I have a limited budjet. Preferably under $500. I'm looking to purchase a digital videocam with a harddrive on it or takes flash cards, doesn't matter. I want a camera that will give me a CLEAR picture on a 42" screen. I'd love to get a Cannon 3chip camera but I don't have 3000+ dollars, haha. So I'll have to use a cheaper camera. Any ideas?
The Sanyo Xacti c6 is around $500 (i want this one, pretty small, nice quality) http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/c6.html the Sanyo Xacti HD1 is around $700 http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/hd1.html
Oh I forgot to mention I want one that goes on a tripod, not sure if them mini cams do or not. It also needs to be able to have a microphone plugged into it. I'm using it for modeling videos.
i know you can use the xacti c6 with a tripod (because i already checked that out, i have a normal tripod and a gorillapod that looooooove), don't know about the microphone. you could check that steves digicams site, the reviews of the cameras are very professional and shows all brands, it helped me a lot when i bought my digital camera some years ago, i'm sure it can help you to find exactly what you want *edit* or ask in that site boards!! it's a great community too
Your budget is real tight for a CLEAR picture on a 42" display. For under $300 you can get a digi 8 camera, which is nearly miniDV quality, from Sony in the form of the TRV-280. I had a TRV-120 before some thief stole it and the bag of accessories. I wanted one because I had old analog 8 mm and Hi8 mm tapes and it would play those back as well as record and playback digi 8 - and do pass-through analog to digital conversion (say, from your VHS deck - though the camera - into your firewire port on the computer). Not sure if the TRV-280 will do all those things, but it is a lot of image quality for a small amount of money. Sony TRV-280 Camcorder (yes, an affiliate link - I'm a photographer/film maker and have a store) All the hard drive cameras are more expensive than your budget: Hard Disc Camcorders But the JVC Everio GZMG37 is close @ $528.00 I can't vouch for the quality but the Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1 is a high definition tiny camcorder and still camera for about $610.00 All of the pro cameras are thousands of bucks. If your end use is the web you don't need that quality and expense. I'd look for a good miniDV unit that offers easy transfer to disc (is that why you want hard drive or card?) Another approach would be a DVD-R camcorder (yes, the store has those too). Just stick the disc in your PC to start editing. How you encode the end product and distribute will have a huge bearing on the quality for your visitors/customers. Keep an eye on the specs for iPod video and the phone formats too. Hope this helps.
I'm really interested in the JVC Everio GZMG37. I seen one at REX awhile back, similar model, for $300 on sale. I just wonder what the quality is and what the max screen size it could go up to til it starts getting crappy. Preferably the bigger the better. Most of our work will be seen by viewers on the conputer and the begining quality has to be pretty good because it'll get cut down greatly due to bandwith. Got any good info on JVC Everio GZMG37?
Sorry to say I've no first hand experience with the JVC model. The old digi8 unit from Sony, the TRV-120 (maybe check eBay), was used for web and presentation videos. I made many projection screen presentations and the video looked great. It looked even better on large CRT or plasma TVs. But again, it is no longer in production and a tape unit. It did mount on a tripod (or anything with that screw mount). Just shot something with the older cousin to this camera Sony DSR-PD170, the DSR-PD150, and I was blown away by the quality. You might find those cheap on eBay too (no longer in production - was a $2,500+ camera - DV format). Good luck!