Getting a digital camcorder for Christmas - need help

I've saved up enough to get a digital camera this Christmas and and an editing kit. I know there are a few other budding filmmakers out there so any recommendations fellahs? Sony is the company I'm siding with at the moment and looking maybe at Videowave as the editing software... Good choice?

I saw that Videowave 4.0 had a lot of 1 star reviews on Amazon but Videowave 5.0 is out now so maybe it has improved. What cameras and what editing software do you use? It'd be a big help.

__________________
I couldn't believe that she knew my name. Some of my best friends didn't know my name.

Firstly, this may sound stupid, but you didn't mention it so I'm going to assume you don't really know all that much about it all, but in order to edit, you're going to need a capture card [firewire].

I would suggest a Pinnacle System. These can range from **** to fantastic. Don't get studio DV plus because it can't export very well, best choice is the Pinnacle DV 500 or a Matrox RT card. These are expensive. I do know people who have just bought a firewire card and have been able to go really well with it. Mind you, doing it with a simple firewire card does mean that you won't be able to export to analogue.

Software, I would stear away from Videowave for the one reason I don't know much about it, so can't really say. All I know is that I've never used it and no one I know has ever used it, which says something. I've been using the software that comes bundled with the Pinnacle card, but after my weekend editing with Adobe Premiere I have found that this is far supirior and with about tqwo days of practice, the majority of the basics can be acheived and from there on in, you can be doing all sorts of effect with little to no difficulty at all. The Mac equivalent is of course Final Cut Pro, which would be my choice for Mac users. Go Adobe Premiere 6.0 which comes with the QuickTime option built in. Which is a help for exporting to the best web format without having to already have it on your computer.

Cameras. I use Panasonic, but it is general consensus that bar looking nice, these cameras are CRAP. I too have found this as I have progressed, I can can get better sound and equal picture quality using a Sony Hi8. You may want to experiment: Digital8 is by far the cheapest digital format, and the cameras give you a choice between digital and analogue. MiniDV [my format] is the most widley used and is great, basically. DV or DV Cam is the most expensive, but has the longer tapes. Go Mini DV if you don't know what suits you best, or you don't know anything about camcorders [or video cameras, as I prefer to call them]. The best bet is to go with Sony, go lower range if you're not going to seriously be making films, otherwise go with the VXR2000 or whatever it's called. The VXR1000 [or whatever] was way ahead of it's time, and is much cheaper than arguably the best camera out their -- the Canon XL-1. Yeah. With the camera, I suggest you go with either Canon or Sony [don't even TOUCH JVC] and just basing your choice on your needs.

Have a good one.



And cut!

__________________
www.esotericrabbit.com

I love my VX2000, but it ain't cheap ($2,300US when I bought mine a few months ago).

I rented an XL1 and didn't feel it was worth the extra money over the Sony (though that was before the XL1s, which I haven't used at all).

Don't know anything about Videowave.

whats a good one for around 500 dollars?? not serious, just to play around with.

__________________
"Who comes at 12:00 on a Sunday night to rent Butch Cassady and the Sundance Kid?"
-Hollywood Video rental guy to me

There's nothing more fun [or better] to play around with than film itself. For $500 you should be able to find a cheap Super 8mm Camera, and about 15 minutes of film [leaving space for processing]. Mind you, to edit would be a little.....iffy.

Get a second or third hand Hi8 camera. Hi8 is a great little format which I think is highly underrated. I doubt you'll be finding anything digital for under $1000. Mind you, I'm thinking in Australian dollars a lot of the time, but I still don't think you'd be finding anything digital to play around with for under $500.

Ding! That's the one. I have a friend who swears by his VX1000 which was way before it's time in terms of how good it is. He hasn't had the chance to muck around with it's successor, the VX2000 yet. But I'd assume it's really good.

I've heard some good things about the Canon ZR20 which is $600 at B&H Photo & Video (a reputable mail order house) and has a $50 mail-in rebate from Canon right now.

For 617 dollars i brought down a DVCAM with a firewire card and Adope Premier, not to mention a bag and a tripod. If you insist on going Sony, it'll cost more, but mine's Panasonic and has treated me very well for several months now. Premier is a pretty difficult program to use but it can do anything you need. I personally don't use it. I edit at school or at the Grand Rapids Community Media center on their machines. Anyway, I don't knwo what's really best but I know what worked for me. I went with a reliable name, but not the best. I bought what I needed and nothing more. I've not once felt the need for anythign else. Desire? yes. Need? Never.

Don't go with Panasonic.
The sound quality is atrocious.
Believe me. Do not use Panasonic. They look good, but they're the devil.

Sony or Canon. Trust me on that, please, oh God. Trust me.

Most of my electronic stuff is Sony. They're a good name, and I've only had a problem once with Sony, and it was my DVD player, but I got another one for free out of that so I'm not complaining.

__________________
"I was walking down the street with my friend and he said, "I hear music", as if there is any other way you can take it in. You're not special, that's how I receive it too. I tried to taste it but it did not work." - Mitch Hedberg

im getting a 450$ panasonic camera that has some cool features,(hi8) and im buying the plug in for the computer, its not that good but im still happy! as for editing, me and a friend are gonna save up for adobe premeire 6.

Back a month or so ago, I saw a camcorder hooked up to a laptop in a store, and thought it was the coolest thing ever...not really, but looked real nice. I would like to get a lot of hi-tech stuff, but my computer is a dinosaur, and I don't have the money to buy a new one. I buy DVDs instead.

i didnt get a digital, i got the Hi8 instead what do you think i should get to plug it in to the computer?

Pinnacle.
Pinnacle.
Pinnacle.

If you get a higher end model you'll also get the breakout box and be able to convert the analogue signal into Digital.

Mind you, if you were getting a Hi 8 you should have just gone one further and got Digital 8. It comes with the Digital already built in, then all you need is a firewire card.

umm anythin a little less pricy im not going pro here or anything its just that i got a non digital one for christmas

What I'm saying is, unless you get it done by someone ELSE, you're not going to be able to edit Hi 8 footage on a computer without a breakout box, or a card that can capture analogue footage. I would go with Pinnacle or Matrox and I said Pinnacle because it's cheaper.