I have narrowed down my choice to two :
1> http://www.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL026782
2> http://www.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL026783
I need to be able to take pics with this camcorder too. Now both these cams can take pics, but the second one takes them on a card and hence I assume has a higher resolution (?). Am, I getting something really better going with #2 or is #1 good enough ?
All help appreciated.
Usually camcorder photos suck as far as quaility is concerned. They are made to do videos, not photos. You might do better if you find your camera on amazon.com or epionions.com & find out what people who bought it have to say.
Andy,
I have a Sony TRV-17. It’s a MiniDV camcorder and it’s great. This year’s model, the TRV-18 is less expensive.
Go to http://groups.google.ca/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&group=rec.video.desktop to search the rec.video.desktop newsgroup. That’s where I did my research when shopping around for a camcorder.
You may also want to consider the Canon ZR series. I think they are at the ZR-45 now. From what I had read, it was almost as good as the Sony TRV series. The only diff was that he Sony’s performed better in low light. That may not be a hard rule, though.
Unless you get a great deal, I would stay away from anything other than Sony or Canon. Again, this is the consensus I found on the newsgroups.
As for still pics, don’t expect much. The resolution for pics on my TRV-17 is only 640x480. And because there is no built-in flash, pictures indoors pretty much suck. You can buy a camcroder light/flash from Sony for about $200 or so. It’s worth it if you film indoors a lot.
Keep in mind that there are two ways to get a still image when using a digital video camera:
1/ In “still camera mode”, tell everyone to say cheese and click the capture button. The image is saved onto a flash-based card (eg, Memory Stick, CompactFlash, etc.).
2/ In “Video” mode, simply videotape like normal. Then, we you transfer your footage to your PC, simply “grab a frame”. Since you’ll have thousands of frames to choose from, you should be able to find one that looks good.
There is no difference in the quality of the image between method #1 and #2. The only way #1 would be better than #2 is if you added that flash from Sony. Then, when you press the “capture button”, the flash would light up the people and the picture quality would be a lot better. But, w/o that flash, there is absolutely no difference.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
P.S. Also check out http://www.dvspot.com for camcorder reviews. They have a neat feature where you can compare three models side by side in a table.
Resolution is determined by the CCD, not the storage media. Since both cameras appear to have the same CCD, both will output the same reolution. And since the CCD listed is not a very hi-res one, your still pictures will not turn out that great. And you’ll need a flash.
I was in a similar situation a couple of years ago. I wanted to be able to shoot video and take pictures with the same camera. I ended up getting a Sony DCR-TRV20, which is a good camcorder but a so-so still camera. Digital still cameras are available now that also take short amounts of video (with sound), and they can be had with hi-res CCDs, 2 megapixels and above. And they’re cheaper than a comparable camcorder, and smaller. If you really want to take digital still pictures and only occasionally need video, I would suggest looking at Fujitsu, Canon or Kodak, all of which offer 2 megapixel cameras that shoot video with sound.
I just went through the process of evaluating DV cams, and found it one of the most difficult consumer decisions I ever made – up there with buying a new car.
My qualifications: I outfitted and ran a small DV studio for an ISP. We bought a JVC camera.
That you’re looking at two JVC cameras as final choices suggests that your selection criteria isn’t refined enough. The chances are very good that one of your top choices should be a Sony or a Canon. Having been a “power” JVC user, I don’t recommend them, particularly.
Here’s a site that seems to have quite a lot of useful buying information in one place:
http://www.colinbarrett.com/simplyBB/viewforum.php?forum=1&698
Thank you all for the helpful responses.