Camcorders: Is it worth the time for MiniDV quality?
Is it worth the time for MiniDV quality?
by boy2671 - 7/14/08 2:51 PMI am new on this forum and does not know that much about camcorders. but is Mini Dv quality worth the time. Because Mini Dv transfers to the computer in real time. I am looking to buy a camcorder and i want quality but i want fast transfers. I was looking at HDD camcorders but i heard MiniDV quality is better. But is the quality of a Mini Dv video versus HDD noticeable? Please answer because i don't want to spend More time on Mini DV because it has a slight difference in quality.
What's the rush?
by boya84 - 7/14/08 3:28 PM In reply to: Is it worth the time for MiniDV quality? by boy2671Perhaps you can do other things while it transfers? or... maybe if you don't have the patience... If you think waiting for that transfer takes time, wait until you start rendering some heavy duty special effects...
I don't know whats the rush...
by boy2671 - 7/14/08 3:39 PM In reply to: What's the rush? by boya84i guess i could do something when the video transfers. I am not in a rush or something but i just wanna know if the difference from MiniDV quality and HDD quality is very noticeable because i don't want to wait 2 times longer if the difference in quality is barely noticeable.
Could be...
by whizkid454 - 7/14/08 3:57 PM In reply to: I don't know whats the rush... by boy2671It depends who you ask. Videophiles might see a bigger difference than would a first-time buyer. Both provide good quality video with miniDV having the edge when it comes to the editing stage. For simple transfers to DVD, both usually turn out to be roughly the same when you play them back on a TV screen. It's your choice. As boya said, you don't have to sit and wait. However, I'd rather not spend my whole day transferring tapes to the computer. If you go on a long trip and come back with 10 tapes, that's a full day of just transferring.
So far...
by R. Proffitt
- 7/14/08 4:47 PM
In reply to: I don't know whats the rush... by boy2671
If I look at "edges" I see the usual compression artifacts. But I'm sure that some won't mind these.
"Barely noticable" is different
by boya84 - 7/14/08 5:57 PM In reply to: I don't know whats the rush... by boy2671from "i want quality but i want fast transfers".
Just because you want the transfers fast up front does not mean the whole process is fast...
Copy the video from the HDD camcorder to you computer. Edit. Finish project. Done. Erase Camcorder HDD. Delete copied fies from computer HDD. You for got a step... that is, after you originally copied the 20-60 gig or more files from the camcorder to the computer, you VERY first stepis to make another copy of those files incase the computer hard drive crashes or you want to go back to them in a year or more. All that time you *thought* you saved because the original copy time was fast, you just used making data DVDs.
With miniDV tape, not only do you get best quality to begin with, but the tape is the archive - there is no extra step to copy them again.
So... pick where you want to wait. And when you skip a step and the original video is not available, but you REALLY want it, well, I guess that's just a bummer. But you got to save time!
Simply copying and pasting is pretty darn easy...
by whizkid454 - 7/14/08 6:32 PM In reply to: "Barely noticable" is different by boya84When you copy the video to two (or more) hard drives, that seems to me like it's pretty simple. Two (or three) hard drives WILL NOT fail at the same time (if at all.) Plus, this also saves the time if you do go back and want a tape from archive, you have to re-import the entire tape, using another hour of time whereas it takes 5 seconds to find your other saved copy on the hard drive.
Copy from camcorder to primary hard drive. Copy that file to the other hard drive. There you are: two copies.
The DVDs are the other possibility. They're good to have for those "whenever you want to watch" moments.
Hard Drive Cameras need coversion to edit, forget DVD
by dan herrman - 7/20/08 1:51 PM In reply to: Simply copying and pasting is pretty darn easy... by whizkid454At this time miniDV is your best bet.
When ingesting into your computer you use scene split. you walk away for an hour and you have your scenes for editing.
ACHVD cameras require a conversion in most APPS and if you film for a long period without stopping the camera starts another file so you end up with several file for an hour if you placed it on a tripod and just let it run.
MiniDV is still the way to go for now.
HDV is very inexpensive if you buy a used HV20 Canon or and HDR-HC1 Sony.
If you edit get Cineform as a editing tool and HDV edits like DV but with fantastic quality.
I am a pure HD editor with two workstations; one avid media composer and the other Adobe Production suite (Need After Effects)
I do have cheap Hard Drive HD cameras in my travel bag and attach them to rails on sportfishing Boats for wide shots. the wear fast due to the salt and water but they do the trick.
I still use HD Tape for my real work but am waiting for the cards for flash to have more capacity. \when you are big game fishing you do not have time to change cards while it is easy to have another HD tape Camera rolling and never miss a jump or a big moment
Camcorderinfo.com for consumers is the best site for camera information
Random question
by boy2671 - 7/15/08 4:11 PM In reply to: Is it worth the time for MiniDV quality? by boy2671is there any way to use headphones on a camcorder with no headphone jack?
for monitoring what you are recording?
by boya84 - 7/15/08 4:15 PM In reply to: Random question by boy2671No that I am aware of...
Come to think of it...
by boya84 - 7/15/08 4:25 PM In reply to: for monitoring what you are recording? by boya84If you use the camcorder's AV-out... and use the AV cable with the red/white audio RCA jacks (not yellow - that is video), you may be able to... you will need 2 RCA female to 1/8" or 1/4" stereo female adapter depending on what sized jack your headphones need.
O really?
by boy2671 - 7/15/08 4:44 PM In reply to: Come to think of it... by boya84I was searching around for something like that. I was trying to google it but i don't know the right words. Can you please give me a link to the thing you are talking about?
can't spend too much time on this...
by boya84 - 7/15/08 5:34 PM In reply to: O really? by boy2671http://shop1.frys.com/product/598042?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
plus
http://shop1.frys.com/product/598042?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
The AV cable audio RCA males plug into the female of the first link, the 1/4" male plugs into one side of the second link - that leaves a 1/4" female for a 1/4" male headphone jack...
or
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Live-Wire-1-4--F--RCA-M--Dual-Y-Cable-100302331-i1166829.gc
and if your headphones use 1/8", then add
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Live-Wire-1-4--M--3-5mm-F--Stereo-Adapter-330865-i1166769.gc
This can get heavy and you don't want to put much stress opn the part that plugs into the camcorder...
My camcorders have a headphone jack (if they did not, I would not have bought them), so I don't need to worry about this, but I can check tonight to see if it works (if I have the right cables and adapters). I regularly use the video out to a 8.5" LCD panel when I am recording in case someone wants to see what I see.
Thanks
by boy2671 - 7/15/08 5:38 PM In reply to: can't spend too much time on this... by boya84Thanks for taking time on my request.
So... this is what I used:
by boya84 - 7/15/08 9:07 PM In reply to: Thanks by boy2671Camcorder: Sony HDR-HC1
AV cable connected to analog AV-out
On the red audio out (RCA male), I connected an RCA female to 1/4" male mono adapter
On the 1/4" male mono adapter, I connected a 1/4" female to 1/4" female adapter
On the 1/4" female adapter, I plugged in my 1/4" stereo headphone jack (Audio Technica)
The good news: When in Record/video capture mode, I can hear what is coming in the mics.
The not so good news: I could vary the audio level only when I dropped into manual audio mode. If your camcorder does not have manual audio control, then you cannot vary the audio level. This is most obviously monitoring what is going into the camcorder - and that makes sense because that is what I use the "video monitor" capability for with the yellow (analog/composite) video connector.
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