Camcorders from £82.24 including delivery

ali137

truffle wrote:

I have heard of 'firewire' but am unsure of what it means - is it the same as DV in/out.

I dont mind having a camera that is not 'cutting edge' so i think these cheap and cheerful ones would be suitable. Does anyone have any good & simple links to camcorder guides?

Firewire is a wire (cost about £10) that connects to your camcorder to the computer (its like a usb lead). Firewire enables you to transfer the movie on your camcorder to the computer faster than using a usb lead.

For guides to camcorders you have to search on google.

Sui_Generis

aj2001 wrote:

Can I request that you can tell me whats the best editing software hardware and then whats best to make a home dvd with nice menus etc, thanks
aj

I've used a couple of packages (Pinnacle & Elements) on a PC and I have to say the best is iMovie on a Mac. Completely intuitive and very simple to do with great results (you did include hardware in there). The Mac iLife suite includes the movie editor and dvd creator together with other apps and is included with all Macs here's the spec http://www.apple.com/ilife/

If you wanted to try out a Mac then buying a Mac Mini from the Apple refurb store would be a great way in I saw one in there recently for £279 inc. The refurb stock changes daily find it in the lower right column here http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore The mini ships without monitor/keyboard/mouse so just use the ones you have with your current PC.

HTH

mantisgeek

First of all, there is some truth in that cheap or fake blank DVD media will only last a few years. Those that are manufactured by Taiyo Yuden are the best but cost slightly more than the others (you can get them from places such as SVP). It also depends on how you store your DVD disks. Exposing them to sunlight (e.g. putting them on a window sill for instance) will shorten the life of the disk dramatically. Always use non see through DVD cases (amaray ones if possible) for best protection. Also store them in a darker side of the room.

There are quite a few video editing software on the market currently. I've used Pinnacle Studio before and this is an entry level editing suite. Does the job but I find this a little too unstable for my liking. I have recently been using Vegas Movie Studio and this is much better and worth considering. I am also considering purchasing the Platinum Edition that is more powerful and has more effects. It also includes DVD authoring tools that allow you to create nice menus for your home movies.

For more information on video editing and DVD disks, take a look at www.videohelp.com

Sui_Generis

truffle wrote:

I have heard of 'firewire' but am unsure of what it means - is it the same as DV in/out.

Firewire (FW) aka IEEE 1394a is a means of connecting a camcorder to a computer (ie. to get the DV in or out!) if you have a firewire port** buy a cable off eBay (I bought couple for <£2 each from Hong Kong arrived in a week). Note there are 2 different types of FW cable your camera manual should tell you which you need or do as I did and buy both.

Can't remember the technical reason but FW is the preferred way to import footage (eg. my Sony can also use USB) but there's something about data stripping via USB which effectively doesn't happen with FW. If I can find a ref I'll post it.

** if you don't you can buy a cheap add in card for you PC


HTH

Brockyman

Does anyone know if the 8mm Sansung listed here is likely to have a DV output. Earlier replies seem to suggest it might but it's not clear. I have never owned or used a camcorder before but need one for a one off project and want to spend as little as possible but do need it to be editable on a PC after shooting (though not by me). Thanks.
Ian.

bingsy

hi Ian,

The 8mm samsung camcorder you mention is analogue, not digital. I am 99.9999999999% certain that this camcorder won't have DV or any other type of digital output.

royalsteve

cheapskate58 wrote:

What?? :eek:

Since when?? :rolleyes:

DVD-R has an expected lifespan of around 75-100 years.

since when have you listened to marketing people? 2 years er no......75-100 years....hmmm a little too sceptical to believe that

royalsteve

ant2006 wrote:

Quite a lot of people us DV in so that they can store their edited footage back to DV tape.
DVD-R's lose their data integrety after a couple of years & you could end up unable to play them all together.

what year are you in....yes when dvd's came out there were some craps ones that just didnt last.....but now they should last for years, if not 10's of years....by which time dvd's will be obsolete anyway

royalsteve

ali137 wrote:

Firewire is a wire (cost about £10) that connects to your camcorder to the computer (its like a usb lead). Firewire enables you to transfer the movie on your camcorder to the computer faster than using a usb lead.

For guides to camcorders you have to search on google.

Wire? Firewire a method of connectivity, enabling you to connect devices, as is USB which most cameras now support....it has a similar transfer rate to USB2, though video purists prefer it over USB as its ideal for connecting camcorders to PC's

Firewire transfer rate on paper seems slower than USB - 400mpbs compared to 480mps....but because of the way USB works, Firewire is considered to be faster for long sustained transfers of data

You can buy a firewire card and cable for £8-10 at any British Computer Fair or just the cable for £2-3

lowedb

Sui_Generis wrote:

Firewire (FW) aka IEEE 1394a is a means of connecting a camcorder to a computer (ie. to get the DV in or out!) if you have a firewire port** buy a cable off eBay (I bought couple for <£2 each from Hong Kong arrived in a week). Note there are 2 different types of FW cable your camera manual should tell you which you need or do as I did and buy both.

Can't remember the technical reason but FW is the preferred way to import footage (eg. my Sony can also use USB) but there's something about data stripping via USB which effectively doesn't happen with FW. If I can find a ref I'll post it.

** if you don't you can buy a cheap add in card for you PC


HTH

There are two types of firewire, the difference being the speed. But even for the more common, slower one there are two types of connection, just like USB. There's the mini and the full size connections. Most camcorders and laptops use the mini, while desktops tend to use the full size. The moral is, check which version of the cable you need.

For info, firewire is also becoming more common on external hard disc drives and although the theoretical max speed of USB 2.0 is almost as high as firewire, in parctice I've found transferring files much quicker with firewire. If you're going to work with video files, you'll soon find yourself with more big datafailes than you know what to do with, and may end up needing extrenal storage, so bear this in mind!