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Author Topic: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?  (Read 1455 times)

AJ Dual

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Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« on: January 05, 2011, 09:31:18 PM »
Taking the kids to see the rat down in Florida.

Anybody know where the sweet spot is for a camcorder that uses SD or HDD, and gets a real 1080i at 30fps, and gets at least 10x optical zoom?
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Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas

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Re: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2011, 10:02:07 PM »
Quote from: AJ Dual on January 05, 2011, 09:31:18 PM
Taking the kids to see the rat down in Florida. 
I don't mean to mess with your childrearing practices, but in my experience you don't bring company to deal with a rat*. Just a few bags, a hatchet, and some cleaning supplies. Maybe a circular saw if you're in a hurry.

*Though that's more of a tradition than a rule.
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CNYCacher

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Re: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2011, 10:03:28 PM »
I have the 720p version of this camera:

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?client=ubuntu&channel=fs&q=sanyo+xacti+1080p&oe=utf-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=5390748535525875772&ei=ASwlTZ2oFsSAlAezufy7AQ&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDUQ8wIwAg#

Honestly I think the lens is too cheap to support the 720p format, and unless they really improved the lens for the 1080P format, then that was kind of pointless.

In full sunlight it takes decent videos, indoors it grains up a lot.

Here's an example video:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Rimibe#p/a/u/2/6OnHTjEDub8


I'm not sure you're going to get anything good in that price range.  And by "good" I guess I mean "worthy of having a 1080P sensor in it".

The one caveat to my review is that mine is a 30x zoom.  Perhaps the 10x zoom version by the same company has better glass.
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Ryan in Maine

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Re: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2011, 10:33:00 PM »
Canon VIXIA series? HF R10? HF M300? Seems like one of them fit those specs. Can't remember. I ended up skipping out on a camcorder for groceries.  :facepalm:
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AJ Dual

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Re: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2011, 10:57:16 PM »
We're looking at that Xacti as well. It's been coming up in our searches.

Anyone know of a SD-card backup external USB hard-disk type device to dump your SD cards?

Having trouble finding candidates on Google and Amazon, aside from knowing such a device must exist. Wife and I have laptops each, but have less than one 32gb card's worth of space on them.
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Harold Tuttle

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Re: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2011, 11:28:14 PM »
just buy 4 cards and fill them
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Harold Tuttle

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Re: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2011, 11:30:49 PM »
Flashpoint DataBank 320 copies and stores up 320GB of files from your memory cards. The built-in Auto-Copy function with a transfer rate of up to 5 MB/s will safely copy 1GB of data in about 3.5 minutes. Compatible with most popular memory card formats (CF, CFII, SD, xD, MMC, miniSD, MS (Memory Stick), MS Pro, MS Duo, and MS Pro Duo), the Flashpoint 320 can be used as an external portable drive, backup drive, memory card reader, and field storage device. Rechargeable (via USB mini connector) and replaceable Lithium Ion battery provides plenty of on-the-go performance.
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Marnoot

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Re: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2011, 11:42:06 PM »
I have that Xacti, I believe Racehorse does as well. It's a good little camera. The anti-shake isn't the greatest, thus requiring a tri/monopod when zoomed-in, but based on my research before I bought it it can't really be beat at that price point. I've been very happy with it.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2011, 11:47:33 PM by Marnoot »
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AJ Dual

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Re: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2011, 11:43:58 PM »
Quote from: Harold Tuttle on January 05, 2011, 11:30:49 PM
Flashpoint DataBank 320 copies and stores up 320GB of files from your memory cards. The built-in Auto-Copy function with a transfer rate of up to 5 MB/s will safely copy 1GB of data in about 3.5 minutes. Compatible with most popular memory card formats (CF, CFII, SD, xD, MMC, miniSD, MS (Memory Stick), MS Pro, MS Duo, and MS Pro Duo), the Flashpoint 320 can be used as an external portable drive, backup drive, memory card reader, and field storage device. Rechargeable (via USB mini connector) and replaceable Lithium Ion battery provides plenty of on-the-go performance.

Wow... $139 That's not bad... not bad at all. And Mrs. Dual could certainly use such in her photography biz sometime.

The camera search has gone off in a completely unexpected direction. Kodak makes some Flip-type competitors that are true 1080p, 5x optical zoom, and waterproof. And only $120 because it's purple.

It's very limited, OTOH, we've been happy with our "old" Panasonic camcorder, save the non RAM nature of DV8mm tapes when pushing it over to the PC with fire-wire. So after doing more searching, we figured that anything decent would be insanely better for some home movies that people will probably watch once, then be archived onto DVD.
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CNYCacher

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Re: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2011, 08:25:11 AM »
Why do you want 1080P?

Superior image quality -> Spend more than $140

I just want to be able to say it's "full HD" -> get the purple flip camera
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AJ Dual

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Re: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2011, 10:30:20 AM »
Quote from: CNYCacher on January 06, 2011, 08:25:11 AM
Why do you want 1080P?

Superior image quality -> Spend more than $140

I just want to be able to say it's "full HD" -> get the purple flip camera

That's what we did.

After the initial flush of excitement, and trying to figure out the pulse of the market, we realized that most anything decent would be much better than our last/current camera which still just gets 300 lines of resolution, and has the hassle of linear access on a physical tape, even if it is "digital".

And at less than $200 invested, for SDHC cards we can also use in other devices, it's a good jumping off point to figure out what we want that's better if we needed it.

And I know there's a wide range of difference in image quality between cameras. Our main issue was something that doesn't have funky upconverting from 720 or worse to fake 1080, and that aspect ratios are maintained properly on the more common 16:9 screens these days.
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sanglant

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Re: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2011, 01:46:52 PM »
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AJ Dual

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Re: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2011, 04:20:41 PM »
My wife already has a D60 and a D90 and several lenses and flashes which can do high-def video. She'll probably go to a D300, or it's successor in about a year as she continues her photography side-biz.

We considered it, but while it's good for a few minor clips, it's problematic to use as a camcorder unless you got one of those over-shoulder frames that's meant for using a DSLR as a video camera. We also both have Evo 4G phones which take passable video too, and considered just getting by with them, but the 720p resolution and complete lack of any optical zoom leaves them "not quite there."

There's no anti-shake though, and zoom is completely manual, it being a DSLR with fewer and fewer automatic features as you go higher in the product line. And as the video function's an afterthought (of sorts) sound quality is poor too.

That's a whole other reason we decided to go so cheap on a camcorder. If the DSLR and phones weren't so unusable for more than occasional facebook vids, we'd just have used them. But, having so many devices that already do video, kind of makes a dedicated camcorder seem redundant, even if we don't like those other camera's video for various reasons.

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Hutch

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Re: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« Reply #13 on: January 06, 2011, 05:11:24 PM »
I'm not a videographer of any note, so I can't really talk to the specs you're describing.  All that being said, I really REALLY like my FlipHD.  it's perfect for my current needs, which don't include sporting events.
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CNYCacher

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Re: Best HiDef SD or HDD camcorder $200-400?
« Reply #14 on: January 09, 2011, 02:27:26 AM »
I can't believe the timing on this:

Today's woot.com deal is the Xacti with 12x optical zoom and 1080p up to 60 frames per second NEW for $144 shipped.
 :lol:
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