DVD Camcorder
- Thread starter Esco!
- Start date
Just a guess....
My guess is that the camera is imported from some other world market (say, an asian country such as India), where Sony has lower price points for their models.
Most likely, the model available at that price is not offered through Sony Canada and won't be covered under Sony Canada warranty.
That doesn't mean it's not a good deal. The failure rate on most Sony products is very low if you take care of them properly. So if the store offers a 30 day warranty, and it doesn't break down, you probably have a good camera.
I bought a Sony micro component system on Yonge St. 16 years ago (when they first came on the market), saved a few hundred bucks and it's still goin' strong.
My guess is that the camera is imported from some other world market (say, an asian country such as India), where Sony has lower price points for their models.
Most likely, the model available at that price is not offered through Sony Canada and won't be covered under Sony Canada warranty.
That doesn't mean it's not a good deal. The failure rate on most Sony products is very low if you take care of them properly. So if the store offers a 30 day warranty, and it doesn't break down, you probably have a good camera.
I bought a Sony micro component system on Yonge St. 16 years ago (when they first came on the market), saved a few hundred bucks and it's still goin' strong.
Sony Mini-DVD HandyCam
I have had this cam for over a year...Model #DCR-DVD 103. 20X Optical, 800 Digital Zoom, LCD Display, RW, I have never had a problem with this Cam, I use it for my sons hockey games (not quite as fast as the NHL but still good quality), use it for still photos as well and great pics. It is about 2 years old now and original List price was around $900 I think.
There is one feature that I hadn't expected tho... Prior to going to DVD I was using Digital Tape Handycam by Sony, if I didn't like what I had recorded I would simply rewind the tape and re-record over top of the previous scene, simple right....well with the DVD-RW in video mode you do not have that option. This means if you don't like one scene and wish to get rid of it you must wash the entire disk clean and risk losing good stuff. The camera does have VR mode which allows you to Edit in the camera, and while I haven't used this mode when recording I am presuming this mode will allow you to re-record over a scene just shot without having to wipe the entire disk. But, the drawback is that in VR mode the disk does not have the ability to be played on ALL DVD devices! So you have to make your choice about which mode to record in.
DVD is better than tape for storing images of course. The mini-DVDs can store up to 50 minutes on one disc (the 30 minute rating x 2 in reality translates to about 50 minutes.) Battery life is about 115 minutes in normal viewfinder mode but about half that for LCD mode so you need to buy 1 or 2 extra batteries. (I think batteries for this model run about $90).
Hopes this Helps
Dave
I have had this cam for over a year...Model #DCR-DVD 103. 20X Optical, 800 Digital Zoom, LCD Display, RW, I have never had a problem with this Cam, I use it for my sons hockey games (not quite as fast as the NHL but still good quality), use it for still photos as well and great pics. It is about 2 years old now and original List price was around $900 I think.
There is one feature that I hadn't expected tho... Prior to going to DVD I was using Digital Tape Handycam by Sony, if I didn't like what I had recorded I would simply rewind the tape and re-record over top of the previous scene, simple right....well with the DVD-RW in video mode you do not have that option. This means if you don't like one scene and wish to get rid of it you must wash the entire disk clean and risk losing good stuff. The camera does have VR mode which allows you to Edit in the camera, and while I haven't used this mode when recording I am presuming this mode will allow you to re-record over a scene just shot without having to wipe the entire disk. But, the drawback is that in VR mode the disk does not have the ability to be played on ALL DVD devices! So you have to make your choice about which mode to record in.
DVD is better than tape for storing images of course. The mini-DVDs can store up to 50 minutes on one disc (the 30 minute rating x 2 in reality translates to about 50 minutes.) Battery life is about 115 minutes in normal viewfinder mode but about half that for LCD mode so you need to buy 1 or 2 extra batteries. (I think batteries for this model run about $90).
Hopes this Helps
Dave
DVD cameras are a WAAAYYY bad idea.
Just think...
A portable cd player skips, even with anti-shock capability, it still has to interpret that data to read the audio in the event of movement.
A DVD spins at a much higher rate, with a MUCH smaller laser, and the stream contains much much more data. The chances for corruption of the data write process alone is enough to stay away from the DVD camcorders.
Secondly, the expected quality of DVD is only possible when using the disc's write speed at a normal 30 minute rate. The resolution is the same, but the compression kicks in at the 60 minute rate, and your video could under certain circumstances, look like webstreaming video. You don't wanna know what will happen if you want to record anything with high detail and a wide colour palatte. Think Lego-look. MiniDV has no such artifacting in high data rate scenes as previously described as it does not need to "think about" what it just saw and then write it to the disc.
On top of that, the MPEG compression of DVD format video was never really intended for editing. I will leave the mind numbing technical details out and say that editing the MPEG files is somewhat the equivalent to making a copy of a copy, the copying it once more to get your final video. The data has to go through several compression scemes on its way in and out, and at each step it gains more artifacts... not good. The MiniDV format has mush better compression schemes at work. The format was intended for editing, and the end result product is almost entirely accurate thruout the process.
Another issue is blank media availability. You can walk into almost any typical corner store and find MiniDV tapes.
I wholeheartedly reccomend the MiniDV tape format for consumer use.
And BTW, I do video and film editing/shooting for a living... not sayin' that I am "all that" I'm just giving my perspective on it here.
<<edit: broke up some paragraphs>>
Just think...
A portable cd player skips, even with anti-shock capability, it still has to interpret that data to read the audio in the event of movement.
A DVD spins at a much higher rate, with a MUCH smaller laser, and the stream contains much much more data. The chances for corruption of the data write process alone is enough to stay away from the DVD camcorders.
Secondly, the expected quality of DVD is only possible when using the disc's write speed at a normal 30 minute rate. The resolution is the same, but the compression kicks in at the 60 minute rate, and your video could under certain circumstances, look like webstreaming video. You don't wanna know what will happen if you want to record anything with high detail and a wide colour palatte. Think Lego-look. MiniDV has no such artifacting in high data rate scenes as previously described as it does not need to "think about" what it just saw and then write it to the disc.
On top of that, the MPEG compression of DVD format video was never really intended for editing. I will leave the mind numbing technical details out and say that editing the MPEG files is somewhat the equivalent to making a copy of a copy, the copying it once more to get your final video. The data has to go through several compression scemes on its way in and out, and at each step it gains more artifacts... not good. The MiniDV format has mush better compression schemes at work. The format was intended for editing, and the end result product is almost entirely accurate thruout the process.
Another issue is blank media availability. You can walk into almost any typical corner store and find MiniDV tapes.
I wholeheartedly reccomend the MiniDV tape format for consumer use.
And BTW, I do video and film editing/shooting for a living... not sayin' that I am "all that" I'm just giving my perspective on it here.
<<edit: broke up some paragraphs>>
good info...thanks all...I skimmed over that ad as well...
but will definitely pass on dvd camcorders...I have one of those handheld all screen samsungs circa 1998 and it works just fine...battery is a little wack but it may be the charger...
and crap...batteries are too expensive...the back up energizer cost me 90 bucks and won't charge properly...
but will definitely pass on dvd camcorders...I have one of those handheld all screen samsungs circa 1998 and it works just fine...battery is a little wack but it may be the charger...
and crap...batteries are too expensive...the back up energizer cost me 90 bucks and won't charge properly...
Millennium 3000 is a store that seems to buy surplus or going out of business goods. They are located in the 404/Steeles area. They have a big room where they stack boxes of equipment. No frills and display, and thus offer low prices compared to the standard retailers.
The catch is that their warranty is very limited, usually 30 days and do not offer extended warranty.
As an example, they recently advertized an iPod Nano 4Ghz for $229 (normal price $300). I considered buying it, but declined because of the warranty. The failure rate of the Nano is quite high, and I would not chance it without the extended warranty.
I took the ad from the Sun to Best Buy, and thru to their policy they let me have it for the same price, less 7% of the GST.
From that saving I was able to buy a 3 year extended warranty. Not a bad deal.
The catch is that their warranty is very limited, usually 30 days and do not offer extended warranty.
As an example, they recently advertized an iPod Nano 4Ghz for $229 (normal price $300). I considered buying it, but declined because of the warranty. The failure rate of the Nano is quite high, and I would not chance it without the extended warranty.
I took the ad from the Sun to Best Buy, and thru to their policy they let me have it for the same price, less 7% of the GST.
From that saving I was able to buy a 3 year extended warranty. Not a bad deal.
Don't get a DVD camcorder. The image is compressed more than a MiniDV camera and if, for some reason, you want to edit the footage in the future it's much more difficult. The MiniDV quality is better, easier to use, and out there for a comparable price.Esco! said:
