Topic: HD miniDV camcorder

[SClassical]

Hi
I'm planning to purchase a new portable HD mini-DV camcorder but don't know which one to get. At the moment the Canon miniDV HV-10 is my preference...BUT...I know it does not have mic-in or audio line-in options, which is a serious problem. It can obviously record it's own machine noise with the in build mics while filming at low noise situations.

Can someone advise me on a good HD mini DV under $850...also portable, which has either mic-in or audio in-line. I plan to use external mics to reduce the machine noise during low noise filming.

[willndmb]

i can't help you at all but damn these things have come down a lot in price since the last time i looked at them, best buy i saw sony hd minidv for 950 yesterday, the last time i looked like 6-7 months ago they were 1500

another 6-12 months they will prob be 600 and sd minidvs will become "dead"
as long as media comes down though - $35 for 2 pack

[SClassical]

I might have found something worth getting .... Has mic-in and under $850

http://www.zoommania.com/2059b001.html

Anyone in this forum used this before?

EDIT: Looks as if it's actually cheaper than I thought:

http://www.bestpricecameras.com/prodetails.aspx?prodid=901938

$769 with free shipping...

EDIT: Actually read that they are scam artist!
http://forums.photographyreview.com/showthread.php?t=10918

[SClassical]

another 6-12 months they will prob be 600 and sd minidvs will become "dead"
as long as media comes down though - $35 for 2 pack

You can actually get media for under $8 each

http://cgi.ebay.com/15x-SONY-HD-HDV-MINI-DV-minidv-dvm63hd-fx-1-8-39-TAPE_W0QQitemZ270108542815QQihZ017QQcategoryZ103407QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000592UIG/ref=dp_olp_2/103-8685714-4273418?ie=UTF8&qid=1176241767&sr=8-3

Free shipping

[wilsonedits]

another 6-12 months they will prob be 600 and sd minidvs will become "dead"

more like another three years... most everything is still SD... not even close to SD being "dead"   hell some program and commmercal dvds are just now getting into 16:9 from 4:3

[hawghunter]

EDIT: Actually read that they are scam artist!
http://forums.photographyreview.com/showthread.php?t=10918

Wow that was a good read, I bought something from one of those companies (J&K Cameras). I didn't have any issues like what they wrote. I think the salesmen was a jag, but I think he thought I was too.
The moral of story is, just be carefull of who you buy from.

[bconnolly]

So in my search for a dealer that will sell me a Canon HV20 at a reasonable price, I've found a few but I'm not sure which ones are decent sellers and which ones are shitty scams.

B&H has it for $1,100 but I was hoping to get it for cheaper.  A quick froogle search reveals plenty of online retailers selling it for $800-$900 but I'm not sure which ones I can trust:

Rite Buys: http://deal.ritebuys.com/viewitem.php?IndexID=58680&RefTag=froogle
FotoConnection: http://www.fotoconnection.com/viewitem.php?IndexID=58622&RefTag=froogle
Zoom Mania: http://www.zoommania.com/2059b001.html
Foto Spirit: http://www.fotospirit.com/showdetails.asp?prodid=2059B001

Are any of these ok to buy from?  I keep thinking the price is too good to be true.

[SClassical]

read this:
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6035_102-0.html%3Bjsessionid=abcPxAIPrsoS94IEY0Vgr?forumID=60&threadID=238651

I realized that a lot of them have strange addresses or do not have an address at all! Best to search for authorized dealers in canon.com...

I was also looking for a place to get the HV20...http://www.zoommania.com/2059b001.html
did not have it in stock...they just advertise their prices online and expect you to call them. Usually they will tell you to buy an extra battery, etc... to add up the price. So the end result's price is like purchasing from a authorized dealer listed in the canon.com website. Some of these websites I read from online reviews that they take your credit card details and use it for fraud activities.

[willndmb]

i would 1st ask BH if they will price match it, you never know

[Josh P]

So in my search for a dealer that will sell me a Canon HV20 at a reasonable price, I've found a few but I'm not sure which ones are decent sellers and which ones are shitty scams.

B&H has it for $1,100 but I was hoping to get it for cheaper.  A quick froogle search reveals plenty of online retailers selling it for $800-$900 but I'm not sure which ones I can trust:

Rite Buys: http://deal.ritebuys.com/viewitem.php?IndexID=58680&RefTag=froogle
FotoConnection: http://www.fotoconnection.com/viewitem.php?IndexID=58622&RefTag=froogle
Zoom Mania: http://www.zoommania.com/2059b001.html
Foto Spirit: http://www.fotospirit.com/showdetails.asp?prodid=2059B001

Are any of these ok to buy from?  I keep thinking the price is too good to be true.

I'm telling you from first hand experience, do not buy camera equipment from anyone online besides BandH.  I would search each website address with "reviews" in google and I'll bet all 4 of those sites you listed will have shitty feedback.

It is WELL worth paying an extra 10-15% from BandH where you know you'll get a brand spankin new quality product.

Or go find a local camera store and they will order anything you want

[bconnolly]

I just ended up ordering it from ZipZoomFly (formerly GoogleGear who I have ordered from a few times in the past). Theirs was ten bucks cheaper than B&H and it had free shipping.

Now to figure out how I'm going to edit this HD footage... I don't know if my AMD 64 3500+ is going to be able to handle it (and I don't even know if Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 can handle 1080i footage).

[taper420]

another 6-12 months they will prob be 600 and sd minidvs will become "dead"
as long as media comes down though - $35 for 2 pack

You can actually get media for under $8 each

http://cgi.ebay.com/15x-SONY-HD-HDV-MINI-DV-minidv-dvm63hd-fx-1-8-39-TAPE_W0QQitemZ270108542815QQihZ017QQcategoryZ103407QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000592UIG/ref=dp_olp_2/103-8685714-4273418?ie=UTF8&qid=1176241767&sr=8-3

Free shipping

Sorry to break the news to you guys, but the whole "HD-miniDV" media is a huge scam.... it's no different than any other mini-dv media. Well except that it's way overpriced and uses grey(relys on your ignorance) marketing . It's kinda like monster cables. I got 5 of the SONY HD-minidv tapes with the sony-fx1, and when they were used I went right to panasonics (with no HD label) and they've been working without a hitch.

[Josh P]

I just ended up ordering it from ZipZoomFly (formerly GoogleGear who I have ordered from a few times in the past). Theirs was ten bucks cheaper than B&H and it had free shipping.

Now to figure out how I'm going to edit this HD footage... I don't know if my AMD 64 3500+ is going to be able to handle it (and I don't even know if Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 can handle 1080i footage).

SICK.  Bring that to EITS and we'll figure it out

[wilsonedits]

i would 1st ask BH if they will price match it, you never know

they don't price match because they sell the items for how much they really cost....

when you are buying electronics that cost 1,000 plus by from a real dealer... the prices others sell for there is no possible way to make the money... so they are selling you used / returned or black market gear....

[bconnolly]

I just ended up ordering it from ZipZoomFly (formerly GoogleGear who I have ordered from a few times in the past). Theirs was ten bucks cheaper than B&H and it had free shipping.

Now to figure out how I'm going to edit this HD footage... I don't know if my AMD 64 3500+ is going to be able to handle it (and I don't even know if Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 can handle 1080i footage).

SICK.  Bring that to EITS and we'll figure it out

That is the plan!  I'm so fucking excited to make some sick video tapes to go with my sick audio tapes.

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPES