Camcorder.....Video editing....What do i need?

[Jeepzter29]

I was thinking about gettin a camcorder so I can take it out when a go wheelin' and then come back home and transfer it to my computer and just do a little editing with it like adding music to it and all..... But i need your guys help.... I want to know what kind of camcorders you guys use and video editing programs... Thanks

 

[IntrepidXJ]

miniDV camera. transfer to computer with firewire (have a lot of hard drive space). Adobe Premier to edit.

Works well for me.

 

[RichP]

Thats the simplest solution, if you don't have a firewire port on your PC you can get a pci add on card that takes about 2 min to install with XP...pickup and extra hard drive while you are at it.

 

[HeavyMetal]

miniDV camera. transfer to computer with firewire (have a lot of hard drive space). Adobe Premier to edit.

Works well for me.

adobe premiere isnt exactly new user friendly though

sony vegas id say is more straightforward with an easier learning curve

 

[IntrepidXJ]

adobe premiere isnt exactly new user friendly though

it's not hard if you take the time to learn it. i am self taught. only took a weekend to get a good handle on it.

 

[Jeepzter29]

So im thinkin i like this one? seems like it would get the job done

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Sanyo-Xacti-C40-Digital-Video-Camera-VPC-C40-/sem/rpsm/oid/152115/catOid/-13181/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

 

[XJ_ranger]

it's not hard if you take the time to learn it. i am self taught. only took a weekend to get a good handle on it.

this the version i 'got' you?

I didnt think it was hard to understand or use at all.... but I learned on Final Cut Pro...

 

[IntrepidXJ]

this the version i 'got' you?

I didnt think it was hard to understand or use at all.... but I learned on Final Cut Pro...

no.....i started a few years back on version 6.0, and then moved to 6.5. i still haven;t tried the newest one yet

 

[Highlander]

just from the heading.....

roofies
hawt college chicks....

thats what you need!!!

 

[SonomaXJ]

Like the others have said, get a MiniDV camcorder that uses Firewire or USB2.0 to transfer to the hard drive. Stay away from Sony (personal opinion) because they are so proprietary that if you buy one thing Sony they have you by the balls and you have to buy everything else Sony to get it to even work.

I'm not sure if you use a Mac or a PC, but iMovie is great for Mac's to learn non-linear timeline based editing, mainly because it doesn't have a lot of confusing features, it captures the footage easily without you having to know timecodes, and well, it's free. Once you get that down the step up to Final Cut Pro is less painful, and by that time you are going to be itching to get your hands on the new features and control that FCP has over iMovie.

Windows XP, on the other hand, has a terrible "built-in" editor called Windows Movie Maker. While essentially-very essentially- it's the same idea as iMovie, it's poorly executed and can get frustrating with errors during capture or render. There are a few "free" editors you can get for Windows, but I don't have any first-hand experience with them. The two Final-Cut competitors for PC are Adobe Premiere and Avid, both can get pretty pricey though, and are aimed at professional project editing, rather than a quick family or off-road video.

Good luck.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

Like the others have said, get a MiniDV camcorder that uses Firewire or USB2.0 to transfer to the hard drive. Stay away from Sony (personal opinion) because they are so proprietary that if you buy one thing Sony they have you by the balls and you have to buy everything else Sony to get it to even work.

not true. my miniDV camera is sony, and there is nothing else sony that i need to buy to get it to work

 

[HeavyMetal]

not true. my miniDV camera is sony, and there is nothing else sony that i need to buy to get it to work

same here

 

[SonomaXJ]

Sony is known for "creating" their own type of media for their electronics. Minidisc player: Minidiscs. Any type of camera or laptop: Memory Sticks. PSP: PSP discs. More expensive videocameras: DVCAM tapes.

When you get into more expensive equipment, you have to use something Sony to playback a tape recorded on a Sony. For example, if I record a MiniDV tape on a Canon, I can use anything else, including a Sony DV Deck, to capture the footage. If I record a tape on a Sony, whether it be a tiny $500 home-video camcorder, or a $5000 3-CCD prosumer videocamera, I have to use another Sony camera or a Sony Deck to playback/capture the footage. They do this so you have to buy other Sony products if you want to build up your arsenal of video equipment.

You guys that haven't had the problem, and the original poster, probably use the same handheld camera that you shoot with to capture the footage into your computer. Therefore you haven't had to worry about anything, and thats great.

However, if you ever get to the point where you are using multiple cameras for a project and have ten tapes shot on different days with different timecode sheets, you don't use a several thousand dollar camera to capture ten tapes. That needlessly wears out the motors in the camera, and that's why DV Decks are used. They have more robust motors and are made to handle constant playback, fast forward, frame by frame, rewinding, etc. If one needs work it costs less at a repair shop because they don't charge you for bringing in a $5000 camera.

So... long story long, that's fine that you guys haven't had a problem, and the original poster probably won't either for the type of work he's doing. But as I said in my original post, this is my personal opinion against Sony, and I have explained why I use Canon and other brands that are more compatible in the professional world.

 

[reliablestv]

i use the cheapest cam they have available. im real hard on stuff water dust and salt water shorten the life of any electronic device. at present i use a JVC that uses a VHS-C tape no need to buy the expensive cards i just pop in a new $2.oo tape and im on my way. then to download it i use ATI ALL IN WONDER. i can transfer via AV cables just like a vcr

cheap cam if it breaks so what go vidio hardware/software is the way i like to go

 

[DrMoab]

not true. my miniDV camera is sony, and there is nothing else sony that i need to buy to get it to work

X4 or five.
I love Sony stuff and I don't think I have ever had an issue with my Sony equipment not working with others.

TV, Video, stereo...you name it..it all works with other stuff.

 

[DrMoab]

Like the others have said, get a MiniDV camcorder that uses Firewire or USB2.0 to transfer to the hard drive. Stay away from Sony (personal opinion) because they are so proprietary that if you buy one thing Sony they have you by the balls and you have to buy everything else Sony to get it to even work.

I'm not sure if you use a Mac or a PC, but iMovie is great for Mac's to learn non-linear timeline based editing, mainly because it doesn't have a lot of confusing features, it captures the footage easily without you having to know timecodes, and well, it's free. Once you get that down the step up to Final Cut Pro is less painful, and by that time you are going to be itching to get your hands on the new features and control that FCP has over iMovie.

Windows XP, on the other hand, has a terrible "built-in" editor called Windows Movie Maker. While essentially-very essentially- it's the same idea as iMovie, it's poorly executed and can get frustrating with errors during capture or render. There are a few "free" editors you can get for Windows, but I don't have any first-hand experience with them. The two Final-Cut competitors for PC are Adobe Premiere and Avid, both can get pretty pricey though, and are aimed at professional project editing, rather than a quick family or off-road video.

Good luck.

I kindof doubt that if the original poster is asking the question he asked here that he really has to worry about the problems you are talking about.

 

[RichP]

Sony has alot of what I consider nasty stuff going on. Their goal on most of their equipment is to lock you into their products. Do a search on 'root kit' to see what I'm talking about and that just the big one they got caught at. I still have to wipe my daughters tower box to get the sony root kit off, not a high priority item as she now has a new ibm laptop but it has caused all kinds of issues especially with her Ipod [another one that annoys me]....
Sony is the 'main push' behind DRM...

 

[HeavyMetal]

For example, if I record a MiniDV tape on a Canon, I can use anything else, including a Sony DV Deck, to capture the footage. If I record a tape on a Sony, whether it be a tiny $500 home-video camcorder, or a $5000 3-CCD prosumer videocamera, I have to use another Sony camera or a Sony Deck to playback/capture the footage.

actually i capture with the sony and upload using a different camera (canon) on a regular basis, its a relatively new expensive sony handycam. no issues

 

[MyJeepXJ]

I like my Sony too...

Go MiniDV, DV or Digital8 (D8)
Ulead Media Studio Pro

 

[Purple]

quick question,
i bought a sony dv camcorder, i like the quality of movies etc, everything is fine, but....
whenever a camera is hooked up to my projector, or tv, everything is fine, when it is hooked up to my computer and i try to make a movie/copy contents to the HD/burn using the software that came with it, i get a 56k modem quality picture if you know what i mean. i get squares so big on the screen you can barely recognize people.
I went through all the settings , and can't get anything, on the quality setting, i dont see any options. Someone said that its the USB2 port on my cam. WTF is wrong?