Hard Drive Cameras

[coldcrush]

Hi All,

anyone tried the new hard drive cams. I am looking at a Sony DCR 60GB anyone got any experiences or advice in hard drive cams?

SD and MiniDV seem to be long gone and it feels like the new hard drive cams will lead, just want to know if anyone has any recommendations for a good quality easy to use hard drive cam?

Thanks All

[Firefoxx]

Actually it's a myth that MiniDV cameras will be long gone. The professional industry still uses tapes, and so do consumer camcorders. There's a good reason why.

1. Harddrive cameras (and miniDVD cameras) use a different codec from the industry standard ones in normal tape cameras. Although there's more support for this codec now, it's still not easy to use/edit.

2. The harddrive is not removable. If you run out of space, your only recourse is to delete footage. If the harddrive fails, you're out of luck. If a tape fails or gets full, you just change it (tapes are cheap, around 100 baht each and can hold 1 hour of footage, and can be bought practically anywhere).

3. The low bit-rate and different codec of harddrive (and miniDVD) cameras means that their picture quality is ALWAYS worse than tape cameras, many times to a large extent (take for example the JVC cameras).

4. The price is significantly higher than tape cameras.

(These apply to both the SD "standard definition" and HD "high-definition" models)

The Sony harddrive cameras have come a long way, so the problems aren't as horrendous as before. However, they're still there, and they still make buying a harddrive camera a matter of being swayed more by marketing than by common sense. There are advantages, such as not having to carry the tapes around (right, those tapes are HUGE and can give you cramps, darn it!) and not having to insert them (gosh golly me!). Many times they are also slightly smaller (right, the tape cameras are already too small to hold, let's just make ones that are SMALLER).

Edited June 20, 2007 by Firefoxx

[Simmo]

You missed the biggest advantage to HD cameras - quick transfers to your PC.

[coldcrush]

Yes Firefoxx you bring up some valid point, however the New Sony DCR has an option for one touch burn to your pc onto disc. It also holds 40h hours of film, or lower at higher quality (obvious choice). I do not think the it will be incompaitible Codecs as they burn direct onto DVD disc.

I do believe that you cannot stop the future of this cam as everything has to head that way ie. Direct storage from portable device to PC.

[Firefoxx]

You really have to do your research for this. Yes, you can burn direct to DVD, since the included software will do that, and the included software is the ONLY software which is guaranteed to work with that codec. Try it on other software, and you find that either you need the most updated version of the software OR the software doesn't work with the codec, period. This is for editing the footage. Now, if you don't ever care to edit the footage (wow) or are satisfied with the extremely limited functions of the included software then fine. I love how the "ease of use" commercials have managed to brainwash consumers... ease over function. Pay more, get less, be satisfied.

As for holding 40 hours of footage, my digicam can hold hundreds of thousands of really downright lousy pics or a few hundred pics at full resolution. The footage of a HDD cam at the highest quality is already inferior to tape cams, do you *really* want that 40 hours of horrible footage?

But really, it seems as if you've made up your mind. I'm just stating the gotchas that the marketing teams don't tell you. You do notice that Sony (and practically every other manufacturer) still makes tape cams?

The future can't be stopped, but it's not yet here, not quite. Anyways, the future is in HD (high-def, not HDD=hard disk drive). The future will be rid of the tape, but only when they've addressed the really show-stopping issues of solid state (and it's solid state memory, not harddrives, that are the future).

Edited June 20, 2007 by Firefoxx

[coldcrush]

Ok Firefoxx, I am swayed by your knowledge of this. So what type of cam would you recommend for everyday family use (I am not a pro). I would obviously like to burn it to disc and edit the footage with an easy to use program?

Thanks

[cdnvic]

I think that solid state flash memory cameras will be the norm before Hard drive cameras ever become the industry standard. If you can get an 8gb iPod, then the same memory can record a lot of video, and the capacities will only increase.

[Grover]

I think that solid state flash memory cameras will be the norm before Hard drive cameras ever become the industry standard. If you can get an 8gb iPod, then the same memory can record a lot of video, and the capacities will only increase.

Agree. and HDD manufacturers are moving over to Flash HDD and hybrid HDD now.

Flash is quicker, more energy efficient, vibration resistant, and prices are cheaper by the day.

[coldcrush]

So does anyone recommend a cam????

Thanks for any replies

[Firefoxx]

The camcorder that I would buy today (if I needed one, but I don't, since I have 5 camcorders) would be the Canon HV20. It's a high-def camcorder that uses normal miniDV tapes and the industry standard HDV format (and can record in normal SD). The one problem is that it's really hard to find in Thailand.

To me, there's really no point in getting a harddisk camcorder (be it SD or HD), since it offers no compelling advantages and has too many disadvantages compared to good-ol tape. Solid state will be the future but unfortunately it's still a bit too expensive right now. The current state of pricing, with 4GB thumb drives going for a bit over 1k baht, means that it will be cheap enough fairly soon, and there will be interesting models with the "right stuff" coming out. But as of right now, there are no SS camcorders that have the "right stuff".