In need of new fairly inexpensive Video Camera

[lwg]

I need to get a new video camera for us to use down at the shop for videos and such for the new website we're about to roll out. We have been using a flip camera for about a year now and think it's time to step it up a little. However I'm not looking for top of the line gear just yet, still many more important things to spend our money on. Basically would like some sort of image stabilization and HD quality. Would love a pricepoint below $500.

I've searched a bit and didn't find much that answered my questions so I thought I'd throw it out to the experts.

 

[maxingout]

The weak point on video cameras is the transport mechanism if you are using any camera with tape. Most video cameras have a duty cycle that includes birthdays and holidays - just a few hours a year on the transport mechanism. If you start using a camera a great deal, the transport mechanism is the first thing to fail.

If you are not using tape in the video camera, then no worries about the transport mechanism.

I always purchase my video cameras from Amazon, and then I use them extensively in the first month to see if they are up to the task. If they survive the first month, I keep them. If they fail, then I return the camera and try a different model.

Being able to return within 30 days is a real benefit because you may find that the camera does not fit your anticipated needs, or it is not up to the task.

 

[lwg]

Good points Dave. I should have probably clarified that I'm planning on getting a digital camera with "ideally" SD card for media as it seems to have been the standardized way for flash memory. My laptop and tons of other devices around my house can easily take SD Cards.

 

[maxingout]

Good points Dave. I should have probably clarified that I'm planning on getting a digital camera with "ideally" SD card for media as it seems to have been the standardized way for flash memory. My laptop and tons of other devices around my house can easily take SD Cards.

Having digital media solves the transport problem. When I started shooting a documentary in Australia with a Canon XL1, the transport mechanism did not even last a month in the outback, and it had to be repaired in Sydney for $400.

We finally mounted a hard drive on the Canon XL1 and XL2 backing up our tape. Tape is a good way to archive long video segments, but you must have a transport mechanism that is up to the task.

 

[Scott Brady]

We had great luck with the Vixia solid state units. Reasonable price and great quality. They even have nice mics for them. Spend your money on a good mic.

We produced content for five TV shows from those little cameras.

Here is some of the last footage taken with that camera before migrating to HDV DSLR.
[video=vimeo;20587915]http://vimeo.com/20587915[/video]