So, What Video Camera Do I Start With? Paul Slowly Enters The Video Podcasting World …

Look at this footage shot with a Sanyo Xacti HD1A:

http://m.podshow.com/media/1637/episodes/29569/calijunk-29569-10-06-2006.mp4

We don't use it be we're thinking about it.

Neal

I have been investigating this for a while and set the bar pretty high in order to future proof myself with the Sony HDR-SR1, had everything I wanted HD, Hard Drive, Mic input, Headphone out, storage card simultaneous write for quick offloading of media, which I realized I didn't need for the price of $1500 and the fact that it isn't available yet... Also HD video takes up a lot of storage space not to mention download bandwidth.

I decided to go with the Sony DCR-SR100 3MP 30GB Hard Drive Handycam Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom and it came with a free Bluetooth microphone when purchased from Amazon for almost half the price. The Bluetooth microphone allows me to conduct interviews, record my children's performances/concerts just by clipping it to them and without having to invest in an expensive wireless microphone system. I can also monitor the audio out of the Bluetooth microphone with headphones with the adapter. The Hotshoe also allows for other accessories like a light (if you plan on lots of indoor shots, but external lighting is still the best way to go) shotgun microphone that adjust range with the zoom, etc. Reviews on Amazon,Circuit City, and CameraInfo rate it up there. I tried all the prosumer cameras at Frys and other stores and found the image quality from the Sony was the best. It also had a color viewfinder so if you are outdoors an LCD screen is almost usless in direct sunlight and a view finder is key, plus it saves on battery life. It can record up to 7hrs of video if without changing tapes or other media that adds up in price over time, but I highly recommend downloading frequently.

The touch-screen allows for easy use by all family members and allows for quick easy review with thumbnails. Nightshot I don't really plan on using, but it is there if I want to do some weird video at night, but is a feature I don't plan to use. Fast quick zoom with great quality video from the Carl Zeiss T* lens, fits nice in the hand, no whir of tape mechanism picked up by the built-in 5.1 surround sound microphone. Sounds awesome in a home theatre. Looks great shot in 16:9 mode on an HDTV set. Has a quick to DVD button for quick burning of video, but I recommend editing all video first. It is small enought to fit in a coat pocket and backpack and easily fits in the hand. And it comes with a free remote control.Has a quick startup time.

MPEG2 allows for easy fast transfer over USB 2.0(with my mini-retractable USB cable) with DV tape you have to transfer in real time. Great for easy editing and quick uploading. The JVC Evario series records in MOD and needs conversion.

Only cons so far, no microphone in or headphone out remedied with Bluetooth microphone, no use of third party batteries-Infolithium from Sony only, no USB passthrough so you can't use it as a webcam(this could be remedied by Sony with a simply flash upgrade), but you can if your computer supports video in this is a work around.

So far I like my choice.

Hope this helps.

Just about any digital camcorder that writes to MiniDV tape is what I'd recommend. I have a Sony DCR-HC40 - it's tiny, and it works great. Make sure it has a Firewire port (also called IEEE1394 or i-Link) - Ignore whether it has a USB port or not, because you can't pull video off of the tape over USB (even USB 2.0). And you'll need a firewire card and cable for your PC. I paid $10 for a firewire card from NewEgg.com - don't pay much more than that. And don't pay more than $10 for a firewire cable. Retail outlets will try to rob you - get a cheaper cable from NewEgg or someplace like pchcables.com here in Portland/Hilllsboro (see my post on the outrageous price of cables). For a laptop, you could go with a PCMCIA firewire card if your laptop doesn't already have a port.

With cables, be aware of the difference between 4-pin and 6-pin connectors. Most camcorders have the smaller 4-pin connector. Most firewire cards (and Macs) have the larger 6-pin connector (the two extra pins are for power, which doesn't matter on a camcorder). Purchase your cable with the right ends.

I'd stay away from hard-drive based models - too new and too expensive. Ditto for DVD-based models - the media is expensive. When you think about it, MiniDV is a darn good deal for media. For $3, you get 60 minutes of 720x480 digital video, which works out to be around 30 GB or something per tape.

Most camcorders have a "nightshot" mode, but that makes everything look like the Blair WItch Project, and is really only useful for dramatic effect. Like digital still cameras, more optical zoom is nice (20x is common), but digital zoom is basically useless. Image stabilization is another common feature, which is desireable, especially if you're not going to use a tripod.

Speaking of tripods, I had a heck of a time finding one in the Portland area (west side). Magnolia HiFi and Video Only didn't have any, and the ones at Best Buy were really expensive (I ended up getting a little $60 one). I later discovered that Fred Meyer has a great selection of tripods, all cheaper than Best Buy.

Ignore HD for now, unless you want to spend $1500+. For video podcasting, HD is not worth it yet, since you're most likely going to be transcoding and distributing the files at a smaller resolution (like, say, 320x240 for the iPod).

I spent $500 on my camera new a few years ago, could have found it cheaper if I tried (I had some store credit, so it didn't matter). You could find a good Canon or Sony MiniDV camcorder for less than $300.

Remember that in a pinch, your digital still camera can probably take decent video, especially if it's less than a year old. I'm really impressed by the video I get out of my Canon SD700 IS. It doesn't compare to my camcorder, but it's very usable for video blogging, and even if the quality of your camera isn't great, it can be better than not getting the video at all.

Get something with an external mic jack (powered, if possible), because the built-in mic on the camcorder isn't great for interviews, etc., where you'll want a lav mic or something you can get closer to the person speaking.

MiniDV tape quality doesn't matter, since it's all digital. Either the bytes are stored, or they're not. There's no picture quality difference between cheap and expensive tapes, like with analog (VHS, 8mm, etc.).

Oh, and camcorderinfo.com is the place to go for in depth reviews, etc. They're super picky, so if they complain about the image quality or color, etc., just remember that they're videophiles.

...by the way, pay particular attention to both lighting and sound on the day, if you possibly can.

If you need any tips or pointers on any of this, drop me a line (gTalk or whatever).

btw Brian McKechnie at Command-N is very helpful, too :-)

Hey Paul,

Q. "What is a good microphone for the first-time podcaster"?
A. It doesn't matter. Produce good content.

Q. "What is a good video camera for the first-time Video Podcaster?"
A. It doesn't matter. Produce good content.

OK, that's a deliberately facetious answer... but you get my drift.

Seriously? I don't even know what we use (it belongs to our video guy, Matt) but it has "JVC" written on it.

As a professional digital *stills* photographer, I would say this:

When the light is low, the signal needs to be boosted more. This means the noise (grain) also gets boosted. So you should be looking for a camera with the largest possible sensor, for a lower signal-to-noise ratio.

Cheers,
Steven

...Anyone else?