Kaido's 2009 Camcorder Guide

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: keird

Originally posted by: Kaido
Kodak announced the Zi8 HD pocket camcorder:

http://www.engadget.com/2009/0...080p-mark-adds-facebo/

I just picked this up off Amazon for $179.95.

I also got the gorillapod, microphone and 32GB SD flash card.

I have a photobucket pro account and I'll upload some demo HD content, if I can.

Very nice! Looking forward to it! I'm debating between a Kodak, a Vado, and an iPhone 3GS. I'm leaning towards the 3GS - video is nowhere near as good (or as high-resolution), but one device for my pocket is appealing, hehe.

 

[Kaido]

Whoa, you can use aftermarket lenses with your Vado HD!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSsIUGKKeFw

The (now older) Vado HD is only $124 on Amazon!!

http://www.amazon.com/Creative...Digital/dp/B001LK8P14/

 

[keird]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: keird

Originally posted by: Kaido
Kodak announced the Zi8 HD pocket camcorder:

http://www.engadget.com/2009/0...080p-mark-adds-facebo/

I just picked this up off Amazon for $179.95.

I also got the gorillapod, microphone and 32GB SD flash card.

I have a photobucket pro account and I'll upload some demo HD content, if I can.

Very nice! Looking forward to it! I'm debating between a Kodak, a Vado, and an iPhone 3GS. I'm leaning towards the 3GS - video is nowhere near as good (or as high-resolution), but one device for my pocket is appealing, hehe.

I don't think Photobucket offers HD content. This link doesn't do the 720p/60fps any justice. This file was originally a 64MB .mov, but somehow changed to a 5.5MB .flv and I don't know why, yet. I think I have to buy some of the software you recommended.

The 1080p just doesn't present fluid motion at all and isn't worth uploading.

I upgraded the firmware to 1.03 and can no longer hear that famous high pitched whine present on the 1.01 videos. Kodak fixed the microphone with the firmware and I'm satisfied with my purchase. Thanks for your advice, Kaido.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: keird

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: keird

Originally posted by: Kaido
Kodak announced the Zi8 HD pocket camcorder:

http://www.engadget.com/2009/0...080p-mark-adds-facebo/

I just picked this up off Amazon for $179.95.

I also got the gorillapod, microphone and 32GB SD flash card.

I have a photobucket pro account and I'll upload some demo HD content, if I can.

Very nice! Looking forward to it! I'm debating between a Kodak, a Vado, and an iPhone 3GS. I'm leaning towards the 3GS - video is nowhere near as good (or as high-resolution), but one device for my pocket is appealing, hehe.

I don't think Photobucket offers HD content. This link doesn't do the 720p/60fps any justice. This file was originally a 64MB .mov, but somehow changed to a 5.5MB .flv and I don't know why, yet. I think I have to buy some of the software you recommended.

The 1080p just doesn't present fluid motion at all and isn't worth uploading.

I upgraded the firmware to 1.03 and can no longer hear that famous high pitched whine present on the 1.01 videos. Kodak fixed the microphone with the firmware and I'm satisfied with my purchase. Thanks for your advice, Kaido.

Awesome! Glad you like it

I just picked up an iPhone 3GS, which has a video camera. I think I'm going to forego the Vado...I have access to my sister's Zi6 if I need a pocket cam, as well as my wife's Nikon D90 and my own Canon HV20. I think next on my wishlist is a Canon SD970, which is a small point & shoot camera (my old digital camera broke about a year ago so I'm looooong overdue haha) that also does HD (720p) recording, although for quick video clips the iPhone seems pretty handy.

Frankly I'm amazed that you can get a 1080p rig of ANY kind for under $200 and fits in the palm of your hand. It may not be perfect yet, but I think that's just amazing haha.

 

[Kaido]

I'm very excited by the Canon 7D...1080/24fps & 720/60fps is just what the doctor ordered, all for $1699. Although, RED just came out and said they're going to announce the release schedule for the EPICs & Scarlets next month, sooooooo

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: Kaido
I'm very excited by the Canon 7D...1080/24fps & 720/60fps is just what the doctor ordered, all for $1699. Although, RED just came out and said they're going to announce the release schedule for the EPICs & Scarlets next month, sooooooo

Indeed but how is the auto focusing on the 7D going to be? Thats the real question and how egonomic is it going to be to hold?

Koing

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Koing

Originally posted by: Kaido
I'm very excited by the Canon 7D...1080/24fps & 720/60fps is just what the doctor ordered, all for $1699. Although, RED just came out and said they're going to announce the release schedule for the EPICs & Scarlets next month, sooooooo

Indeed but how is the auto focusing on the 7D going to be? Thats the real question and how egonomic is it going to be to hold?

Koing

I prefer Nikons for ergonomics, in fact that's the primary reason I bought my first dSLR, the d70s. The d90 does it even better!

I'm not too concerned about autofocus with the 7D...it'd be a killer feature to have, but right now those types of cameras are more on the "I'm going to setup my shot and then shoot" than just a seat-of-your-pants kind of thing, which you'd use more of an HFS-100 or something for. Not that I wouldn't like to see it

I'm really itching to upgrade my Steadicam, but I'm anxious to see what RED has to offer first...I don't want to blow my budget for the year on a Steadicam and not have it work with the Scarlet

 

[Kaido]

Just launched my Photo/Video Blog:

http://oneguyandhiscamera.com/

I'm working on porting the guide in the OP to a Wiki & compiling some helpful walkthroughs for the D90 & HV20 camcorders. I'll be posting updates with multimedia on the blog to make it a little bit more interesting to read and to help illustrate the posts :thumbsup:

Also, I caved and ordered my Blackbird steadicam

 

[Koing]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Koing

Originally posted by: Kaido
I'm very excited by the Canon 7D...1080/24fps & 720/60fps is just what the doctor ordered, all for $1699. Although, RED just came out and said they're going to announce the release schedule for the EPICs & Scarlets next month, sooooooo

Indeed but how is the auto focusing on the 7D going to be? Thats the real question and how egonomic is it going to be to hold?

Koing

I prefer Nikons for ergonomics, in fact that's the primary reason I bought my first dSLR, the d70s. The d90 does it even better!

I'm not too concerned about autofocus with the 7D...it'd be a killer feature to have, but right now those types of cameras are more on the "I'm going to setup my shot and then shoot" than just a seat-of-your-pants kind of thing, which you'd use more of an HFS-100 or something for. Not that I wouldn't like to see it

I'm really itching to upgrade my Steadicam, but I'm anxious to see what RED has to offer first...I don't want to blow my budget for the year on a Steadicam and not have it work with the Scarlet

I see.

I'm happy with my SDC10 small, portable and I take it to the gym with me in my kit bag.

Koing

 

[theblackbox]

Originally posted by: Caecus Veritas
Kaido,

any updates to your jag35 setup? i'm really interested in seeing how it turns out.

EDIT: DOH!! sorry kaido, theblackbox and your name are so similar i got confused!

yeah. yeah. indeed.
so far i have been very happy with it. I need to get a step up ring so i can put my "matte box" on the canon lens, but i've been too lazy.
i have been trying to figure out how to design a cheap follow focus and rail system.
i really like the jag, for the price i would think it would be hard to beat. I backed the jag with the opteka achromat (58mm) and i have no problems with vignetting and i get pretty good color and light.
i'll be in california in a week and have a real fast internet connection and upload some videos. where i live in colorado i have 1.5mb download/ and about 385kb upload. sucks to be me when the internet is involved.

i also have a sony portable dvd player i use as an external monitor to help with focus using the jag.

but so far, i haven't found anything i really dislike. for the price of the jag35e, i think it's hard to find fault.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: theblackbox

Originally posted by: Caecus Veritas
Kaido,

any updates to your jag35 setup? i'm really interested in seeing how it turns out.

EDIT: DOH!! sorry kaido, theblackbox and your name are so similar i got confused!

yeah. yeah. indeed.
so far i have been very happy with it. I need to get a step up ring so i can put my "matte box" on the canon lens, but i've been too lazy.
i have been trying to figure out how to design a cheap follow focus and rail system.
i really like the jag, for the price i would think it would be hard to beat. I backed the jag with the opteka achromat (58mm) and i have no problems with vignetting and i get pretty good color and light.
i'll be in california in a week and have a real fast internet connection and upload some videos. where i live in colorado i have 1.5mb download/ and about 385kb upload. sucks to be me when the internet is involved.

i also have a sony portable dvd player i use as an external monitor to help with focus using the jag.

but so far, i haven't found anything i really dislike. for the price of the jag35e, i think it's hard to find fault.

Yeah, someone needs to come out with a $19.95 el-cheapo rail system made out of wooden dowels or something, it's not like our mini-me cameras are all that heavy, even with 35mm adapters.

 

[Kaido]

JVC has a new pocketcam out for $200:

http://gizmodo.com/5380439/jvc...order-bite+sized-1080p

30fps @ 1080p
60fps @ 720p

 

[theblackbox]

i am using copper tubing and aluminum for mine. not only is it pretty, i can plumb with it if need be.

 

[Kaido]

WOW, I am SUPER impressed by the Zoom Q3 pocket cam! ($250) It only does 640x480 @ 30fps, but (1) the PQ is GREAT, and (2) the Audio is SUPERB! I honestly thought it was going to be a piece of junk because of the non-HD video, but check out some samples on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mD3WnkwyKo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7LAYdGnuqg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX58AnPaGOQ

Wow, dang! I like this better than the Kodak Zi6, which is 720p! If I didn't just upgrade to an iPhone 3GS (built-in video), I'd definitely pick this sucker up! I'm a big Zoom fan

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: theblackbox
i am using copper tubing and aluminum for mine. not only is it pretty, i can plumb with it if need be.

I can just see you being superman one day...help! we've sprung a leak while filming! The house will be ruined! "No problem, ladies"

Ordered my first Zeiss...a 35mm f2.4. Going to use it with an M42 adapter on my D90 until I can afford a 7D. I'd been eyeing the Brevis35 from Cinevate for a loooong time, but I think the 7D & stock HV20 will be a better fit for me - the HV20 for my Steadicam & the 7D for those nice DOF shots, especially with the Zeiss lens. Mmm...so excited

 

[Kaido]

Here's another cool 35mm adapter, the Cinemek G35:

http://www.cinemek.com/

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: theblackbox
yeah. yeah. indeed.
so far i have been very happy with it. I need to get a step up ring so i can put my "matte box" on the canon lens, but i've been too lazy.
i have been trying to figure out how to design a cheap follow focus and rail system.
i really like the jag, for the price i would think it would be hard to beat. I backed the jag with the opteka achromat (58mm) and i have no problems with vignetting and i get pretty good color and light.
i'll be in california in a week and have a real fast internet connection and upload some videos. where i live in colorado i have 1.5mb download/ and about 385kb upload. sucks to be me when the internet is involved.

i also have a sony portable dvd player i use as an external monitor to help with focus using the jag.

but so far, i haven't found anything i really dislike. for the price of the jag35e, i think it's hard to find fault.

I just checked out the Jag35 website, impressive! They've obviously made a lot of progress since I've seen them last - was watching some footage on Vimeo, looks great! Especially considering the sub-$600 price on even the most expensive model!

 

[Kaido]

I setup a Twitter account for my Photo/Video stuff:

http://twitter.com/oneguyandhiscam

 

[alimoalem]

Hey Kaido (and everyone else),

My family wanted to get a camcorder, and the budget is $500. From your opinion of the HF-100, and the positive reviews that I've read, i wanted to get the Canon HF-200. One thing that troubles me is the following review: Bad Review.

The Sanyo VPC-HD2000 looks like a very strong contender, and it's the exact same price. What is the opinion of the ATers?

Also, it's been a few months since this guide was written. Is there anything equal or better to consider in this price range?

Thanks

 

[theblackbox]

personally, after the end of last year, i quit taking their reviews seriously. i almost think panasonic paid them off to throw canon reviews this year. if you are looking at the sanyo, look at the 2000a, since it supports iframe and gives you neat and new options. i've learned you can't really go wrong with canon.

 

[alimoalem]

Thanks theblackbox. I'm looking for more reason to want to get the Canon; it's the camcorder I'd like my family to get. I'm just curious though, what's your opinion on the numbers? I can see how subjective things are up to the reviewer, but the numbers are pretty trustworthy, aren't they?

 

[Kaido]

Thanks theblackbox. I'm looking for more reason to want to get the Canon; it's the camcorder I'd like my family to get. I'm just curious though, what's your opinion on the numbers? I can see how subjective things are up to the reviewer, but the numbers are pretty trustworthy, aren't they?

I replied in your other thread, but for posterity:

The bottom line is that visual things are very subjective. Your best bet is to visit Vimeo and Youtube to see actual user footage, not stuff shot in a lab (unless you shoot in a lab often?). To my eyes, Canon is the best for the $500 - $1300 range. I love my Canon HV20 and have a lot of friends with various Canon models, all of whom are getting a lot of mileage out of them. So watch a lot of footage and see what you like best - remember that the end result is footage that YOU are going to be looking at, and that's all - not what some lab resuls say

 

[LeonarD26]

Has anyone used the Sanyo VPC-FH1? It's a 1080p flash camcorder, and is $100 less than the Canon HF200.... any opinions??

Also, a general question.... how much better would say the HF200 be compared to any of the pocket HD cams like the zi8 or FlipHD? Are they worth the price premium??

Thanks!

 

[Kaido]

Has anyone used the Sanyo VPC-FH1? It's a 1080p flash camcorder, and is $100 less than the Canon HF200.... any opinions??

Also, a general question.... how much better would say the HF200 be compared to any of the pocket HD cams like the zi8 or FlipHD? Are they worth the price premium??

Thanks!

The Sanyo is a good camera - just watch a bunch of footage and see what you like the most. It has a really nice slo-mo feature too! Here's some VPC-FH1 footage on Vimeo:

http://www.vimeo.com/6395177

http://www.vimeo.com/6779414

http://www.vimeo.com/5373712

As far as the pocket cam vs. a camcorder, they're really 2 different cameras. For comparison, it's like comparing a cell phone camera to a point & shoot camera - yes, they both take pictures, but vastly differently - yet each has their place. A Pocket HD cam is great for ultra-portable type of stuff - no settings, just flick it on & record. Fits your pocket. Goes anywhere. A camera like the HF200 adds features such as zoom, auto-focus, etc. that really amp up the picture (while still being surprisingly small!). So if you want a "camcorder", get something like an HF200, but if you just to "want to take some videos", get a Pocketcam.

 

[lupi]

Was in costco the other day and walked by the camera display. For those interested they have replaced their canon model and no have the hf200 as their bundle item. Sign said it was $50 off this month for $550.