Thread: What video camera do you use?

I've been thinking about picking up a relatively inexpensive video camera, mostly to put together some tutorial type videos. Since that is really all I think I'd use the camera for, I'd like to keep the price on the lower end. But I don't want to buy something that's junk.

I was wondering what you guys who have done videos (or anyone else who knows anything about such cameras) use/recommend.

Thus far, I have been considering the Kodak Zi8, because it looks pretty good and is on sale for $70 at OfficeMax.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I'd like to keep the price on the lower end. But I don't want to buy something that's junk.

Then I wouldn't get a $70 one. It'll work, but it'll probably be junk. But how "junk" it is depends highly on how much you demand of such an item. As a photographer and tech junkie in general I demand quite a lot from the items I purchase, thus why I do my research and try to get the best that I can with the money I have(partly why I ended up here haha). But for you that $70 Kodak which I assume is an HD pocket cam of sorts may be just what you need.

The most important factors in image quality whether it's still photography or video is the size of the imaging sensor and the quality of the lens. The problem with these pocket cams is that the sensors are pretty tiny usually, even for a video camera. Then on top of that they're 1080p; cramming all those pixels in such a small sensor makes for more image noise, or "grain" as some may call it. But the small, usually lower quality optics(lens) of these also affect the quality of the image. The lens is directly influential of the resolution and overall sharpness of the image. The better(usually means bigger, more complex construction) the lens the sharper, more defined the image will look.

That's basically a small primer on image quality. You didn't ask for it, but there you have it If you want your videos to look their best you may want to invest in a better camcorder, especially if you'll be recording stuff like honing where the clearer the image is the easier it is for us the viewers to see what you're trying to show/demonstrate, e.g. creating a slurry of the proper thickness.

It's up to you. In general you want to stick with the top brands of camcorders if you want quality, i.e. Sony, Canon, Panasonic.

Yea, I've been into photograhpy for years, so I have some background with optics and sensors. This one has a 5mp sensor and can do 1080.

To put the price into perspective, it's normal prices is more like $100-$120.

And also keep in mind it'll pretty much be for youtube videos. I'm not really sure, but I think youtube quality will be a bigger limiting factor than the camera.

I did look into just getting a smartphone, but as my post in the conversation indicates, I think the prices for the plans are INSANE.

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btw, did you look at it? what would you suggest instead?

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Yea, I've been into photograhpy for years, so I have some background with optics and sensors. This one has a 5mp sensor and can do 1080.

To put the price into perspective, it's normal prices is more like $100-$120.

And also keep in mind it'll pretty much be for youtube videos. I'm not really sure, but I think youtube quality will be a bigger limiting factor than the camera.

I did look into just getting a smartphone, but as my post in the conversation indicates, I think the prices for the plans are INSANE.

Ah, then you already know what I'm talking about. You're right about the Youtube thing, even with their new HD options they still compress the videos quite a lot. Another option is to use a DSLR that does video and use that, if you don't already have one of course, but I doubt it since you're looking for a camcorder.

nope, rockin the d70s

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

nope, rockin the d70s

Ah. Well, if you're only uploading to Youtube an HD pocketcam may do fine. What sucks though is that they're fixed focus and I'm pretty sure they don't offer any manual control.