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Sorry for starting two threads in the last couple of days, but these questions are proving to nag me and thus I must ask them.

To anyone who uses a DVD camcorder, I need to ask a few things regarding the quality of video and how easy it is to clean the optical lens of the device.

So...er...how is the quality of video, and how does cleaning the optical lens work out? I'm thinking about switching over to using a DVD camera because MiniDV is sort of a hassle, especially in the cleaning-of-the-video-head department. I've noticed that in the two years I've used a MiniDV camera, the quality has gotten rather less than when I first purchased it. It's either from a), using old tapes in order to save money, or b), cleaning the video head has worn it down, even though I've only used the cleaning tape no more than three times.

Another question I'd like to ask is this; how easily is footage transferred from camera to computer? I expect it isn't too different from transferring footage from a tape...

This is the camera I'm considering. A friend of mine uses a similar model and briefly let me experiment with it, but it turned out he was actually borrowing it from a friend of his and had to return it pretty quickly and thus was unable to answer my above questions. however, for the brief period of time that I saw and used it, I really liked it. The compact design was really sleek, and I like Canon's line of lenses that can be added on to (compatible) camcorders. Thus I think this camera would be a very good investment for a film I wish to make next summer.

Anyway, sorry for the longish post. Thanks to any who respond!

Okay, I pretty changed my mind about DVD Camcorders. I read that discs can get easily corrupted, and that the quality of video isn't exactly great.

So I did some more reasearch, and started thinking about how nice it would be to use High-Definition for my next video project. I found the following JVC HD 60GB Hard Drive Camera, and I must say it's sounding rather promising. I'd just like to ask a couple of questions about it...feel free to answer yes or no...

Does anybody know how the audio is? Is it as good as a regular tape or DVD camcorder, or could it be better?

And, can you transfer the HD footage to your computer and convert it to a resolution that's still better than standard definition, but not as demanding as full HD? Honestly, I just want a camera that records better than a MiniDV camera, and I think this is the only way to do it without spending thousands of dollars. Any help/advice is appreciated!

Why not go with SDHC? It's down to £1/Gb if you know where to shop, has no moving parts reducing likelyhood of damage and battery drain.

If you are serious about quality then I would suggest miniDV, all other options presented here compress video on the fly. miniDV cams are probably more expensive, and the media is more expensive to shoot (about £10-£20 for 5 hours).

Also, this might not seem important, but try and pick one up that has a microphone input socket so you can use a custom microphone, and more importantly a microphone that you can place anywhere.

Yeah, that's the current format I'm using, but it only offers 500 lines of resolution, at least for consumer MiniDV cameras.



Yeah, I've been looking into that as well. The only cameras I can find that support an external mic are DVD cameras, and that's the Canon camera I've linked to in my first initial post.

I also cannot find any decent microphones anywhere. And I've googled plenty of times. It seems that consumer products just don't want to be used professionally like that.

So, I guess it's either I sacrifice video quality and go for the DVD camera that has an external mic jackt, or I sacrifice audio quality and go for the JVC Everio.

[EDIT]
Actually, I just found a Canon MiniDV camera that also has an external mic jack. Now I've just got to find a decent microphone!
The cool part about this is if I can get this camera before next summer, I could use multi-angle shots for the film my friends and I want to make.
[/EDIT]