Mini DV questions and thoughts.

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I am on a budget of $1,300 and I need to weigh my options and find out what the best deal is on a mini dv camerecorder and at the best quality.



I was looking at the Canon ZR-25 and it seems good but the Canon Elura better but it is the highest I will pay or a camecorder.



My question: What is better or the difference between the specs on the ZR-25 and Elura regarding the Optical and Digital Zoom Length?



The ZR-25 is 10x Optical and 200x Digital.



The Elura is 10x Optical and 40x Digital.



Anything else important to look for? What would you do?



[ 02-20-2002: Message edited by: Macintosh ]</p>

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    The difference between 40x digital and 200x digital is meaningless in practical terms. If you zoom the optical zoom all the way in, it looks sharp. If you zoom in a bit more with the digital zoom, all it does is blow up some of the pixels an additional 2x or 4x or whatever, so the picture starts to look like crap. Your CCD is the same size, and since the lens' optical zoom is maxed out, digital zoom is just a gimmick beyond the most limited amount.



    If you need to see what I mean, check out any DV camcorder and look at the picture (not in the viewfinder, but on a real TV) at maximum digital zoom. It looks like sh!t even at 40x, let alone more than that! It's just a bunch of blurry, glitchy floating pixels.
  • Reply 1 of 16
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    [quote]Originally posted by Macintosh:

    <strong>I am on a budget of $1,300 and I need to weigh my options and find out what the best deal is on a mini dv camerecorder and at the best quality.



    I was looking at the Canon ZR-25 and it seems good but the Canon Elura better but it is the highest I will pay or a camecorder.



    My question: What is better or the difference between the specs on the ZR-25 and Elura regarding the Optical and Digital Zoom Length?



    The ZR-25 is 10x Optical and 200x Digital.



    The Elura is 10x Optical and 40x Digital.



    Anything else important to look for? What would you do?



    [ 02-20-2002: Message edited by: Macintosh ]</strong><hr></blockquote>





    1.) I would strongly reccomend the Sony TRV-17 (or the model above that) over the canon's. The Sony's are really nice, have bigger LCDs, I think better battery options, and are arguably better rounded. They also are a tad bit beefier. Not much but enough to make it a little easier to keep steady



    2.) forget about digital zoom. it sucks. don't use that as something to base your purchase on
  • Reply 3 of 16
    I was under the impression that Sony doesnt hold a candle to Canon? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">
  • Reply 4 of 16
    What about the DCR-TRV30 compared to the TRV17 and Canon Elura?
  • Reply 5 of 16
    Well? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">
  • Reply 6 of 16
    <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
  • Reply 7 of 16
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    [quote]Originally posted by Macintosh:

    <strong>I was under the impression that Sony doesnt hold a candle to Canon? :confused: </strong><hr></blockquote>



    what gace you that impression?



    the TRV-30 is the one above the TRV-17. Like I said, either one is great. Go to a store and try them both out and a canon. and buy the one that you like best and that fits what you want to pay
  • Reply 8 of 16
    But for the minimal differences which would you suggest?
  • Reply 9 of 16
    I have quite a few Canon cameras - Two Rebel Gs (35mm film camera), S20 (digital still), and an XL1 (DV) - and they're all great. I've also had several Sony analog video cameras...one the viewfinder fell off, the other had lots of problems with the lens.



    I've dropped all my Canon cameras and they all work fine. I need to stop dropping things though.
  • Reply 10 of 16
    XL1 is what its about, I used one for a film class I was in and if I $4,000 to blow I probably buy a GL1 and be just as happy
  • Reply 11 of 16
    this is a terrible idea so don't do it:



    if i were looking for a really really good camera for 1300$ i would stalk sony dcr-vx1000 ' s and 2000's on ebay for several weeks,



    find a seller with outstanding feedback who is the original owner of the camera,



    and buy it for less than 1300$.

    [maybe 1000$ for the vx1000]

    sony dcr-vx1000 (and 2000) is a 3ccd mini-dv camera with very high image quality. the trv-1000 is not a perfect camera. it has it's drawbacks: no lcd screen, audio is 32 khz, etc.



    the main danger in buying a used camera is that it will crap out on you in some way shortly after paying some huge amount of money for it and then you are screwed.

    new cameras have warranties, used cameras usually don't.



    if this risky idea sounds appealing to you make sure you do your homework on the equipment first. go out and find one somewhere that you can put your hands on to make sure that you like the feel of it.

    <a href="http://www.dvformat.com/2001/08_aug/features/dldveditupdated.htm"; target="_blank">http://www.dvformat.com/2001/08_aug/features/dldveditupdated.htm</a>;



    <a href="http://www.camcorderinfo.com/"; target="_blank">http://www.camcorderinfo.com/</a>;





    <a href="http://www.dvspot.com/reviews/cameraList.php"; target="_blank">http://www.dvspot.com/reviews/cameraList.php</a>;



    <a href="http://desktopvideo.about.com/cs/dvcamcorders/"; target="_blank">http://desktopvideo.about.com/cs/dvcamcorders/</a>;



    <a href="http://www.dvformat.com/2001/08_aug/features/dldveditupdated.htm"; target="_blank">http://www.dvformat.com/2001/08_aug/features/dldveditupdated.htm</a>;



    [ 02-21-2002: Message edited by: killboy ]</p>
  • Reply 12 of 16
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    Macintosh I'm just wondering what the appeal of spending so much on a DV camera is.



    usually something like a camcorder is a "family purchase". If I were you I wouldn't blow my savings on a camcorder. Your parents aren't willing to chip in at all.



    Just seems like a lot of money to spend on a camera that I'm guessing will not see constant use.



    unless of course you are interested in film and all (like me) but if your not and just want it for a hobby why not go something cheaper like the low end canons or a digital8 sony which is great quality
  • Reply 13 of 16
    go to the local best buy and hold and look at the canon and sony...i really thought the sony was better built and more solid...if you can afford the trv 30, get it...i bought the 17 because there wasn't much difference except the 30 is a megapixel camcorder...but i plan to get a digital camera anyways....



    reviews here: <a href="http://www.dvspot.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=7"; target="_blank">review page</a>



    price seach here:

    <a href="http://dvspot.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=446815/ut=8118eefa57bbcb62/"; target="_blank">price search</a>



    and for the trv-30

    <a href="http://www.dvspot.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=8"; target="_blank">review</a>



    and the canon

    <a href="http://www.dvspot.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=24"; target="_blank">canon review</a>



    look at the cameras and try them out...i like a slightly larger camcorder (still tiny compared to the VHS camcorders i had just out of college) and it is more stable to film with...and the sony has more metal while the canon has more plastic...g
  • Reply 14 of 16
    of course this is what you really want:



    <a href="http://www.dvspot.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=58"; target="_blank">gls</a>



    <a href="http://www.canondv.com/gl1/index.html"; target="_blank">web page</a>



    price is more though:

    <a href="http://dvspot.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=246230/ut=8118eefa57bbcb62/"; target="_blank">prices</a>



    or this---what i really want as my next camcorder (ie..when i win the lottery and get a PM G5 with dual 24" cinema screens)



    <a href="http://www.canondv.com/xl1s/index.html"; target="_blank">my dream camcorder</a>





    guess i'll be sticking to my trv-17 for a while...g
  • Reply 15 of 16
    trowatrowa Posts: 176member
    In terms of the 1 CCD miniDV cams the Sony TRV30 is the best of the bunch. If you can wait a little longer the Sony PC120 (the successor to the PC110) will be released shortly. It will have the exact same specs as the TRV30, but in a smaller package (and bluetooth).



    I agree with applenut though in that if you are not serious about Film/Video then I do not recommend you spend that much money on a camera. If you know that is what you want to do, then I also recommend you check out the Sony TRV900 it is a 3 CCD camera and although an older model still produces very clean video. It is about $200 to $300 more than your stated budget.



    If you want to know more about DV cameras check out dv.com's forums. It is a really nice community and the people who frequent those boards are highly knowledgable, and would answer any questions you may have.



    be careful about buying your camera online. Some resellers sell black market or used equipment. before you purchase from an online reseller ask one of the members in the dv.com "cameras" forum to see if they are reputable. Unfortunately <a href="http://www.resellerratings.com,"; target="_blank">http://www.resellerratings.com,</a>; which used to rate online resellers has been taken down. So just make sure you buy from a place you can trust, and has a good return policy.





    - trowa
  • Reply 16 of 16
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    BTW Canon has announced and update to their ZR line. They now have the ZR 40,45 and 50. They all now have 18x optical zoom. I'm looking at buying the ZR40 this summer. I like the TRV 17 but it's a little more than I want to spend right now I have a Home Theater to build <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
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