aekOne;124721 wrote:

home made smut

At the sub-$400 mark, I'd consider getting a digi-cam because it'll take great photos as well as surprisingly good video. Whereas cheap camcorders will take good video but not so good picture.

I can't give you much more advice than that as I don't know that much about the topic.

Ted's is great for pricing and warranty. But be sure you know what you want before you walk in the door....they're a savvy bunch and looking to empty your wallet.

Don't want to walk out of Ted's having just purchased something like this:
http://www.teds.com.au/www/6/1001102/di … 491__.html

^Thats more expensive than my car! :mda:

Subarujunkie;124760 wrote:

NOW thats a cam camcorder id buy that

This camera aint too flash mate.
The size of the CCD which is basically the cameras' eye,  is very small as is the resolution of only 800k.
It would only be good to capture a basic image, and in poor conditions like  low light what you will get, will be fairly poor.
Try and scrounge up another 150-200 and shop around 'cos you will get something a lot better that will take decent video.
Whatever you do, try really hard not to buy secondhand. Chances are you will be sold something that has worn heads or tape transport issues and it will cost more than you paid to get it running right.
I film as part of my job so if you have any questions PM me.

XoN;124859 wrote:

Sorry but I disagree, every time I see video taken on a camera I'm disappointed, particularly on sub-$400 cameras... If you want a video camera, and aren't really interested in still pictures just buy a video camera, likewise if you want to take pictures and not really video, you wouldn't go out and buy a video camera that only has the ability to take pictures, rather than being geared specifically for that.

otto wrote:

This camera aint too flash mate.
The size of the CCD which is basically the cameras' eye,  is very small as is the resolution of only 800k.
It would only be good to capture a basic image, and in poor conditions like  low light what you will get, will be fairly poor.
Try and scrounge up another 150-200 and shop around 'cos you will get something a lot better that will take decent video.
Whatever you do, try really hard not to buy secondhand. Chances are you will be sold something that has worn heads or tape transport issues and it will cost more than you paid to get it running right.
I film as part of my job so if you have any questions PM me.

Dylan,

My advice is to go to places like D Smith powerhouse , JB hiFi etc and try and find run out cameras.  Anything that was last years model etc and was near the $1000 mark back then will be slashed to around the $599 mark.

Forget gimmicks like the fake widescreen feature that is going around at the moment , and ignore the digital zoom power. Digital zoom is a crock so go for the biggest optical zoom you can find meaning in most cases you will get a better lens. The resolution should be at least 1.2 megapixels and it must have DV out as a minimum (DV in is handy so you can edit your movie on your computer and save it back to your tape).

I have used a few cameras and have always found Canons to be the most user friendly for point and shoot and they seem to be better put together.

Get a bigger battery if you can afford it (try and get them to throw it in as a deal, or at least get a few blank tapes). Also this is very important - get a head cleaner tape and use it.

If you find a camera that interests you let me know and I will check it out for you.

Feel free to ask anymore questions as I am on here regularly.