Digital8 vs. MiniDV?

[weshuang]

I doubt this is the right place to ask this question, but I've never gone wrong asking tech questions on AT.

My old analog 8mm camcorder just crapped out, so I've been looking at buying a new one. I like the idea of buying something like the Sony DCR-TRV19, which is a MiniDV format, but I do need to be able to play my old 8mm tapes, at least to get them to DVD via capture. As anyone who is reading this post probably knows, the principal reason to buy Digital8 is for backwards compatibility, while the MiniDV allows smaller cameras. My impression is that the actual video quality between the two is not any different.

Anyway, my question is, are there cheap 8mm players I can buy, so that I can buy a MiniDV camera but still play my old tapes? I would have thought the answer is yes, but much searching on sites like Bestbuy etc. has turned up nothing.

 

[titanmiller]

Go to a local camera store and ask them if they have an 8mm camera that you can play old tapes with but doesnt work otherwise. I got one for $50 that was the other way around (camera part worked but tape didnt (supposidly)) but it turned out that the whole thing worked so I go a nice Sony for cheap.

 

[LethalWolfe]

you might try titanmiller's idea or see if any friends have a camera you could borrow. And MiniDV is much higher quality than Hi8.


Lethal

 

[weshuang]

Thanks - didn't realize there was a big quality difference -- that does it. Per titanmiller's suggestion, I must be able to buy a playback functioning camcorder on Egay...

Lethal, sounds as if you know something about MiniDV -- do you have a recommendation for a model/brand for an entry-level guy? Just home videos, nothing fancy.

 

[LethalWolfe]

You might want to do a search in "off topic" "video" and/or "general hardware" for "MiniDV" and see what other ATers have recommended. I've always though c|net.com was a good place to look when searching for a new gadget. The only thing you are going to be limited by is your budget.


Lethal

 

[theanimala]

Mini-DV and D8 are very similar in that they both offer a lot of resolution for the size and money. What people don't realize is just because the tape can capture 500 lines of resolution, it does not mean that the camera can. More important is the camera lens and the size of the CCD. I don't think there is a single inexpensive camera that can capture all 500 lines on tape, but some are better then others.

I personally bought a Mini-DV camera. Many good cameras have a pass through so you can play through them to connect your old camera to your computer. I know your's is broken, but I'm sure you could find someone who has a 8mm camera they can loan you for a day to copy all of your old tapes off to your computer, where you can burn them from there.

 

[weshuang]

Thanks for the suggestions. Looks like I'll buy a MiniDV for sure. Does anyone have any sites that they like for reviews and such? I found one, www.camcorderinfo.com, that seems pretty good. Others?