the best route for me to go.
well here is another all in one solution tht you probably wont like possibly cuz of how modern it is. but if memory servers correct you are also were looking at a new celphone. I'll skip right over the obvious iPhone, since you don't want to use itunes or switch to AT&T. So well most unlocked nokia phones N series or e series will do the dtrick. Phone, video camera, still camera, and mp3 player with copy and paste folder functionality. oh and if you have the date set correctly on the device whether it be iPod nano or phone then it will group them by date. Otherwise grab whatever camcorder is in your price range off ebay or craigslist, get a vcr, get a usb or firewire capture device for your computer, hook everything up and transfer your tapes that way. .. now lests do a little math. Camcorder about $40 or so .. capture card about $75 or so VCR about another $25 not too far off from the price of an iPod nano or a used unlock nokia phone (or windows mobile). Oh and due to the copy protection on most comericial DVDs they may not let you copy commercial dvds to tape with one of those DVD/VCR combo. So as i said if all you want is something to film with and you want it to film on VHS and you don't care about it being high res and fancy features just get an old vhs camcorder of Ebay and be done with it.
Grrrrr! I completely forgot about the copy protection. This is not! good. Not at all. My only other option is to have the conversions of the dvds done professionally. I know of a place that does it but that's way too expensive, especially when I've got all the equipment here. Maybe, I can get stuff off of youtube, burn it and then convert? Yikes! Well, at least, it's free. Good thing I'm not working with those RCA video disks. I've got some and wow. Never ever would I buy or suggest them to anyone unless he/she was a collector and just wanted to display them. They skip all over the place and there's no rewind-fast forward on those playes, just a flip switch to turn them on and off. See? There's old tech that I don't like. Anyway, yeah. Guess I'll get a cam off of there and just go with what seems the best.
Yes, I did just put up the main links for the sites as I figured you could do searches on there to see what comes up. Try putting in camcorder on amazon or any of the others and they should bring up a list of used/new ones for sale. Amazon is good at putting up used verstions of games/books/electronics and more. I can't believe you actually have that many computers? Are you trying to start up a computer repair business or something? Yeah, I for got about copyright protections, but you can try copying from dvd to vhs and see what happens. It either will work, or it won't.
You can circumvent copy protection, and it's remarkably easy on the Mac, especially if you pick up VLC, and Hand Brake, and for the real tough jobs, there's Mac The Ripper.
Opa! I'll try that. Thanks a million. You really made me laugh with the computer repair business. My family is full of pack rats, and I, for one, want to test my machines to see which ones I wanna keep and which ones can go. I'll get to it one day But it really is hilarious to think of how many computers I have.
dump everything but the mac, dual boot it with windows 7 and you are set... .. oh wait forgot who iwas talking to. er .. good luck figureing that one out
haha Yeah right. I can't speak for Windows 7, since I've never tried it, but the Mac is missing tons of stuff as far as media. I'd have to buy connecters for serial port, parallel port (that one's very important for my printer and embosser), a compact flash card reader and two floppy drives (needed to test my software). If I had to dump everything and keep one machine, it would be my Dell GX110. That thing has everything on it, even more than my Compaq Armada 1750, plus a double hard drive.
I just found a very interesting page on recording from pc to vhs. Apparently, it's much easier than I thought! I just need the right cables.
http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/274619-how-can-i-record-from-the-computer-to-vhs-tape?styleid=1
So if I get a webcam or want to transfer films from Youtube or videos that I made with the built-in camera to tape I can do it! On the other hand, if I get a vhs camera, I can bring up one of those dvd-vcr combos that we have, record the tape onto dvd and simply upload it to Youtube. The video camera would really only be used when I'm out, so that's why I haven't bought one yet. Most of my videos are made at home, so getting something like a Labtech webcam would probably be the most reasonable. I have no idea if those portable digital cameras are accessible i.e. if they can just be plugged in and show up as drives or if they require the use of special software and/or onscreen menus. My boyfriend has one and seemed to have to work with the camera first in order to download things into the computer. In any case, I've got three high quality blank tapes sitting near my television waiting for something to be put on them. *smile*
I need to buy a few things from
http://www.Newegg.com
and decided, on a whim, to type in vhs and see what I found. Along with the usual vhs to dvd converters, some dvd-vcr combos, some blank vhs tapes (very cool to see on a mainstream site), batteries for vhsc and full-sized vhs camcorders, some tv tuning cards and so on, I found this.
"Canopus / Grass Valley Professional-quality Bidirectional Analog/Digital Video Conversion ADVC300 IEEE 1394 Interface
Type: Professional Video Editing
Mac Compatible: Yes
Features: Connects to all widely used DV and analog video equipment Converts VHS, S-VHS and Hi8 analog videotapes to DV and back in one simple step Cleans and enhances analog video input, ideal for preserving aged videotape footage Capable of capturing and exporting analog video from leading video editing and DVD authoring
Video Format: NTSC: 720x480 @ 29.97fps PAL/SECAM: 720x576 @ 25fps"
"Canopus' ADVC300 is a one box video conversion system that makes transferring files easy. The front panel has a 4-pin FireWire port plus S-Video and composite inputs along with RCA audio in ports. The back panel has a 6 pin FireWire port, plus S-Video and composite outs plus RCA audio outs. Push the input select button to switch between analog and digital in. Then send the signal to a recording console or computer.
The ADVC300 is compatible with all analog and digital video cameras, decks and editing systems so you can pack the compact unit into your carry case and work anywhere. It also works with any Mac or PC that has a 6-pin FireWire port and is compatible with leading editing and DVD authoring packages.
INTELLIGENT USABILITY
The Canopus ADVC300 features intelligent usability for easy setup and connection in any video environment. Analog and DV signals pass through via front and rear connectors with neatly managed cables.
newegg
DV CODEC TECHNOLOGY
The Canopus ADVC300 features an innovative Canopus DV codec chip, providing industry-leading picture quality preservation during analog-to-DV and DV-to-analog conversion.
newegg
IEEE 1394 INTERFACE
The Canopus ADVC300 features an IEEE 1394 FireWire port for optimum data transfer speeds enabling real-time DVD encoding and hot-swappable, plug-and-play features to ensure convenient connections to your computer.
Check the Specs
Research specifications, features & compatibility."
So that's how it's done professionally. I didn't know that there were boxes that could convert back and forth between computer and vcr. But at $3.99, I highly doubt I'll be buying one soon. But maybe, there's a nonprofessional model, either from this brand or for another, which does the same thing. If not, then thre's always the cables from the discussion in my above post. I just need to figure out which ones they mean.
I now have a built-in webcam on something other than my Mac, as I've switched to an Acer Aspire One D255, but I still don't have a vhs camcorder, which was the original topic of this post. I also still don't have a DOS machine, as we never found any drivers for the Dell that could work with that os. So I either need to keep one for XP and one for DOS or find another that's loaded with features that can handle both. The one that might fit that bill is a Dell Latitude D610. But I just bought the Acer and already have a full-featured laptop, an Hp Pavilion Ze5385US that just needs either a stand-alone battery charger or to have the power jack fixed so yeah. Anyway, I'd need to see if it has the right connections to make the video conversion or if I'd need to buy them under usb and then buy the cables for them. I know the netbook's out for this one, since I don't think it has the right video ports.