Time to get a camcorder
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I'm sorry if you opened this thread thinking it would be more exciting. I am reaching the final boss level of becoming a boring dad by shopping for a camcorder to use on future family vacations.
I have a growing pet peeve of people (including me) being on their phones, but would like to capture some moments (as my parents did) with a video camera and figured a camcorder will make it a bit more specific of when I'll take a video and when I'll keep it in the backpack. Plus, the optical zoom.
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So far I have found the market to basically be like "Hahaha oh a camcorder, you really mean a go pro, right? A DSLR, right?"
As much as I like 4K, I think I'll stick with 1080. I think the 60 fps that 1080 allows makes the video footage a bit more fluid and alive, plus a fraction of the file size. My iPhone can handle any 4K landscape scenes.
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WAIT! Stop the chatter in this thread. I just realized. Now when my wife takes a video, I won't have to tell her to switch to landscape mode! YASSSSSSSSSS
@89th wimmenz and cellphone video are almost as bad as wimmenz and thermostats, amirite?
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@George-K said in Time to get a camcorder:
@89th wimmenz and cellphone video are almost as bad as wimmenz and thermostats, amirite?
I'd as soon touch the thermostat as iron clothes in the bathtub. Not gonna happen. Still, every once in a while I get asked if I "touched" it.
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@George-K said in Time to get a camcorder:
@89th wimmenz and cellphone video are almost as bad as wimmenz and thermostats, amirite?
I'd as soon touch the thermostat as iron clothes in the bathtub. Not gonna happen. Still, every once in a while I get asked if I "touched" it.
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So far I have found the market to basically be like "Hahaha oh a camcorder, you really mean a go pro, right? A DSLR, right?"
As much as I like 4K, I think I'll stick with 1080. I think the 60 fps that 1080 allows makes the video footage a bit more fluid and alive, plus a fraction of the file size. My iPhone can handle any 4K landscape scenes.
@89th said in Time to get a camcorder:
I think the 60 fps that 1080 allows makes the video footage a bit more fluid and alive, plus a fraction of the file size.
Because the thousands of potential viewers demand fluidity?
Don't take this the wrong way, but those videos of your child playing soccer won't have a lot of viewings. And you will just barely be able to identify your children and none of the other children.
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@89th said in Time to get a camcorder:
I think the 60 fps that 1080 allows makes the video footage a bit more fluid and alive, plus a fraction of the file size.
Because the thousands of potential viewers demand fluidity?
Don't take this the wrong way, but those videos of your child playing soccer won't have a lot of viewings. And you will just barely be able to identify your children and none of the other children.
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Have you gotten one? Try before you buy - you may be disappointed with the camcorders a bit.
Apple and others are spending a TON of money on computational photography. Many entry-level video amateurs use cell phone cameras as an alternative to DSLRs.
Cell phone video is quite advanced these days.
(Though I completely get your sentiment and where you're coming from)
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Have you gotten one? Try before you buy - you may be disappointed with the camcorders a bit.
Apple and others are spending a TON of money on computational photography. Many entry-level video amateurs use cell phone cameras as an alternative to DSLRs.
Cell phone video is quite advanced these days.
(Though I completely get your sentiment and where you're coming from)
@xenon said in Time to get a camcorder:
Have you gotten one? Try before you buy - you may be disappointed with the camcorders a bit.
Apple and others are spending a TON of money on computational photography. Many entry-level video amateurs use cell phone cameras as an alternative to DSLRs.
Cell phone video is quite advanced these days.
(Though I completely get your sentiment and where you're coming from)
I’ll make sure I buy from Amazon so I can do an easy return if needed lol. Yeah phone video cameras I’d say are better than nearly any camera/camcorder for the most part. HDR, low light, 4K at 60fps, 240fps slowmo, instant editing and sharing… but it’s the device/experience I’m looking for (plus a good zoom) for this purchase. Or maybe I’m just reliving the nostalgia from my childhood’s (VHS tape) camcorder days when we went to the beach.
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@xenon said in Time to get a camcorder:
Have you gotten one? Try before you buy - you may be disappointed with the camcorders a bit.
Apple and others are spending a TON of money on computational photography. Many entry-level video amateurs use cell phone cameras as an alternative to DSLRs.
Cell phone video is quite advanced these days.
(Though I completely get your sentiment and where you're coming from)
I’ll make sure I buy from Amazon so I can do an easy return if needed lol. Yeah phone video cameras I’d say are better than nearly any camera/camcorder for the most part. HDR, low light, 4K at 60fps, 240fps slowmo, instant editing and sharing… but it’s the device/experience I’m looking for (plus a good zoom) for this purchase. Or maybe I’m just reliving the nostalgia from my childhood’s (VHS tape) camcorder days when we went to the beach.
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@89th What about a DSLR camera with video?
@taiwan_girl 3 reasons, unless I’m wrong
- zoom is shaky/noisy during a video as the lens extends
- audio recording sucks
- bulkier form factor
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@taiwan_girl 3 reasons, unless I’m wrong
- zoom is shaky/noisy during a video as the lens extends
- audio recording sucks
- bulkier form factor
@89th said in Time to get a camcorder:
@taiwan_girl 3 reasons, unless I’m wrong
- zoom is shaky/noisy during a video as the lens extends
- audio recording sucks
- bulkier form factor
Some DSLR / mirrorless are now tuned for video recording (in-body / lens stabilization, etc.). I've seen high-end wedding photographers start to use these as their main vid. camera.
But that sort of gear is $$$$ and you need weird looking apparatuses to make them comfortable to hold.
A camcorder will be fine in most situations. The hardest will be indoor with really bright, dim or uneven lighting.
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@taiwan_girl 3 reasons, unless I’m wrong
- zoom is shaky/noisy during a video as the lens extends
- audio recording sucks
- bulkier form factor
@89th said in Time to get a camcorder:
@taiwan_girl 3 reasons, unless I’m wrong
- zoom is shaky/noisy during a video as the lens extends
- audio recording sucks
- bulkier form factor
But one thing that matters for video is sensor size, especially when the scene is not well lit.
Most camcorders have tiny sensors.
I'd get something with a one inch sensor or more.
If you want a big sensor in a small package with a camera that is equally good with videos and photos, check out the Sony RX100 VII. It's not cheap, though.
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If you insist on "not DSLR", try looking through Sony's line-up. It may be the only shop that still makes camcorders and remains big enough to fund the sort of technology development necessary to keep up with the likes of Apple and Samsung.
Consumer grade: https://electronics.sony.com/imaging/camcorders/c/all-camcorders?query=:relevance:snaAllCategories:all-camcorders
"Pro" grade: https://pro.sony/ue_US/products/handheld-camcorders
The last Sony camcorder I bought, I have not use in probably ten years, mainly because the cellphones have gotten so much better at recording video. :man-shrugging:
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@89th said in Time to get a camcorder:
@taiwan_girl 3 reasons, unless I’m wrong
- zoom is shaky/noisy during a video as the lens extends
- audio recording sucks
- bulkier form factor
But one thing that matters for video is sensor size, especially when the scene is not well lit.
Most camcorders have tiny sensors.
I'd get something with a one inch sensor or more.
If you want a big sensor in a small package with a camera that is equally good with videos and photos, check out the Sony RX100 VII. It's not cheap, though.
@Klaus said in Time to get a camcorder:
@89th said in Time to get a camcorder:
@taiwan_girl 3 reasons, unless I’m wrong
- zoom is shaky/noisy during a video as the lens extends
- audio recording sucks
- bulkier form factor
But one thing that matters for video is sensor size, especially when the scene is not well lit.
Most camcorders have tiny sensors.
I'd get something with a one inch sensor or more.
If you want a big sensor in a small package with a camera that is equally good with videos and photos, check out the Sony RX100 VII. It's not cheap, though.
The RX100 is an ass camera. The sensor is beyond too small to really make any kind of a difference. If you want to do anything that matters in low light, you need to get a Canon EOS C700 or equivalent.
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@Klaus said in Time to get a camcorder:
@89th said in Time to get a camcorder:
@taiwan_girl 3 reasons, unless I’m wrong
- zoom is shaky/noisy during a video as the lens extends
- audio recording sucks
- bulkier form factor
But one thing that matters for video is sensor size, especially when the scene is not well lit.
Most camcorders have tiny sensors.
I'd get something with a one inch sensor or more.
If you want a big sensor in a small package with a camera that is equally good with videos and photos, check out the Sony RX100 VII. It's not cheap, though.
The RX100 is an ass camera. The sensor is beyond too small to really make any kind of a difference. If you want to do anything that matters in low light, you need to get a Canon EOS C700 or equivalent.
@Aqua-Letifer said in Time to get a camcorder:
@Klaus said in Time to get a camcorder:
@89th said in Time to get a camcorder:
@taiwan_girl 3 reasons, unless I’m wrong
- zoom is shaky/noisy during a video as the lens extends
- audio recording sucks
- bulkier form factor
But one thing that matters for video is sensor size, especially when the scene is not well lit.
Most camcorders have tiny sensors.
I'd get something with a one inch sensor or more.
If you want a big sensor in a small package with a camera that is equally good with videos and photos, check out the Sony RX100 VII. It's not cheap, though.
The RX100 is an ass camera. The sensor is beyond too small to really make any kind of a difference. If you want to do anything that matters in low light, you need to get a Canon EOS C700 or equivalent.
You are saying it makes no difference whether a sensor is 1" or 1/2.3" or even 1/3.5", like in many phones? That's a huge difference.
Here's an ad hoc comparison of four sensor sizes, from smartphone/compact camera over 1", then APS-C, then Full-Frame. All at ISO12800. Of course it is better when you take an even bigger sensor. But there is a huge step in quality from smartphone sensor size to 1".
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@Aqua-Letifer said in Time to get a camcorder:
@Klaus said in Time to get a camcorder:
@89th said in Time to get a camcorder:
@taiwan_girl 3 reasons, unless I’m wrong
- zoom is shaky/noisy during a video as the lens extends
- audio recording sucks
- bulkier form factor
But one thing that matters for video is sensor size, especially when the scene is not well lit.
Most camcorders have tiny sensors.
I'd get something with a one inch sensor or more.
If you want a big sensor in a small package with a camera that is equally good with videos and photos, check out the Sony RX100 VII. It's not cheap, though.
The RX100 is an ass camera. The sensor is beyond too small to really make any kind of a difference. If you want to do anything that matters in low light, you need to get a Canon EOS C700 or equivalent.
You are saying it makes no difference whether a sensor is 1" or 1/2.3" or even 1/3.5", like in many phones? That's a huge difference.
Here's an ad hoc comparison of four sensor sizes, from smartphone/compact camera over 1", then APS-C, then Full-Frame. All at ISO12800. Of course it is better when you take an even bigger sensor. But there is a huge step in quality from smartphone sensor size to 1".
@Klaus said in Time to get a camcorder:
@Aqua-Letifer said in Time to get a camcorder:
@Klaus said in Time to get a camcorder:
@89th said in Time to get a camcorder:
@taiwan_girl 3 reasons, unless I’m wrong
- zoom is shaky/noisy during a video as the lens extends
- audio recording sucks
- bulkier form factor
But one thing that matters for video is sensor size, especially when the scene is not well lit.
Most camcorders have tiny sensors.
I'd get something with a one inch sensor or more.
If you want a big sensor in a small package with a camera that is equally good with videos and photos, check out the Sony RX100 VII. It's not cheap, though.
The RX100 is an ass camera. The sensor is beyond too small to really make any kind of a difference. If you want to do anything that matters in low light, you need to get a Canon EOS C700 or equivalent.
You are saying it makes no difference whether a sensor is 1" or 1/2.3" or even 1/3.5", like in many phones? That's a huge difference.
Here's an ad hoc comparison of four sensor sizes, from smartphone/compact camera over 1", then APS-C, then Full-Frame. All at ISO12800. Of course it is better when you take an even bigger sensor. But there is a huge step in quality from smartphone sensor size to 1".
How many prints have you made with cameras that produce images of varying megapixels?
The answer is, "much, much less than Aqua."
But you don't have to take my word for it, folks. Watch the Chris Hau video then get back to me. Or better yet, do your own printing.
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@Klaus said in Time to get a camcorder:
@Aqua-Letifer said in Time to get a camcorder:
@Klaus said in Time to get a camcorder:
@89th said in Time to get a camcorder:
@taiwan_girl 3 reasons, unless I’m wrong
- zoom is shaky/noisy during a video as the lens extends
- audio recording sucks
- bulkier form factor
But one thing that matters for video is sensor size, especially when the scene is not well lit.
Most camcorders have tiny sensors.
I'd get something with a one inch sensor or more.
If you want a big sensor in a small package with a camera that is equally good with videos and photos, check out the Sony RX100 VII. It's not cheap, though.
The RX100 is an ass camera. The sensor is beyond too small to really make any kind of a difference. If you want to do anything that matters in low light, you need to get a Canon EOS C700 or equivalent.
You are saying it makes no difference whether a sensor is 1" or 1/2.3" or even 1/3.5", like in many phones? That's a huge difference.
Here's an ad hoc comparison of four sensor sizes, from smartphone/compact camera over 1", then APS-C, then Full-Frame. All at ISO12800. Of course it is better when you take an even bigger sensor. But there is a huge step in quality from smartphone sensor size to 1".
How many prints have you made with cameras that produce images of varying megapixels?
The answer is, "much, much less than Aqua."
But you don't have to take my word for it, folks. Watch the Chris Hau video then get back to me. Or better yet, do your own printing.
How many prints have you made with cameras that produce images of varying megapixels?
The answer is, "much, much less than Aqua."
But you don't have to take my word for it, folks. Watch the Chris Hau video then get back to me. Or better yet, do your own printing.
What is your point? That a $30K camera makes better videos than a $1K camera? That the only way to improve over the quality of a camcorder with a tiny sensor is to buy a $30K camera? Really?
