Topic: Wanting to purchase camcorder for taping concerts

[Hot-Cross]

Hey everyone, I'm new around here.

So I plan on purchasing a camcorder relatively soon, specifically, MiniDV.  I want to kep the price rang close to $300, so I guess I am going for the most bang for my buck.

I am hoping to picksomething up with fairly good picture quality and sound.  I know I might be expecting too much for this price, but any help would be appreciated.

I'm wanting to make DVD's out of the live gigs to be used to trade other collector's online at sites such as Etree.

Thanks!

[Hot-Cross]

I'm thinking about the Panasonic PV-GS320...I also hear it has a mic input.

I know someone on Youtube who has a Panasonic PV-GS150, ad he's recorded some really good videos.  Here is an example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vex7zoYPZVM

Does this camera seem like a decent choice?

Thanks again.

[sullen]

GS 320 is a fab camera.

You can't go wrong with that for your budget.

[Hot-Cross]

Thanks for the reply.

I had my information wrong...the GS320 has no mic input, it's the GS300 that does.  How is the sound quality and pickup at concerts for the GS320?

[sullen]

Thought they both did.
Maybe not.


I use the gs500 mainly, so i can only comment on that, but they were all part of the same product line, so chances are their audio circuitry is similar or the same.

I always run the headphone out on my DAT into the mic in on the DV cam, the result is always excellent.

While the 500 does have gain control (assuming the 320/300 does too), even to it's lowest setting, if youre taping loud gigs, youre prob going to need something in between the mics to help your signal down a bit so it dosen't distort.

That being said, you have everything setup properly, the panasonic 3ccd dv cams will give you some of the best audio and video of standard definition dv cams in concert settings.

[Hot-Cross]

No, only the GS300 has a mic inpute.  Knowing this, and also that the only device I will be using at a concert is the camcorder itself, would it be wiser to purchase the GS320 with no mic input, not knowing quite how well its sound output is, or should I go for the GS300 which will allow me to purchase a better mic if need be?  Other members may respond and let me know their opinions as well!

[Jimna]

if i was starting over buying a cam i would get a sony pc-100.  if budget is an issue, used would be fine.  they seem to pull some of the best footage ive seen so far, although i havent seen the mentioned panasonic cams, i have a panasonic that im very unhappy with.  very obvious difference in quality to the sony as we mixed it with my buddys pc-100.  so obvious that we ended up using minimal footage i shot.

food for thought

[sullen]

This is why ill always recomend Panny cams, and can sound like a panasonic salesman when people ask me about them.

GS500 in depeche mode (good lighting, but a good example of it handling a strobe here too)













GS500 filming Mogwai (VERY VERY Low blues, what they play under equates to about candlelight)




I don't have anymore screens of my work online, but this quality is a constant with the panny 3ccds.

The 300/320 are very similar cams, the 500 is just a bit better.
I have a freind in europe that shoots with a 320 and we do the same tours and his results are very close to mine.

[Jimna]

wow!  thats awesome!  i guess mine is just a crap model.  very unhappy w/ mine.   

[Hot-Cross]

Very nice examples, thanks!

Deciding between the 300 or 320, does your friend with the 320 have any complaints about the mic and sound quality of the camera?  I just don't want to buy this one, only to realize that I should have purchased the 300 for the mic input.

Thanks so much for your help thus far.

[sullen]

wow!  thats awesome!  i guess mine is just a crap model.  very unhappy w/ mine.   

Yes, pannys vary greatly, but the 3ccd line is fab.

Very nice examples, thanks!

Deciding between the 300 or 320, does your friend with the 320 have any complaints about the mic and sound quality of the camera?  I just don't want to buy this one, only to realize that I should have purchased the 300 for the mic input.

Thanks so much for your help thus far.

Honestly haven't spoken to him in a longtime and lost his email.
And he used to sync to external dat sources so really didnt comment or mess with the incam audio.

My advice would be to get the mic input, it's never a bad thing, your def going to want it unless youre into editing and putting an audio track into it in post.

Personally i just want to watch my videos on tv and not worry about massive editing, so i use the mic input all the time and would never buy a cam without one.

Most, probably all, dv cams were not designed to handle 100+db of audio with the built in mic.

[greatape]

Very nice examples, thanks!

Deciding between the 300 or 320, does your friend with the 320 have any complaints about the mic and sound quality of the camera?  I just don't want to buy this one, only to realize that I should have purchased the 300 for the mic input.

Thanks so much for your help thus far.

I have a GS300.  I'm quite happy with the video quality but I must warn you the onboard mics are not very good.  I've never even tried using the mic input so I can't comment on its quality.  I run audio independently to my iRiver, so the GS300's bad mics are not an issue for me.   Maybe the 320 has better mics?  I don't know.  My friend has a GS250 and it sounds a little better than mine.

Here is a sample clip (excuse me for not yet mastering the ability to deal with youtube compression) with my GS300 from the front and my friend's GS250 from the side.  Audio is my Church Audio/iRiver.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Pl_jDXzL5yc

[Hot-Cross]

I might have found something that interests me a bit more and is in my price range.

Here's another video on youtube of someone I've been talking to who recorded part of a Protest the Hero set.  She used a Panasonic PV-GS19 but told me that it is discontinued and that the newest version of it is the PV-GS90.

This camcorder puts out nice video as well as good sound, and the newest version is right around $300.  I am assuming that the same mic technology has been used in the current version.

Here are a couple of videos to get an idea of the quality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixT8cEdpEsA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skzIyUa67Js
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAcPbLkTqXI

I'm not looking for the top-of-the-line obviously, just something I can use to make my own dvd's and trade to other traders.  I play on recording bands I watch at Warped Tour this year, first and foremost.

What does everyone think?

[Jimna]

that looks about like the quality video im getting from my panny cam.  im not happy with it.  no clarity IMO.  the screen pics sullen posted are what i want and not what im getting, i wish i would have save the extra money to buy the better cam in the first place instead of need all the more cash to replace it after the fact.  i love how in sullen's shoots i can actually see the art in his tattoo's.  

whats your cam going for, sullen?

[Jimna]

here are screen shots from mine(PV-GS15), you make the call: (Derek Trucks Band & Susan Tedeschi Band 11-3-06)