Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Hi,

I'm looking for a budget (under 500 GBP or 1,000 USD) mini DV camcorder
to replace and improve upon my analog Canon UC9Hi Hi8. I currently use
a Canopus ADVC-1394 capture card to convert the footage to DV, with
Let's Edit, Canopus ProCoder and MovieFactory to put it out to DVD. I
am happy with the results, but am hopeful that I will see a noticeable
improvement from a good budget mini DV camcorder.

The Sony DCRHC40ES looks promising at around 420 GBP, especially as it
apparently does true 16:9 widescreen, but it is not clear to me from
the blurb whether it is capable of doing standard 4:3 as well, which is
more important to me in the short term. And if it can, does it
compromise on the quality of one or both modes in order to achieve
both? In other words, how does it achieve both modes ... clever optics,
oversize CCD, cropping in one mode, or what?

I am tending towards this model as it has the 1/5" CCD, but I don't
really have a clue as to whether this makes a noticeable difference.
With 4:3 being more important to me for now would I be better off with
one of the cheaper Sony's with the 1/6" CCD?

Any advice (also suggestions for a better choice of camera) would be
much appreciated. Picture quality is much more important to me than any
other features.

Many thanks in advance,

John

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Nearly all manufacturers offer the manuals to their products for you to read
before buying the product, and in case you lose yours after purchase. At
Sony the address is:
http://www.iq.sony.com/srvs/sosdoc [...] onysupport Type in the
model number (without the ES on the end) and the manual will be presented in
PDF format.

"John D." <jrdnews@hotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1103141204.427833.100800@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Hi,
>
> I'm looking for a budget (under 500 GBP or 1,000 USD) mini DV camcorder
> to replace and improve upon my analog Canon UC9Hi Hi8. I currently use
> a Canopus ADVC-1394 capture card to convert the footage to DV, with
> Let's Edit, Canopus ProCoder and MovieFactory to put it out to DVD. I
> am happy with the results, but am hopeful that I will see a noticeable
> improvement from a good budget mini DV camcorder.
>
> The Sony DCRHC40ES looks promising at around 420 GBP, especially as it
> apparently does true 16:9 widescreen, but it is not clear to me from
> the blurb whether it is capable of doing standard 4:3 as well, which is
> more important to me in the short term. And if it can, does it
> compromise on the quality of one or both modes in order to achieve
> both? In other words, how does it achieve both modes ... clever optics,
> oversize CCD, cropping in one mode, or what?
>
> I am tending towards this model as it has the 1/5" CCD, but I don't
> really have a clue as to whether this makes a noticeable difference.
> With 4:3 being more important to me for now would I be better off with
> one of the cheaper Sony's with the 1/6" CCD?
>
> Any advice (also suggestions for a better choice of camera) would be
> much appreciated. Picture quality is much more important to me than any
> other features.
>
> Many thanks in advance,
>
> John
>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Appreciate your response, but the DCRHC40 manual only mentions 16:9
mode briefly and certainly doesn't go into any detail.

In the absence of this sort of detail, I guess I'm really just looking
for confirmation that this really will be a good upgrade compared to my
Hi8 camcorder, and for any good recommendations for alternatives.

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

A digital camcorder is a good upgrade compared to a Hi8 camera. I have both.
I like the picture quality of the Hi8, but the quality of the digital is
much better.


"John D." <jrdnews@hotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1103214754.103988.317400@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Appreciate your response, but the DCRHC40 manual only mentions 16:9
> mode briefly and certainly doesn't go into any detail.
>
> In the absence of this sort of detail, I guess I'm really just looking
> for confirmation that this really will be a good upgrade compared to my
> Hi8 camcorder, and for any good recommendations for alternatives.
>