Need Camcorder

[BCS]

What should I get? I want good quality video, decent sound, and relatively inexpensive. Digital for sure as I want to use it easily with my computer. Never owned a camcorder before, so school me.

[tnumrych]

I'm not sure what "relatively inexpensive" means to you but I purchased the Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 on Black Friday on Amazon for $149 after researching camcorders for a week or so and I think this is the best camcorder in that price range by far. Currently Radioshack has it for $149 (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3558934&siteID=Es5Ekr9eEBk-zPNHNocK86J_ZMi5fVIlCg).

You will need a SDHC memory card to store the footage on but these days 8GB Class 6 card that you will need can be had for less than $20 online. That will give you nearly 2 hours of HD (720P) recording capability. As far as "good quality video" you won't get better than this and it also has a 5x optical zoom and can act as a digital camera to take pictures if needed. I also found extra batteries on Ebay for $5 a piece.

[nisora33]

What should I get? I want good quality video, decent sound, and relatively inexpensive. Digital for sure as I want to use it easily with my computer. Never owned a camcorder before, so school me.

Is it for form critique?

I've got a Canon PowerShot SD1000 "Digital Elph." It takes snapshots, but it has a camcorder feature. It takes high definition video, and the microphone will pick up sound from three rooms over with respectable quality. The memory card that came with it doesn't hold much video, but you might be able to find a card with more megs to swap out.

-Stacey

[BCS]

Mainly for gym related stuff, yes.

[nisora33]

Okay, I didn't realize how much my camera actual costs. I stole this one from my brother-in-law, because he's a douchebag and he never used it anyway, and it looks like it costs as much as up to $500. I probably wouldn't have paid that for it :)

[tnumrych]

No way Stacey, that thing can be found for less than $250 (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=PowerShot+SD1000&hl=en&cid=4158054262581362380&sa=title#p). In either case, I would still recommend the Sanyo for "gym related stuff". Very few digital cameras will rival the video quality of the CG10 and even fewer in that price range. Good place to observe the video quality of cameras you are shopping for is on Youtube (just search for the model of the camera. Here is a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Cyz2RHPWNs) of one of my squats from a few days ago filmed with said camera.

[nisora33]

No way Stacey, that thing can be found for less than $250 (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=PowerShot+SD1000&hl=en&cid=4158054262581362380&sa=title#p). In either case, I would still recommend the Sanyo for "gym related stuff". Very few digital cameras will rival the video quality of the CG10 and even fewer in that price range. Good place to observe the video quality of cameras you are shopping for is on Youtube (just search for the model of the camera. Here is a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Cyz2RHPWNs) of one of my squats from a few days ago filmed with said camera.

That set was NOICE. Good progress since last time we saw, 'cept for dude behind you trying to feel you up :D

Good camera, you're exactly right.

-S.

[BCS]

That's good enough for what I'm wanting to do. What do you use to hold it? Will it sit on something for filming, or am I stuck finding some douche nozzle to hold it for me?

PS I yell at people for doing stuff like that. I intend to stay a butt hole virgin for the rest of my life.

[tnumrych]

I would just get a tripod, I'm using something similar to this (http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Concepts-TR-60N-Camera-Carrying/dp/B000093UDQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1261529944&sr=8-3) minus the bubble-levels. Any collapsible and adjustable tripod will do, but make sure it has some height to it, it's a lot easier to film different angles (top, obliquely, side) with a taller tripod. and you won't have to use nearby benches or other creative ways to elevate it. Shop around on Froogle.com to see if you can find it cheaper (I'll bet you can).


That set was NOICE. Good progress since last time we saw, 'cept for dude behind you trying to feel you up :D

Ha, that's just one of my coworkers. Not his fault, he has been indoctrinated into the NSCA method of spotting and besides I was being a pussy/queefing from my mouth as a result of some insignificant weight on the bar. Damn I'm weak. He was told to let me drop the damn thing in the future.

In any case, thanks for the good word. I'm still a bit unhappy with butt-wink, I'll see what Rip has to say bout it.

[IWillLiveFreeOrDie]

Get an HD camcorder. The picture quality is SO much better! I bought a Sony that uses a hard drive. The video quality is very impressive.