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Need to buy a Video Camera

aholdren

Senior Member
Supporting Member
5,178
151
South East Ohio
I need one that is easy to use for the kids sporting events and our vacation this summer. And maybe even some hunting trips....:smiley_bril:
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated..
 

DJK Frank 16

Senior Member
Supporting Member
9,358
133
Hardin County
x2 on the Sony Handycam, bought one for my wife for Christmas this past year and she loves. Very compact and lightweight, and takes excellent video.
 

Fluteman

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,094
146
Southeast Ohio
Look for something with good zoom, but don't worry about the digital zoom. IMO, it is a gimmick. Picture quality really falls off when using it. Most HD cameras are between 20x and 30x zoom which is pretty darn good.

Also, look at purchasing a camera that either has internal memory, or uses memory cards for storage. Mini DV can be a pain to transfer to a computer and however long the video recorded is how long it takes to transfer due to having to record it to the computer.

One other thing to look for is image stabilization. It is hard to hold the smaller cameras steady, so image stabilization will keep you from getting sea sick watching your videos.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Look for something with good zoom, but don't worry about the digital zoom. IMO, it is a gimmick. Picture quality really falls off when using it. Most HD cameras are between 20x and 30x zoom which is pretty darn good.

Also, look at purchasing a camera that either has internal memory, or uses memory cards for storage. Mini DV can be a pain to transfer to a computer and however long the video recorded is how long it takes to transfer due to having to record it to the computer.

One other thing to look for is image stabilization. It is hard to hold the smaller cameras steady, so image stabilization will keep you from getting sea sick watching your videos.

Ditto on that Aaron. MiniDV is a mother to transfer, having it all on SD cards is the cats ass. Image stabilization is a must TOO as it's incredible the difference I makes. I had a Panasonic I really like and I'm sure things have improved since I bought mine a few years back.
 

Fluteman

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,094
146
Southeast Ohio
I had a SD Panasonic that I really liked and now I am running a Sony. Panasonic does really well with image stabilization, but it seems like the controls are better managed on the Sony's.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
I bought a Sony HDR-CX130, after Jackalope said so many good things about it. I am really pleased with everything about it.


Good deal... Have you figured out the tracking target focus.... With the target in frame touch the intended focus target on the touch screen and hold for a moment. It will put a box around it and stay focused on it....

I tried it the other day while zoomed in on a deer that was about 400 yards away.. The cam kept trying to focus on a batch of leaves about 60 yards from my stand.. I touched the deer and it stayed focused on it the whole time, even when it's moving and you move the cam, it stays focused and tracks it.
 

aholdren

Senior Member
Supporting Member
5,178
151
South East Ohio
Great info cause I used it tonite for my boys soccer game and the square popped up and I wondered what the hell it was for.. I'll definitely remember it the next time.. How long are you getting out of a battery.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
Great info cause I used it tonite for my boys soccer game and the square popped up and I wondered what the hell it was for.. I'll definitely remember it the next time.. How long are you getting out of a battery.


I haven't used it enough in one sitting to run it down yet. The square is auto facial recognition focus. It will recognize a face and stay focused on it if it's moving.