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time for new camcorder?

L

LR6

Member
I currently have a several year old Panasonic GS120 miniDV camcorder that is still working great.

Only problem is that I am tired of dealing with the stupid tapes and I would really like a flash memory model. I even end up using my sd880 movie mode a lot because it is much more convenient to get the video off.

I have looked at the HD AVCHD(HF100 & HF200) camcorders and have read about too many issues when editing the footage. Price is high, but I might could talk the wife into it. My current PC has a E8400 with 3 GB ram with no upgrades in site.

I have also looked the the standard def flash camcorders(fs100 or fs200) and I have read mixed things about the video quality. The price is right, but I don't won't to take a step down in image quality.

This camcorder will be mostly used for family videos and stuff like that. I never burn DVDs, I always watch them on the PC or stream them to my Media center Extender that is hooked to my TV.

Part of me thinks the best idea would be to keep what I got and the other part says to get a fs200.

Any thoughts?
 
All you have to do is transcode the stock footage into an editable format. Modern HD camcorders have 3 file formats:

1. Recording format
2. Editing format
3. Playback format

Most prosumer flash-based HD camcorders nowadays record to AVCHD, which is a recording format. The next step is to convert it to an editable format. If your NLE (video editing software) supports it, you can transcode in there, otherwise you can buy a speciality conversion app like VoltaicHD. So you take your recording format and convert it to an editing format. This makes your footage easy (and compatible) to edit. Once you've finished your movie project, you export it to a playback format. So for your PC, that could be MKV, or for your Media Center, it could be AVI, for example. It's just a matter of getting a workflow figured out that fits your equipment and your end needs.
 
yes upgrade. the people that say editing avchd is difficult or hard are the people that have vested interest in tape. the best thing about the avchd cameras besides the format is if you have a ps3 you can plug it into the ps3 and watch the footage without a hitch.

plus, having no moving parts is nice, and not having to worry about tape is nice. and editing is more straight foward because you get the scenese you want without having to go back and forth through the tape.

 
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