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Help with Digital Camcorders/Editing Programs

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xSnowblindx

Member
Well I'm into photography alot, and I recently became into Digital Video for an artistic, as well as a practical use. So my question is, if i'm going to go for a Digital Camcorder for ~$300-500 what would my best options? What about if I were to go a little more expensive?

Also, I've used iMovie a bit in the past and I loved the interface, what would a good PC alternative be for me?

I'm not sure if anyone will be able to help me with this, but thanks to all that can!
 
i have never seen anything for PC that even comes close to iMovie. sorry, i can't help you on the camcorders...i know cannons are popular
 
I do not know the interface for iMovie, so cannot recommend a look alike. So people love or hate Pinnacle's Studio 9. Studio 8 was pretty buggy, so it created a lot of unfans. 9 is better and the interface is fairly straight forward drag and drop. Even Movie Maker, which is free, is fairly easy to use, but the output options are limited with no DVD option (it is Free, so you get what you pay for).

There are some video camera reviews sites that a web search will find. I am a high end Sony guy myself (VX2100 with lust for the new HDV cams ~ $3700), but I do like some of the low end Panasonics for the top loading feature alone (think tripod). Think about what you will use it for and go from there. How important is color? Do you shoot in low light alot (birthday parties including the 'light by candle' parts, high school football games on Friday night...)? What features must you have? The sites should have the answers.

 
I've used Pinnacle Studio 8 for a couple years... and I personally haven't had any problems, although I know there are plenty of them. Version 9 just came out, and has a ton of new features. Also, Adobe Premiere Elements is out now, and it looks pretty cool. Also ULead Video Studio, and Vegas Movie Studio. There are plenty of nice video editing packages for about $99.

I've used Pinnacle Studio 8 and have made tons of DVDs. The DVDS look just as good as the tape. They are beautiful. They have menus and chapters and all of the fun stuff that DVDs offer. VHS is obsolete!

I have a Panasonic GS200 3CCD camcorder and it's awesome. Expensive, but I needed a great camera. There are plenty of good camcorders for $300-$500, but your low-light capabilities will be limited. To make a camcorder that inexpensive, they put tiny CCD chips in them, which have a hard time capturing light. But that's the trade-off for low cost. If you're shooting in a well lit room, gymnasium or outdoors, you'll be fine.

The MiniDV format is awesome. All MiniDV camcorders have excellent recorders in them... it's just the optics that vary from model to model, and diminish the cheaper you go.

I've been a big fan of Canon. The only reason I got a Panasonic is they had the only 3CCD camcorder for under $1000.

 
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