Camcorder questions?

Question

Okay, I haven't had a video camera in literally 15 years or more. We are going to buy one in the near future. There's one on Best Buy's website that has a battery and mini-tapes included. How exactly can I get the footage that I shoot onto my computer? Is there a USB cable that comes with the camcorder similar to the one that comes with my digital camera and I can just download the footage onto my computer?

Any help/advice is appreciated greatly. Thanks!!!

Answer 1

there are a couple of considerations when looking at cameras.

first, look at budget and then work out the best you can get for the money spent. try to steer clear of second hand units as they are usually more trouble than they're worth.

second, decide on a format to suit your style. most people are getting Hard drive cameras without thinking of the implications of the design. i will keep using mini dv tape myself until the bitter end as i think they are still the best format for low budget film making. you can use them in many HD cameras and will offer better archival storage and far superior image quality compared to DVD and HDD.

third - what sort of shooting are you looking to do? indoor studio? or outdoor sporting events etc. many cameras are good for one but might be lacking for the other. try to find something that suits your needs and work out features you may find useful. eg - night vision sounds great but it's highly unlikely that you'll use it regularly. but if you found something with decent mic inputs and separate sound controls you may find that FAR more useful.

most cams will come with usb connection but it is recommended to use fire wire. its better for longer shots where more data is required.

consider you applications, decide your format and look at how much you want to spend. make a short list then try them out.

good luck to you.

Answer 2

If it's a new camera, recording to tape, it's probably a MiniDV camcorder.  You use firewire rather than USB to transfer your video - this is a good thing, but it means that you'll need to install a firewire card if your PC hasn't already got one.  They're cheap (<$20), easy to install and readily available).  With everything connected, you can capture your video using Windows Movie Maker.  It's free and good enough to get you started, though there are much better editors available.  MiniDV video is high quality, but it does use a lot of disk space - about 13Gbyte / hour.