Mini DV camcorders?

Question

I'm looking into buying a camcorder and have seem a few people say that the mini DV formats are the best. I just want to ask how I view these through my TV or computer and how easy is it to transfer what I record to my computer and/or a DVD? I don't have much knowledge of computers and don't want to do anything "fancy" just record and transfer to my computer and a DVD. Any suggestions as to whether another format would be more suitable are welcome and if anyone has any reccomendations of good makes.

Answer 1

I used to have a mini-DV camcorder and I strongly urge you to reconsider. It is a pain to record on them because you always have to find the end of the tape where you last recorded. And you can't play them directly to your TV without the camcorder itself. You can easily now get a camcorder that takes a mini DVD disk. It is random access, so no more skipping forwards and backwards to find blank space. You can put the disk directly in your DVD player to watch it, so no more transferring from DV tapes to DVD. It is WAY better.

Answer 2

miniDV media type is undeniably the best in tape media category (and even compared to dvd type).

viewing is the same as a vcr - plug-in the rca cables and you're set to go.
transferring videos to the computer is simple - connect it using a firewire cable, open the preloaded WMmaker (or any editing/capturing software) and you're set to download. viewing is possible through any video player (WMplayer, nero, etc)
transferring to a dvd - after video has been uploaded to the computer, burning to a dvd is a sinch by using any dvd burning software (lots of free editing and burning software at the net). Some miniDV camcorders can transfer & burn directly to dvd burner.

The only advantage of a dvd camcorder over the miniDV is being 'on the go' type but records only for 30minutes of video (hey, that's why it's on the go type, hahaha); also doesn't record really good/clear videos with the same length of time; and most of all price range of both the dvd camcorder and minidisc are really expensive.

suggest you go get a miniDV (with 1.3Mpix resolution) camcorder like jvc gr-d350or370, sony dcr-hc26or36 or canon elura100, and you'll surely won't regret it.

happy shopping!

Answer 3

MINI-DV is the best quality for what you need.

Advantages:
- Fast response. You turn it on, and in seconds you are recording., compared to MINI-DVD, which takes time and has to finalize the disc and erase rewritables forever.
- Longer recording times on tape compared to a mini-DVD
- Excellent video quality, compared to DVD
- You can edit without losing any quality. Add music, FX etc... by transfering the video to a RAW file, which can take many GB of space.

Disadvantages:
- "1 to 1" transfer time to PC. If you have a tape that has 1-1/2 hours of video, it will take 1-1/2 hours to transfer
- To transform the tape to DVD, you need to capture the video as a an MPEG2 (specific for DVDs). Then use software to make a DVD, Like Nero's DVD wizard for home movies.

If you want quality and don't mind learning a few things, then MINI-DV is right for you.

If you want to record directly to DVD with limitations and lesser quality, and don't mind buying a stack of mini DVDs, and don't like to EDIT stuff, then the DVD-CamCorder is for you.

Answer 4

You don't need to transfer to your computer unless you are doing lots of editing. What is your purpose of transferring to DVD? If it is for sharing and viewing and then making copies for family, then just purchase a DVD recorder with firewire. Only thing is the DVD recorder will only allow limited editing. By the way make sure the camcorder has the firewire option. My camcorder has the firewire and the analogue option for archiving older Hi8 or 8mm tapes. I would stick with MiniDV as I hear it holds up OK for viewing on HD. (I haven't tried this)

Answer 5

Is your DVD recorder set top or computer box? If it's computer box then you need to use a FireWire to transfer and software such as Windows XP movie maker to edit, compile and burn DVDs.

If it is set top, and the DVD burnder doesn't have FireWire, see what connectins it does have. If it has S-video in and out then get a camcorder with S-Video. If it only has composites then any camcorder will do.

Answer 6

minidv is best as in quality. but in quality AND ease of use, dvd beats it. dvd cams offer slightly less quality than mindvs, but some higher end dvd cams will beat the lower end minidv cams. since you said you dont want to do anything fancy, a dvd cam will probably be better for you, because you can pop them into a dvd player right after recording, and they are small and compact. if for some reason you do decide to go minidv, remember its more of a format for amateur filmmakers, and a lot more complicated as in transfering and burning onto dvd. hope this helps!