Q. A video camera that's under $200, can pause videos without stopping the whole video, and has a good grip. Must also have VERY good quality hd.
A. Hi Mike:
For your $200 budget, you are not going to have "very good quality HD", when you consider that pro video cameramen and TV stations spend $5000 to $10,000 (and more) for "good HD" equipment.
Unless you use a tape-based (miniDV cassette, for example) camcorder, there is no need for a "Pause" button, and most SD card storage models start a whole new video file when you start/stop the Record button.
Some SD card and HDD storage models have a "pre-record" function that actually saves several seconds of video from before you press Record. So, a "Pause" feature has no advantage.
Sony, Panasonic, JVC, and Canon all make affordable models that sell in your price range. (See a typical B+H Photo listing of models on sale here: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Camcorders/Ns/p_PRICE_2%7c0/ci/1871/pn/2/N/4294548093 )
Sony currently has some price promotions that stretch your shopping dollar ($50-$150 off certain models) that are in effect this month. (See the B+H Photo page for examples.)
If you prefer the "pistol grip style" camcorders (like the Sanyo/Panasonic "Xacti"/HX-WA series), look at a Panasonic HX-WA3 model ($198). Panasonic bought Sanyo, and rebranded the Xacti pistol grip line into their HX-WA series.
For palm-size camcorders, you can always buy an accessory grip handle that threads onto the bottom of the camcorder via the tripod socket.
hope this helps,
--Dennis C.
For your $200 budget, you are not going to have "very good quality HD", when you consider that pro video cameramen and TV stations spend $5000 to $10,000 (and more) for "good HD" equipment.
Unless you use a tape-based (miniDV cassette, for example) camcorder, there is no need for a "Pause" button, and most SD card storage models start a whole new video file when you start/stop the Record button.
Some SD card and HDD storage models have a "pre-record" function that actually saves several seconds of video from before you press Record. So, a "Pause" feature has no advantage.
Sony, Panasonic, JVC, and Canon all make affordable models that sell in your price range. (See a typical B+H Photo listing of models on sale here: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Camcorders/Ns/p_PRICE_2%7c0/ci/1871/pn/2/N/4294548093 )
Sony currently has some price promotions that stretch your shopping dollar ($50-$150 off certain models) that are in effect this month. (See the B+H Photo page for examples.)
If you prefer the "pistol grip style" camcorders (like the Sanyo/Panasonic "Xacti"/HX-WA series), look at a Panasonic HX-WA3 model ($198). Panasonic bought Sanyo, and rebranded the Xacti pistol grip line into their HX-WA series.
For palm-size camcorders, you can always buy an accessory grip handle that threads onto the bottom of the camcorder via the tripod socket.
hope this helps,
--Dennis C.
Camcorder Speacialist: What low cost camcorder can video tape in dim light?
Q. Can you recommend a feature on a camcorder that can do this? Thank you.
Dennis C Thank you for you're very helpful answer.
Dennis C Thank you for you're very helpful answer.
A. Hi "September":
The term "low cost" is a relative term. Low cost to Donald Trump or Mark Cuban might be a few thousand dollars. Camcorders run anywhere from $50-$50,000 USD (and more!). If you give us a real dollar-budget, we can be more specific as to models.
But as to the basics of your Question, the cheaper the camcorder, the smaller the video sensor usually is. Smaller sensors (and smaller lenses) don't capture as much light (just like a smaller mouthed bucket in a rain storm captures less water). So, low-light capability is less.
And cheaper lenses aren't as good quality in passing light as more expensive ones (this is the F-stop aperture rating of the lens). Even at its widest aperture setting, a cheap lens won't let as much light get through to the video chip.
When you're shopping for a low-light/dim-light feature, Sony and other makers use terms like "Night Shot", or "Low Lux" in their feature list. Enhanced features like "Super Night Shot" work in almost total darkness. But even with these features, low-light video can look grainy or "noisy" without special chip-cooling features to eliminate random electronic circuit & thermal noise.
My Canon camcorders compensate for low-light with a setting that uses a lower frame-rate (letting more light photons fall on the video sensor for each frame), but this results in a stuttery, somewhat blurry image when objects are moving.
Good video is a "get what you pay for" proposition.
Dim light, in video terms, is usually in the under-10-Lux range. (Kitchen fluorescent lighting is 300-500 Lux; a cozy living room is around 50 Lux.) But before shopping for a 1-Lux or "<1 Lux" rated camcorder, read this informative Videomaker Magazine article on low-light cameras: http://www.videomaker.com/article/9466
hope this helps,
--Dennis C.
The term "low cost" is a relative term. Low cost to Donald Trump or Mark Cuban might be a few thousand dollars. Camcorders run anywhere from $50-$50,000 USD (and more!). If you give us a real dollar-budget, we can be more specific as to models.
But as to the basics of your Question, the cheaper the camcorder, the smaller the video sensor usually is. Smaller sensors (and smaller lenses) don't capture as much light (just like a smaller mouthed bucket in a rain storm captures less water). So, low-light capability is less.
And cheaper lenses aren't as good quality in passing light as more expensive ones (this is the F-stop aperture rating of the lens). Even at its widest aperture setting, a cheap lens won't let as much light get through to the video chip.
When you're shopping for a low-light/dim-light feature, Sony and other makers use terms like "Night Shot", or "Low Lux" in their feature list. Enhanced features like "Super Night Shot" work in almost total darkness. But even with these features, low-light video can look grainy or "noisy" without special chip-cooling features to eliminate random electronic circuit & thermal noise.
My Canon camcorders compensate for low-light with a setting that uses a lower frame-rate (letting more light photons fall on the video sensor for each frame), but this results in a stuttery, somewhat blurry image when objects are moving.
Good video is a "get what you pay for" proposition.
Dim light, in video terms, is usually in the under-10-Lux range. (Kitchen fluorescent lighting is 300-500 Lux; a cozy living room is around 50 Lux.) But before shopping for a 1-Lux or "<1 Lux" rated camcorder, read this informative Videomaker Magazine article on low-light cameras: http://www.videomaker.com/article/9466
hope this helps,
--Dennis C.
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