Camcorder

[jester]

I am looking for a new Camcorder to record wakeboarders. I am looking to get a camera mount for the tower but need to find a Camcorder first. Does anyone know a good one. I am thinking about going with a HD that uses SD cards. The reason for the SD cards and not a HDD or the miniDV tapes is there is less moving parts. I will be editing the video's but would like one that can handle the chop and has good video quality without breaking the bank.

[dru1974]

I have a sony hd, it's sweet and easy to use

[maxpower220]

I had a Sony HD with a HDD and it was awesome. They have ones that record in 5.1 for sound as well as GPS marking. I highly recommend a HDD (60 gig min) due to the very large files that you will record. 6 gig is only good for about an hour in HD. A day on the water could be a lot for SD cards.

[501]

You can get a Sanyo HD camcorder that records to memory cards that is water proof for pretty cheap ($350 bucks or so). The video I posted today on the site was filmed with one of these.

16 and 32GB cards are pretty cheap these days too.

[jester]

Max. You had one? Sounds like somthing happened? I was looking at the SD ones because of the moving parts and that i can pull a card and put in a new one when it is full then can easly move to my laptop when i spend a week on the lake. The HDD when it is full it is full and i have to remember to bring another cable.

501. That was a great video and made me start thinking i need to get a Video camera and get out on the water.

[New Guy]

Jester if you are looking at a sports specific unit I highly recommend a GoPro or a Flip Cam both record awesome quality and the batteries will last a while. You can pick both up around $300. The biggest thing to remember if you are going to solid mount it is to make sure the mount doesn't vibrate.

[zabooda]

I've had my Panasonic HD camera for a couple of years now and I'm still trying to find a way to record to dvd's (standard or dl) in HD even for a short clip. Do you need a Blu-Ray recorder to record HD? I'm still waiting for the price on those burners to drop some more. The iMac does your standard DVD resolution but the quality really drops off. I hate to dump the files back on the camera just to watch HD through the HDMI. Times may have changed some because technology was ahead of the software when these came out.

[maxpower220]

I 'had' one because I bought the 6 gig model. I used it (and it worked great) but did not have enough memory. I returned it and was going to buy one with a larger hard drive. I did a lot of research and then waited for sales, Christmas, etc. So, I am still waiting. Right now, I have nothing that I need to record in HD.

One hour of HD will fill a DVD in HD format without 5.1 surround sound. You will get a little less than 1 hour on a DVD in HD with 5.1 Most cameras will come with software that will allow you to convert to regular DVD quality. Converting HD to standard took my old computer several hours to convert.
If you burn a DVD in HD, you can only replay it on a Bluray player or a computer that has the software. Newer DVD players may have a feature, but mine did not.

[jester]

Max, Do you know what one or ones you might get when they go on sale? I have been looking at the JVC GZ-HM200. The only problem I have with it is that it does digital image stabilization and not an optical.