HDD Camcorder Vs DVD Camcorder

[kumar shinde]

Hello Ranchers ,

I am little confused . I need your help . I want to buy a camcorder .

But, while purchasing the shop owners confused me with HDD and DVD camcorders They all told me the following thing :

DVD camcorder :
Advantages:
It shoots and directly writes in on DVD in camcorder
Video quality is excellent.
Disadvantages:
Limitation is disc space (about 1 gb) and time (recording upto 30 minutes)

HDD camcorde
Advantages:
30 gb harddisc . we can shoot for about 4 to 5 hours .
Disadvantages:
limitation is reduced video quality and we need to transfer data on computer and then write it on CD or DVD

For both HDD and DVD Camcorders we need battery backup (for longer duration of shooting).


Now I need your help and suggestions .

I mainly need camcorders when I go to trek . Rather I would say i dont need camcorder for some home functions or parties. I need it for shooting beautiful scenarios of nature and trekking only.

I hope there are many good and expert people in photography as well as techies in case of camcorders in our Javaranch Family .

So , please suggest me a good camcorder ( DVD or HDD)

Thanks ,
Kumar

[Mark Spritzler]

Yep, those are the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Depending on your recording speed the DVD versions will be limited.

The HDD for me is nice because not only do I want to get the video onto DVD, but I also want to post them onto my Youtube account. So those two take different formats. If I had the DVD portion, the recording length is too much of a limitation for me, and I would have to convert the DVD to Mpeg4. Whereas I assume that the HDD camcorder records in MPeg4. Which in that case, I have to convert to DVD format. Which I do already with my MiniDV camcorder. But with MiniDV, I have an extra step of getting the video from the camera onto the computer. Then convert that video from avi to MPeg4, and then MPeg4 to DVD if I want it on DVD.

So I like the HDD Solution because that last part is just a copy and paste away from Camcorder to Computer Hard Drive. I don't mind the MPeg to DVD conversion because I can run those while I sleep.

I hope that helps.

So how long are your treks? What do you want to do with the videos, just DVDs, or do you plan to post them online?

Mark

[kumar shinde]

Thank you very much Mark Spritzler for the suggestions .

Actually I go for trek regulary round the year except summer (here in Pune its very hot during summer ). I do not generally make DVD ... but yes I do post the videos and make CD's .

I have decided that HDD Camcorder may be best option for me coz i can t shoot continuosly for longer time without stopping... I can ttransfer the data onto computer . So I think HDD is best deal...

Now I need to search for some good high end camcorders specifically for treks .... If you know any good HDD Camcorders please suggest...

Thanks & Regards,
Kumar

[Mark Spritzler]

Kumar, I completely agree with your assessment.

I think the HDD camcorder will serve you better, it will save you some time, in getting it onto your computer, and also one less conversion from API to MPeg4. You will be able to take the file from the Camcorder and post them online quicker, and then use a program to burn the DVD.

I think all the HDD camcorders are actually a better quality than my MiniDV, and I have always liked Sony's Camcorders, but I also hate the proprietariness of Sony. Anyway, here are some reviews I found http://www.camcorderinfo.com/d/Reviews&level_b=Camcorder&level_c=HD.htm

Good Luck.

Mark

[Manish Hatwalne]

Well, reviving old thread instead of searching a new thread (to prove that I used search before posting here ;)); the question is still the same but I have some additional doubts about usage and I think someone using these camcorders can help me. Moreover, lot of things change in the span of 2 years on terms of technology and its limitations, so I'd appreciate new inputs with contemporary technologies.

I am also having a bit tough time deciding between an HDD based camcorder and DVD based camcorder. I am considering Sony handycams at this point, but open to other suggestions. I'll be buying this camera in India.

The top-end DVD camera comes with 60x optical zoom and 800k pixels resolution. It is priced around 21,000 INR (450 USD)
The HDD camera has few of options -- 1.3 MP with 25x zoom and 80 GB HDD. It costs around 30,000 INR (roughly 700 USD)
The other HDD camera comes with 800K pixels with 60x zoom and 60 GB HDD priced a bit lower (I don't remember it now).

The higher mega pixels have lesser optical zoom, I want good zoom level though. Then I have doubts regarding usage of HDD and DVD. In case of HDD, if I have heard that they have higher chances of failure due to vibrations and jerks, as they are after all magnetic storage devices. Moreover, if I go on vacation/holidays I will need to carry my laptop with me to transfer the stuff from HDD to Laptop. In case of DVD, I'll need to carry lots of them as one DVD seems to record only 30 mins or so so I will need to carry lot of DVDs with me. Which is a better idea?

What are your inputs? Any other practical problems with these two? Any clear reason why one should be preferred over another? Money is not an issue, but I'd like to understand first which one suits my requirements the most. Also, any particular brand+model recommendations?

[chetan deol]

You can have a look at these cameras.

[Manish Hatwalne]

chetan dhumane wrote:You can have a look at these cameras.

Well, I don't see anything there!

[chetan deol]

You may use this sony's camera

[Manish Hatwalne]

Any other inputs based on my query above?

[chetan deol]

Try googling