Hd 3ccd Hard Drive Cam Order at DVinfo.net

Jo Johnson · May 15th, 2008, 07:19 PM

Hi, I hope someone can help me. I am in a dither, trying to find a new camcorder that I can use on my Imac Intel. I am using Tiger OSX. My son bought me new software named Final Cut Express.

My husband said to by an High Def 3 CCD camcorder. I have read review after review and am so confused. He keeps pointing me towards the Panasonic HDC-HS9, but it does not have the features that I want. I want the hard drive but with a view finder and want to be able to use a wireless mic. I keep leaning toward the Sony HDR-SR12 but it is not the 3 CCCD. Can anyone give me some tips?

I do movies for my church, and also our high school to use as fund raisers and I would like a consumer high quality camera.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I have studied reviews for hours and hours.

Thanks,
Jo

Johnnie Caraballo · May 16th, 2008, 04:52 AM

Sony HVR-HD1000

Hans Ledel · May 16th, 2008, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnnie Caraballo

Sony HVR-HD1000

The Sony HD1000 is a 1 CCD and it uses tape.

I think you will be very happy with the Sony SR 12, it is a very nice cam.

JVC has a cam called HD7 it is a 3ccd harddrive cam, I think it works with FCE.

I would have taken the Sony SR12 instead of the JVC HD7 if I wanted a harddrive cam

Benjamin Hill · May 16th, 2008, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jo Johnson

Hi, I hope someone can help me. I am in a dither, trying to find a new camcorder that I can use on my Imac Intel. I am using Tiger OSX. My son bought me new software named Final Cut Express.

My husband said to by an High Def 3 CCD camcorder. I have read review after review and am so confused. He keeps pointing me towards the Panasonic HDC-HS9, but it does not have the features that I want. I want the hard drive but with a view finder and want to be able to use a wireless mic. I keep leaning toward the Sony HDR-SR12 but it is not the 3 CCCD. Can anyone give me some tips?

I do movies for my church, and also our high school to use as fund raisers and I would like a consumer high quality camera.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I have studied reviews for hours and hours.

Thanks,
Jo

It is easy to get confused and misled in the quest for gear.

My advice is: write down what features you want, listing them in order of importance to you (for most people, budget is #1). Then, let *your* priorities-and not someone else's- make the decision for you.

Matt Hagest · May 19th, 2008, 03:11 PM

If your going for a real quality 3ccd HD cam then the Panasonic HVX200 is the way to go, if you have the $$$$$$.

Now, compared to other cams, even the JVC HDD 3ccd camera, the canon hv20/30 out performs that and its a single Cmos.
I hope this helps.

Stephen R. Pruitt · May 20th, 2008, 11:37 PM

I'm a huge fan of the HV30, but it's a tape machine... when she specifically asked for a hard drive camera. What is the deal with people not answering the questions that are asked, and instead just responding with their standard answer every time? I see that on these forums more than anything...

And really. An HVX200? The camera she mentions in her question is $670 at Amazon.com... do you really think a camera that runs $4000 plus another couple grand in P2 media is the right answer for her? Really?

Jo, if you haven't seen it already, I find this site to be the best in terms of thorough reviews and good information:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/

And given your wants/needs, I'd probably recommend the Canon HF10:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content...nnectivity.htm

It doesn't have a vewfinder, but to me that's the least important trade-off, as most viewfinders at this level are really horrible, and LCD's are getting better at the time.

You'll notice it's also not 3 CCD's... I'm a big fan of Panasonic cameras, and 3 chip cameras, but these days, I don't think it's nearly as important as it was a couple years ago. This canon, and it's tape using bretheren actually score higher in terms of image quality than the other comparatively priced 3 chip cameras ranked on the site. I have the HV30 and I can tell you the footage from it is gorgeous... in the same league as my more expensive ($2500) Panasonic DVX100... though the HV30 is high def and the DVX is not, so that makes a difference.

The HF10 does have the mic jack, which is hard to find at that budget level.

A couple things to note... If image quality is important to you (which is the only reason for specifying 3 chips) then in general tape cameras are going to be better than hard drive cameras. This is due to the compression they use. Also, in general, 1 chip cameras are better in low light situations than 3 chip cameras... not universally, but as a rule of thumb.

Finally, what type of footage you want to shoot is important. I don't believe that the HF10 is capable of recording in standard definition... only high def, which Final Cut Express will handle, but will cause a bigger drain on your machine, and be more difficult to work with in terms of editing and file sizes. This will be the case with most, if not all hard drive cameras, as far as I can remember. Also note that while the camera can shoot 24p, Final Cut Express cannot edit it, so don't let that sway you one way or the other, and be aware that if you use it, you won't be able to edit it, except in camera.

You're absolutely right that it's too easy to get caught up in reading all the reviews and then feeling like your brain is exploding. One of the reasons I like camcorder info is that I can click on the "cameras rated" page, which lists them in descending order of image quality (my most important feature), then just go down the list looking for the camera with the two or three other features I want most. The HF10 is the highest ranked camera with a hard drive and a mic jack, so you can either go with it, or work your way down the list to see if anything lower down has a viewfinder as well... (or 3 chips if that is really a determining factor, rather than image quality).

Good luck!

EDIT:

Doh! I just discovered that the HF10 is a flash memory based camera, rather than hard drive. It comes with 16gb built in, but for more than that, you have to buy SD cards. Personally, I prefer having the option of carrying around as much media as I may need, and being able to purchase more on the go, rather than being nervous about filling up my hard drive, but after my little rant above, I'd look bad not pointing you towards what you're looking for. The hard drive version of this camera is the HG10. It appears that all the same things apply, just with a 40gb hard drive instead of SD flash cards.

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content...view-33146.htm

EDIT: switched all my mistaken references of HV10 to HF10, as per Nate's message.

Nate Haustein · May 21st, 2008, 01:30 AM

Well said Stephan, I just want to clarify:

Later in your post you start referring to the "HV10." This is the first generation consumer HDV camera from cannon. Jo should know that you were actually recommending the HF10 and its internal/flash memory, or the HG10 and its hard drive recording.

The cheaper HF100 is also similar, but does everything with flash memory.

Don't mean to call you out, it just gets so confusing with all those letters and numbers!

Stephen R. Pruitt · May 21st, 2008, 10:00 AM

Thanks for catching that Nate! Indeed, my tiny little brain is easily pushed off track by the letters, numbers dashes and secret codes it takes to distinguish one camera from another. Hopefully I fixed all those bad references now.

May 16th, 2008, 04:52 AM	#2
Johnnie Caraballo Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Coral Springs, Florida Posts: 144	Sony HVR-HD1000 __________________ Sony HDR-AX2000 • Mac Pro 8 Core w/30" Cinema Display & Final Cut Pro X

May 19th, 2008, 03:11 PM	#5
Matt Hagest Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Dana Point, California Posts: 63	If your going for a real quality 3ccd HD cam then the Panasonic HVX200 is the way to go, if you have the $$$$$$. Now, compared to other cams, even the JVC HDD 3ccd camera, the canon hv20/30 out performs that and its a single Cmos. I hope this helps. Last edited by Matt Hagest; May 19th, 2008 at 04:19 PM.

May 20th, 2008, 11:37 PM	#6
Stephen R. Pruitt New Boot Join Date: May 2007 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 5	I'm a huge fan of the HV30, but it's a tape machine... when she specifically asked for a hard drive camera. What is the deal with people not answering the questions that are asked, and instead just responding with their standard answer every time? I see that on these forums more than anything... And really. An HVX200? The camera she mentions in her question is $670 at Amazon.com... do you really think a camera that runs $4000 plus another couple grand in P2 media is the right answer for her? Really? Jo, if you haven't seen it already, I find this site to be the best in terms of thorough reviews and good information: http://www.camcorderinfo.com/ And given your wants/needs, I'd probably recommend the Canon HF10: http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content...nnectivity.htm It doesn't have a vewfinder, but to me that's the least important trade-off, as most viewfinders at this level are really horrible, and LCD's are getting better at the time. You'll notice it's also not 3 CCD's... I'm a big fan of Panasonic cameras, and 3 chip cameras, but these days, I don't think it's nearly as important as it was a couple years ago. This canon, and it's tape using bretheren actually score higher in terms of image quality than the other comparatively priced 3 chip cameras ranked on the site. I have the HV30 and I can tell you the footage from it is gorgeous... in the same league as my more expensive ($2500) Panasonic DVX100... though the HV30 is high def and the DVX is not, so that makes a difference. The HF10 does have the mic jack, which is hard to find at that budget level. A couple things to note... If image quality is important to you (which is the only reason for specifying 3 chips) then in general tape cameras are going to be better than hard drive cameras. This is due to the compression they use. Also, in general, 1 chip cameras are better in low light situations than 3 chip cameras... not universally, but as a rule of thumb. Finally, what type of footage you want to shoot is important. I don't believe that the HF10 is capable of recording in standard definition... only high def, which Final Cut Express will handle, but will cause a bigger drain on your machine, and be more difficult to work with in terms of editing and file sizes. This will be the case with most, if not all hard drive cameras, as far as I can remember. Also note that while the camera can shoot 24p, Final Cut Express cannot edit it, so don't let that sway you one way or the other, and be aware that if you use it, you won't be able to edit it, except in camera. You're absolutely right that it's too easy to get caught up in reading all the reviews and then feeling like your brain is exploding. One of the reasons I like camcorder info is that I can click on the "cameras rated" page, which lists them in descending order of image quality (my most important feature), then just go down the list looking for the camera with the two or three other features I want most. The HF10 is the highest ranked camera with a hard drive and a mic jack, so you can either go with it, or work your way down the list to see if anything lower down has a viewfinder as well... (or 3 chips if that is really a determining factor, rather than image quality). Good luck! EDIT: Doh! I just discovered that the HF10 is a flash memory based camera, rather than hard drive. It comes with 16gb built in, but for more than that, you have to buy SD cards. Personally, I prefer having the option of carrying around as much media as I may need, and being able to purchase more on the go, rather than being nervous about filling up my hard drive, but after my little rant above, I'd look bad not pointing you towards what you're looking for. The hard drive version of this camera is the HG10. It appears that all the same things apply, just with a 40gb hard drive instead of SD flash cards. http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content...view-33146.htm EDIT: switched all my mistaken references of HV10 to HF10, as per Nate's message. Last edited by Stephen R. Pruitt; May 21st, 2008 at 09:57 AM.

May 21st, 2008, 01:30 AM	#7
Nate Haustein Trustee Join Date: May 2007 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 1,313	Well said Stephan, I just want to clarify: Later in your post you start referring to the "HV10." This is the first generation consumer HDV camera from cannon. Jo should know that you were actually recommending the HF10 and its internal/flash memory, or the HG10 and its hard drive recording. The cheaper HF100 is also similar, but does everything with flash memory. Don't mean to call you out, it just gets so confusing with all those letters and numbers! __________________ Nate Haustein PXW-FX9 / FCPX www.flightcreativemedia.com

May 15th, 2008, 07:19 PM	#1
Jo Johnson Tourist Join Date: May 2008 Location: Tulsa Ok Posts: 1	Hd 3ccd Hard Drive Cam Order Hi, I hope someone can help me. I am in a dither, trying to find a new camcorder that I can use on my Imac Intel. I am using Tiger OSX. My son bought me new software named Final Cut Express. My husband said to by an High Def 3 CCD camcorder. I have read review after review and am so confused. He keeps pointing me towards the Panasonic HDC-HS9, but it does not have the features that I want. I want the hard drive but with a view finder and want to be able to use a wireless mic. I keep leaning toward the Sony HDR-SR12 but it is not the 3 CCCD. Can anyone give me some tips? I do movies for my church, and also our high school to use as fund raisers and I would like a consumer high quality camera. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I have studied reviews for hours and hours. Thanks, Jo

May 21st, 2008, 10:00 AM	#8
Stephen R. Pruitt New Boot Join Date: May 2007 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 5	Thanks for catching that Nate! Indeed, my tiny little brain is easily pushed off track by the letters, numbers dashes and secret codes it takes to distinguish one camera from another. Hopefully I fixed all those bad references now.