Can anyone tell me what is the best camcorder if you own a MacBook?

Question

I have a CD/DVD slot on the side, but i was told that it does not accept the mini dvds. Knowing this, is it better to go with a disk drive ,regular DVD or another type?? The "Flip" sounds super simple to use, but we really want something with more zoom and better audio. We have Imovies and from what Ive been reading there are quite a few camcorders that will not recognize the Macs.

Unfortunately i haven't purchased a camcorder since the 80s (the good ole days, just plug into the TV and find a big box to store your tapes), so ease of use with imovies would be great. any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Whoever told you not to put odd-sized optical discs in a slot-loading optical drive is absolutely correct. And, DVD based camcorders compress the video too much, so they are generally not recommended - especially if you are thinking about editing. I NEVER recommend DVD based camcorders to anyone.

Hard drive and flash memory camcorders save video in a highly compressed MPEG2 format. In order for iMovie to do anything with them, they need to be translated into something iMovie understands. You need to download, install and use StreamClip

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/vi...

When the file is translated into a .mov, .mp4 or DV file, iMovie can import them. Copying a file from the camcorder to the Mac uses a USB cable.

MiniDV tape writes DV format video to miniDV tape - and importing the video requires a 4-pin to 6-pin firewire cable connected to the DV port on the camcorder and the firewire 400 port on the Mac. When the camcorder is in "Play" or "VCR" mode, Import the video using iMovie. The DV in MiniDV = digital video. The digital video quality is better than the big box of tapes from the analog '80s. The video quality is better than hard drive or flash memory based camcorders because DV uses a LOT less compression on the video stream.

The Canon ZR800, ZR900 and ZR930 are the least expensive camcorders with a mic in jack. They have decent zoom... but do not have manual audio control. They do standard definition only. The least expensive camcorders with a mic-in jack and manual audio control are the Canon HV20, HV30, Sony HDR-HC7 and HDR-HC9. They do standard definition and high definition.

In either case, be aware that video files can use lots of hard drive space - you should consider investing in an external hard drive that is at least 500 gig. It can connect to your MacBook with either USB or Firewire.