Cannon VIXIA, Panasonic HDC & a Sony HDR at DVinfo.net

K. David Marple · July 25th, 2011, 02:54 PM

Howdy,

Totally new to this & hope this is in the correct forum spot.

I'm looking at HD cameras & this is my bullet list.

* I want to shoot video for a vlog which I want to YouTube - My daily life out & about, but also sitting in front of it chatting
* I'm looking to purchase a 2 or 3 light kit for when at home
* I want to take the camera with me almost all the time (except work)
* Want to mount it to my truck window/dash for travel
* 'Might' want to mount it to my bike & bicycle as well, but I may purchase a Contour/GoPro/Oregon Scientific specifically for that
* Want the camera to have an external mic jack
* SD cards seem like the way to go for less weight over HDD & for swapping.
* May want to play with some green screen in the future

A few things I am uncertain on:

* If I understand how Lux ratings are listed, they are not worth much just like wattage on vacuum cleaners; but lower is better.
* One of my problems is it seems the manufacturers list low Lux numbers, but they do it with (low light mode) or some such which really doesn't seem to help us, the consumer know what the range is in their standard(?) mode.
* How effective a light on a camcorder is for anything other than the occasional close up shot of something (a coffee mug?) on the road in an indoor setting is unknown to me. Are they basically crap & should only be a consideration if I use it as a still camera?
* Is an external earphone jack a must for monitoring audio for when I am out & about?
* I know the video quality will suffer from when I'm in front of lights in a controlled setting vs. outdoor not to mention wind noise etc, but I can live with that.

I hit B&H, because their website had the ability to narrow my search by:
* quality - HD 1080
* Style of Camera - Palm
* Price - $250 - $499

(and now it seems after further reading, they are a sponsor here.)

I know shooting in HD1080 for YouTube is excessive, but I would like to start with a good quality before rendering etc. & be able to use the camera for other things as well such as DragonCon in a month.

The cameras I came up with so far:

$498 Sony HDR-CX160 HD
$549 Panasonic HDC-SD90 (not sure how that got into my range, but $400 from Costco - plus they throw in a bag & 8GB SDHC card)
$430 Panasonic HDC-TM90
$349 Canon VIXIA HF R20 (8GB internal flash memory & has Canon's HD to SD Downconversion)
$499 Canon VIXIA HF R21 (32GB internal flash memory & has Canon's HD to SD Downconversion)
$329 Canon VIXIA HF R200 (records directly to dual SDXC memory card slots)

Canon VIXIA HF M32 (Currently on sale for $599 - a bit more than I was thinking of spending...but I'm totally new to this)

Link to DVINFO.net's article on the 2011 Canon VIXIA Camcorders: New 2011 Canon VIXIA Camcorders at DVInfo.net

I'm not against any brand or going up or down in price for a reason...I just don't know what they might be.

Editing will most likely be with Camtasia Studio.

Thank you very much,

K. David Marple

Robert Young · July 25th, 2011, 07:36 PM

David
Welcome to DVInfo.Net
The various consumer cams that you listed probably have more similarities than differences.
There is no "one best camera". You'll need to spec them out and decide what features are most important to you.
Regarding editing- I thought that Camtasia was primarily a screen recording software used mostly for development of video tutiorials, etc. It may not be the best choice for producing the sort of video programs you have described.
Editing the footage from these cameras is actually quite a bigger issue than which one of them you purchase:
1) These cameras record in AVCHD format
2) to edit native AVCHD requires a fairly recent vintage, powerful computer
3) you will also need to purchase an editing software suite that is optimized for native AVCHD
It sounds like you are planning to do some pretty extensive video production.
You'll want to be sure you have researched all of these issues carefully so that you minimize the risk of frustration and disappointment.

K. David Marple · July 25th, 2011, 10:15 PM

Howdy,

Thank you very much as what you stated is nice to know i.e. they are all pretty much the same.

A factory referb Canon VIXIA HF S200 is available from Canon for $499, so I may jump on that even though it weights just over a pound.

I'll look at other DVE programs after reading some information here in the forums on that issue; again, thank you.

I'm not too worried about the final rendering as I'm a hit render & then come back after work or in the morning...of course if it's too slow I guess I'll just have to buy a newer & more powerful machine & that would be horrible <end sarcasm>.

Thanks,

K. David Marple

July 25th, 2011, 02:54 PM	#1
K. David Marple Tourist Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 2	Cannon VIXIA, Panasonic HDC & a Sony HDR Howdy, Totally new to this & hope this is in the correct forum spot. I'm looking at HD cameras & this is my bullet list. * I want to shoot video for a vlog which I want to YouTube - My daily life out & about, but also sitting in front of it chatting * I'm looking to purchase a 2 or 3 light kit for when at home * I want to take the camera with me almost all the time (except work) * Want to mount it to my truck window/dash for travel * 'Might' want to mount it to my bike & bicycle as well, but I may purchase a Contour/GoPro/Oregon Scientific specifically for that * Want the camera to have an external mic jack * SD cards seem like the way to go for less weight over HDD & for swapping. * May want to play with some green screen in the future A few things I am uncertain on: * If I understand how Lux ratings are listed, they are not worth much just like wattage on vacuum cleaners; but lower is better. * One of my problems is it seems the manufacturers list low Lux numbers, but they do it with (low light mode) or some such which really doesn't seem to help us, the consumer know what the range is in their standard(?) mode. * How effective a light on a camcorder is for anything other than the occasional close up shot of something (a coffee mug?) on the road in an indoor setting is unknown to me. Are they basically crap & should only be a consideration if I use it as a still camera? * Is an external earphone jack a must for monitoring audio for when I am out & about? * I know the video quality will suffer from when I'm in front of lights in a controlled setting vs. outdoor not to mention wind noise etc, but I can live with that. I hit B&H, because their website had the ability to narrow my search by: * quality - HD 1080 * Style of Camera - Palm * Price - $250 - $499 (and now it seems after further reading, they are a sponsor here.) I know shooting in HD1080 for YouTube is excessive, but I would like to start with a good quality before rendering etc. & be able to use the camera for other things as well such as DragonCon in a month. The cameras I came up with so far: $498 Sony HDR-CX160 HD $549 Panasonic HDC-SD90 (not sure how that got into my range, but $400 from Costco - plus they throw in a bag & 8GB SDHC card) $430 Panasonic HDC-TM90 $349 Canon VIXIA HF R20 (8GB internal flash memory & has Canon's HD to SD Downconversion) $499 Canon VIXIA HF R21 (32GB internal flash memory & has Canon's HD to SD Downconversion) $329 Canon VIXIA HF R200 (records directly to dual SDXC memory card slots) Canon VIXIA HF M32 (Currently on sale for $599 - a bit more than I was thinking of spending...but I'm totally new to this) Link to DVINFO.net's article on the 2011 Canon VIXIA Camcorders: New 2011 Canon VIXIA Camcorders at DVInfo.net I'm not against any brand or going up or down in price for a reason...I just don't know what they might be. Editing will most likely be with Camtasia Studio. Thank you very much, K. David Marple

July 25th, 2011, 07:36 PM	#2
Robert Young Trustee Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Coronado Island Posts: 1,472	Re: Cannon VIXIA, Panasonic HDC & a Sony HDR David Welcome to DVInfo.Net The various consumer cams that you listed probably have more similarities than differences. There is no "one best camera". You'll need to spec them out and decide what features are most important to you. Regarding editing- I thought that Camtasia was primarily a screen recording software used mostly for development of video tutiorials, etc. It may not be the best choice for producing the sort of video programs you have described. Editing the footage from these cameras is actually quite a bigger issue than which one of them you purchase: 1) These cameras record in AVCHD format 2) to edit native AVCHD requires a fairly recent vintage, powerful computer 3) you will also need to purchase an editing software suite that is optimized for native AVCHD It sounds like you are planning to do some pretty extensive video production. You'll want to be sure you have researched all of these issues carefully so that you minimize the risk of frustration and disappointment. __________________ Bob

July 25th, 2011, 10:15 PM	#3
K. David Marple Tourist Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 2	Re: Cannon VIXIA, Panasonic HDC & a Sony HDR Howdy, Thank you very much as what you stated is nice to know i.e. they are all pretty much the same. A factory referb Canon VIXIA HF S200 is available from Canon for $499, so I may jump on that even though it weights just over a pound. I'll look at other DVE programs after reading some information here in the forums on that issue; again, thank you. I'm not too worried about the final rendering as I'm a hit render & then come back after work or in the morning...of course if it's too slow I guess I'll just have to buy a newer & more powerful machine & that would be horrible <end sarcasm>. Thanks, K. David Marple