Topic: CamCorder Recs: Canon Vixia HF11

[ingsy]

Hey Folks,

I am pretty set on selling my MGs and buying a camcorder...got a newborn on the way.  Although it will be used mostly for family stuff, I would also love to have something I could use at shows.  I was thinking about the Canon HF11:

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=177&modelid=17384

Anyone try this out or have any experience w/ flash based camcorders?  Any suggestions for goodwebsites (like this) but for video cameras?  Thanks

[bluntforcetrauma]

flashcard memory camera?  new born ?  I am not a big fan of flashcard memory, the work flow is not all that great and rendering vid can be a bit of a hassle.  I recommend the vixia HV30 its tape based.  Tapes are still great, and they can be archived, and backed up by hard drive.  I have the HV30 and really like the HD.  PUt a wide angle converter lens along along with external mic and its great.

[ingsy]

flashcard memory camera?  new born ? 

flash card?

newborn is a word though!  Thanks for the recs, I will check that out.

[bluntforcetrauma]

flashcard memory camera?  new born ? 

flash card?

newborn is a word though!  Thanks for the recs, I will check that out.

i was just (?) the reasoning for a flash card camera. Good luck with the newborn.

[Tenn Man]

  Any suggestions for goodwebsites (like this) but for video cameras?  Thanks

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=161

[stantheman1976]

I would also advise against a non-tape based camera, especially if you're using it for family video.  Tape has proven itself for long term storage.  Flash cards, hard drives, and recorded optical media are known to fail and have not been evaluated in real life conditions for storing information for 10-20 years because they have not been around in the current forms for that long.  Tapes have been around for decades and have been proven mostly reliable.  Yes, everything will degrade over time but if you want to watch your child's first birthday party on their tenth birthday tape is going to give you a much higher chance of being able to do that.

As for cameras, I don't have the HV30 but I've read some good opinions of it and the video I've seen is nice.  You may or may not care about high definition but you can still shoot in standard which is sufficient for home movies.

For almost half the price you can get the Panasonic PV-GS320.  It doesn't have as many features as the HV30 but it does have 3CCD's and give a nice SD picture.  It's small and easy to follow a toddler around with.  I can speak from experience.

I would also recommend a UV filter to protect your lens.  They are not expensive and will shield your lens from contaminants(sp?) and damage.  A good wide angle lens makes a difference too.

One more thing.  If you go with a MiniDV camera stick with one brand of tape.  If you use different brands they can leave behind particles and clog the tape heads leading to dropouts on your recording or the dreaded blue lines of death.

[ingsy]

thanks for all the help.

i guess my thoughts for flash based camcorders come from my audio taping experience.  i srarted taping w/ a JB3, but at the time many still ran DATS.  now i usually run a flash recorder (PMD 660) and archive on Hard Drives - it has been reliable and fairly easy.  i think the pros and cons or tape apply to both audio and video, so i assumed the pros and cons of flash applied as well.  but the argument for flash camcorders not being around for a while makes sense...maybe i will re-think it.  flash does have some other nice benefits for camcorders based on what i read (small form factor, better at handling shocks, longer battery life, etc.).  decisions, decisions.  i am gonna spend some time on that avs forum before deciding what to get.  thanks again, i appreciate it.  cheers, ingsy

[stantheman1976]

I understand where you're coming from.  I use 2 iRivers and a Sony D50 so I know the convenience of solid state media.  The main difference is the importance of what you're recording.  The music you pay to see and record is not created by you.  It's not literally a part of you.  The child is.  As a father I can say with confidence that the memories you make with your family will never in a million years top any concert or event you can attend.  That's why I will use a MiniDV camcorder until they are totally dead.  I want to be able to store a tape of my son and not have to worry about having to back it up in multiple places because it could be lost at any time, like a hard drive or recorded DVD can.  Theoretically anything can go bad but how often do you hear about hard drives dying that are a year old?  Just some things to consider.

[phanophish]

I'd argue almost the opposite.  How many issues have you seen long term with old DATs, incompatibility between transports and so on.  The helical scan recording of DAT and the various tape based magnetic media show that there is just no substitute for making archival copies of your data regardless of storage medium.  With a flash based medium you have non linear access to your data, can easily xfer it without wear on your camera and backing it up is as easy as burning a couple of DVDs or making a copy on an extra hard drive.  Blue Ray recording should continue to come down in price and should be a viable option very soon as well. 

I just picked up a new camcorder and went with a Canon HF100, love it so far.