Sony DVD camcorder
 

anyone shooting with the Sony DCR-DVD301 DVD Camcorder? I was thinking of getting one and was curious how the DVD authoring process works, easy to use, etc.

any feedback is appreciated thanks

Is that a model that records directly to a DVD in MPEG-2?

If so, I'd worry about the video quality if you needed to manipulate the recording such that it had to get decoded and recoded.

If you're interested in editing, etc, I'd recommend a DV cammie. The DVD camcorder is nice for those who want to shoot and play, but you're recording at a lower resolution. And if you're going to edit and burn onto a full size DVD, why bother with the mini-DVD as a first step?

interesting point. I'm on a Mac with iMovie and the like so I may want to be doing some editing

can someone recommend a good DV then?

I just bought the HC85 last month and so far I love it.

thats a sony?

Yes - DCR-HC85

I was really excited about the DVD-cams when they were announced a few years back but was disappointed to find they only captured 680 pixel video.

Anyone with a 680 pixel camera (mini dv or DVD) unhappy with results after DVD conversion or direct playback on screen?

I've been thinking of upgrading from the Canon ZR series camera I have but I find most cameras under $1500 don't exceed the 680 pixels my current Canon has.

By "680 pixel" do you mean 680 lines of resolution?

I don't think he does. I think he means the pixels of the CCD.

MIne is :

1/3.6" 2.1 Mega-Pixel CCD 2,110k Pixels
Actual Video Pixels 1,080k
Actual Still Pixels 1,920k

MIne then produces 530 Horizontal Lines of Resolution

680 pixels sure wouldn't give you much of a picture, it would be around 26 x 26 pixels. Maybe he meant 680 x something pixels

For Example - From the Canon ZR90 specifications:

Imaging Device - 1/6-inch CCD, approx. 680,000 pixels, Effective pixels: tape approx. 340,000 pixels card approx. 447,000 pixels

Horizontal Resolution - 525 Lines

What unit do you have?

I'm very happy with the size of my ZR20 I take it every where and it is very easy to handle. During Birthdays and Holidays I often take photos and video at the same time.

Tape play back direct to TV is good enough but so far I haven't been happy with any of my past efforts converting to VCD or more recently DVD.
My hope is to convert DV tapes to presumably more durable DVD but if it reduces the image then what is the point.

Anyone here currently converting MiniDV to DVD?

As posted above I have the Sony DCR-HC85. I have had it only a month and only made 2 tapes. 25 minutes at the zoo before I got an extra battery and 45 minutes at a pro cherity golf tournament. Running through the camera to the TV the tapes look professional quality on my Sony HDTV. I transfered both tapes to the new external hard drive I bought because of buying the video camera and lacking in available hard drive space. I also just bought a DVD burner and when I get the chance plan on making DVD's out of both. It should not reduce the image, it should be full screen unless you have a wide screen mode on the camera and use it while shooting.

ooops I missed your other post. Thanks for the info….

I've yet to watch any video direct to my Sony Plasma .... I don't know why.
I'm at that point in my kids lives that I shoot much more than I watch.

Perhaps next year the 2048k pixel units (video) will be down around $1k... if so I'll likely upgrade.

Lots of good info to help me decide, thanks guys

In case you didn't pick up on it...

I vote for buying a unit with more pixels... i.e none of the current DVD Cam units that I've looked at.


Good Luck! I hope you enjoy what ever toy you buy!

I did gather that. What is the current price ranges for the 2048 models and do you have a fave? And are you talking video stills? I wont be using it for stills

I'm kinda checking out this Sony:

http://www7.ritzcamera.com/product/13166901

I won't be upgrading this year but I have looked at that Sony. Look and feel is good enough but I didn't go so far as to tape some and take it home.

Other than that unit I haven't come up with much else. If you come across some other units that bring the compact size of the Sony and the higher resolution let me know because I want to take a look at it.

I will not use it for still photos (this year I bought a new D-SLR).

Here is Canon's Optura 400 which is a good middle ground MiniDV for $663

Canon ZR 85 MiniDV ($329) "340k Effective Pixels"

Canon Optura 400 ($663) "Effective Pixels for Video: 1,230k"

The Sony DCR-PC350 ($966 and up) "Actual Video Pixels: 2,048k"