Canon ZR960 MiniDV Camcorder w/41x Advanced Zoom - 2009 MODEL

People are Confused about MiniDV - It is NOT obsolete

I am getting very upset because all of the people who say they have done video for 25 years should no better than to say that MiniDV is obsolete! MiniDV records in 500% compression. MINI DVD and HardDisk HDD and FLASH cameras record in 1500% compression. MiniDV records in in superior DV AVI format which has individual frames and editing can be done WITHOUT LOSS OF QUALITY once uploaded to your computer. The MINI DVD/HDD/FLASH cameras are NOT better in this respect they are far worse.



Consumer MINI DVD/HDD/FLASH cameras have not reached a level where they can compete with MiniDV for high end recordings. MiniDV doesn't take longer to edit. You have to play it back in real time but in order to EDIT .MPEG videos from MINI DVD/HDD/FLASH you have to spend an hour converting it over to uncompressed AVI format! Either way you have to spend an hour. It makes much more sense to start out with high quality RAW video and then compress it AFTER you edit it. You can ONLY do this with MiniDV.



The MINI DVD/HDD/FLASH cameras are only good for NON TECH junkies who don't care about quality and just want to record home movies. You will lose more quality with these cameras than you will with the superior MiniDV.



If you are going to use a MINI DVD/HDD/FLASH camera you should NOT edit the video direclty. You need to uncompress it and convert it into a superior AVI format because it lends itself to editing. That means you need to use a video converter on your computer and convert the MPEG2 video to AVI before editing. With MiniDV you don't have to since MiniDV records in AVI and only AVI which is ready for editing as it is just upload in real time to your pc cut frames out and then conver it into MPEG2.



MiniDV is getting a bad name because it uses a tape. This is not right. It actually records with LESS compression than a comparable store bought DVD! Now you know what this means. Uncompressed video is always better to start with than starting with compressed video.



Please research MiniDV more before giving it a bad name. It is not going to be obsolete until the MINI DVD cameras can record uncompressed video which for all practical purposes will never happen. SO that leaves HDD and FLASH cameras which will eventually have that option but they don't have that option yet so for now MiniDV Is the best for for home video projects that require video editing.













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Canon VIXIA HV40 HD HDV Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom - 2009 MODEL

The Latest Revision of an Excellent Camcorder

Over ten years ago I bought Sony's legendary TRV-900. It was a consumer camera so good and so ahead of its time that it remained on the market for four years - an eternity in the consumer electronics industry.



Canon has a similar product in their HV series HDV camcorders. They released such an outstanding camera two years ago with the HV20 that the two new models since (the HV30 and now the HV40) are really just small refinements of a mature and well designed product.



**NEW FEATURES**

So let's get one thing out of the way up front: There really isn't much of a difference between this camera and last year's HV30 (which was a small upgrade on the superb HV20). As an HV20 owner I felt right at home when this arrived and I powered it up. Video quality is about the same they look pretty much the same and overall performance is the same too.



What is different is the addition of true 24P recording which offers a more film-like frame rate over the standard 30 frames per second. It should be noted that prior versions of this camera (as well as Canon's AVCHD models) also shoot 24P but that mode requires additional software to get to "true" 24P video when editing. You'll want to check to ensure that your editing software supports true 24P footage as it's not a configuration that is on many consumer cameras.



**AVCHD OR HDV?***

If you're reading this it's likely that you're in the market for a new camcorder. It's also likely that you're confused over the multitude of different formats currently available: hard disk flash memory tape etc. etc.



Despite the many recording mediums the current crop of consumer cameras can be delineated into two camps: AVCHD (the hard disk and flash based cameras) and HDV (tape based).



HDV cameras have two advantages over their AVCHD counterparts. The first while not as compelling a reason as a year ago is compatibility. HDV was the first consumer HD format and is almost universally supported by just about every video editing software package released over the last three to four years. In addition the HV40 can also shoot in the older standard definition DV format a format so old that even software and hardware from ten years ago can work with the footage.



Another factor to consider is the firewire port. Want to record directly to your PC or Mac? Or perhaps do a live broadcast to UStream or Stickam? HDV cameras like the HV40 stream compressed video in realtime over Firewire something the AVCHD cameras don't do.



Still Canon's AVCHD cameras are now recording at a higher bitrate and with a more advanced video compression algorithm that makes for better image quality. Canon's flash based cameras like the outstanding VIXIA HFS100 are mostly solid state and lack the complex (and delicate) machinery of a tape-based camcorder like the HV40.



**CONCLUSION**

Canon's HV20 was a very mature product right at launch and that maturity continues in this iteration. Still there's nothing so compelling in the HV40 that makes it a necessary upgrade for HV30 or HV20 owners. For first time buyers if you're able to pick up an older model at a lower price you won't be making much of a sacrifice in terms of features. It's a great camera just not any greater than the prior versions!



For most consumers HDV cameras are old technology. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the HV40 is the last tape-based camcorder Canon releases to market. AVCHD has matured to the point that I am now recommending that to friends over HDV based cameras. AVCHD's lack of moving parts combined with the very low cost of flash memory makes it tough to recommend the bulkier mechanical alternatives like the HV40.



If however you're using an older computer or need to stream video live the HV40 is one of the best (if not the best) HDV consumer cameras on the market.

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Sony DCR-HC52 MiniDV Handycam Camcorder with 40x Optical Zoom

Entry Level Handycam

First let's correct the Amazon description this is a 40X optical zoom camera not 25X as seen on the product itself.



This is a great camera to start out with the simplicity of Mini DV tapes makes this a good value choice. DVD camcorders in this price range suffer from bad battery life and disk errors that can render your disks useless. The Mini DV tapes are tried and true.



I use an Apple computer at home and the camera connects to iMovie with no problems using the iLink port on the camera. All you need in most cases is a Firewire 6pin to 4pin cable and you are good to go.



The video and audio quality are good and the night vision is fun too. This is not a upper level camera so don't expect several bells and whistles but it performs great and has the basic features most people will ever need. The battery life is fair but that is expected all camcorder companies want you to buy an extra battery but at least Sony gives you several options.



With a full charge and a new tape expect about an hour of record time.More detail ...