 Poster: A snowHead
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OK, I agree this is somewhat OT but I would like to buy a camcorder, predominantly for use on the slopes.
I don't particularly care about amazing picture quality and so forth but I am completely bewildered by the vast array of different formats: DVD, MiniDV, sticks, cards, you name it, they've invented it.
So, advice please, my fellow  . I just need to work out what format is most straightforward.
Cheers!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Get something with a good optical zoom so you can capture people from a distance and decent size buttons that you can operate wearing a glove otherwise you get bloody cold.
Regarding format I'd go with SD Card, it's simple to download onto PC or DVD from there. You can get decent size memory and it's getting cheaper all the time. But it's down to personal choice.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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MiniDV is the only choice. CD/DVD & memory card just don't compare in terms of storage or quality. MiniDV gives you extremely high quality source in a very small format.
Sticks and cards are fine for still images, but for the volume and transfer rate that's required for decent video quality they just can't compare.
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hyweljenkins, these here MiniDV thingies - presume they are readily available? Are they re-writable?
Pete1909, good point on the buttons issue - thanks!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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zammo,
hyweljenkins is right, mini DV is the only way to go and because the cool formats are DVD or HD, you should pick these up cheaper.
HD and DVD has storage issues and also you have to write to the media when filming. It is far easier to change the tape to extend typically 1 hrs of filming...but then 1 hour a day is a lot of work. I don't fancy a HD or DVD write fromat the way I'll knock it about...!!!
I have the same dilemma and am looking at JVC 390 types. These are Mini DV with a flash on board which is something I might use. It also has a storage card but the 32mb they give as standard would only hold 6-7 stills. Still you can upgrade if you need more stills from a video cam. The other pertinent thing I think is pixels. Some of the cheaper ones show about 0.3mp but goes up depending on the money you have to spend. I don't know what the top standard for pixels is, just more is better. The prices of the above if you scout around should come in around £250.00. Another feature I have found useful in iffy light is the manual override option, but you might want to play around yourself with what light youi like best.
All the later models should have easy to download onto PC options, some even tout a basic edit facilty but I've never used it myself. But then you can run it through apps like pinnacle or Windows movie maker if you just want to cut out cr@p. If you have Adobe Prem, then you have it all sorted, but you don't really need to go this far. The only advantage with DVD is that you should be able to throw the disk straight in a DVD player....but you should check out your DVD will do such a thing. In the pre-edit stage,, ie you just want to view the days rushes, most modern Cams will plug virtually straight into a TV and play from the Cam
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zammo, yes - MiniDV is just a tape. They're about 10x5x1cm and hold an hour, or 1.5hrs long-play. When you download the video to your PC over FireWire 1 minute of video uses 178MB of storage! A DV tape is about £4
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zammo, Image stabilisation is a feature not to do without. 10X zoom + cold hands = shakey pictures !
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Thanks everyone. I'll go MiniDV. I bet Mr. Edward Bay purveys these sorts of item so I'm off to his emporium for a look around.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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zammo, If you think you may ever want to invest in a helmet cam also you need a video camera with AV in I believe. Worth considering now rather than being sorry in the future.
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The OH takes quite a bit of video whilst skiing - mainly of me!  And no I'm not posting them up! He has considered helmet cam - but obviously your head has to be facing in the direction you wish to film and you have no idea what you are actually recording. He finds it better holding a small camcorder in one hand, both poles in the other. He can also do things like ski past me (not hard!) & turn the viewer round as he goes so I'm still in shot.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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cathy, I just fancy seeing whether the film of me belting down a super steep run (well that's what it feels like) looks as scary as it feels. In practise it will probably show that it's really rather tame.
Can't do it though as my video cam which cost an arm and a leg about 4 years ago hasn't got AV in and I don't feel I want to change it yet.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Amazon etc do good deals on mini DVs. You might consider one with a remote if you ever feel inclined to duct tape it to your helmet (cue obvious gags here) as an alternative to the somewhat more elegant but pricy bulletcams.
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Couple of notes:
I think that Sanyo has a nice little unit, with a remote eye/lens that can be fixed to a helmet,, or strapped to ones knee. It was pricey,, last time I saw it.
I am gearing up to use video as a teaching tool this year,, and I have my JVC mini camera already. All the above suggestions are good,, especially DV,, extra battery,, optical zoom and image stabilization. Also,, I chose,, the largest LCD screen,, and get "anti-glare" or other low glare features on the LCD screen. This will help, when reviewing on the chairlift,, or at the bar afterwards, when you do not have a TV screen to use. I am also going to look into a portable DVD player,, that I can plug my camera into for playbacks.
I am off tonight,, to pick up a carry pouch for the camera. It is small enough to fit into my jackets pocket,,, but I don't feel that offers enough protection for it. Oh,, that reminds me,, one more option that I bought,,, a 3 year repair or replace contract !!
Catmandu
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You know it makes sense.
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Catmandu, have a look at dartfish , silicon coach (expensive) for analysis or real cheap and almost as good take a look at simi cam www.simi.com
easy download and all the modules you need for a few$
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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veeeight, what battery life do you get with the battery pack for your helmet cam?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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More than the tape or the battery life of the camcorder itself 
The helmet cam is connected to a remote battery pack, in which I pack 8x LR6/AA Energizer e2 Lithium batteries - great for cold weather performance.
I've not had to change them all season.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Just brought a Sony HC44 mini DV which seems to have all I need. The stills are stored on a dedicated Sony Duo storage card which is a plus. 128mb should store a few pics but I'm not sure of the pixel quality. Anyone have any commenys about stills on their Cams?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| JT wrote: |
| Just brought a Sony HC44 mini DV which seems to have all I need. The stills are stored on a dedicated Sony Duo storage card which is a plus. 128mb should store a few pics but I'm not sure of the pixel quality. Anyone have any commenys about stills on their Cams? |
I very rarely bother as the quality from my camcorder is so poor compared to my little digital camera. The HC44 has a stills resolution of 1.07 megapixels which is slightly higher than the 1 megapixel resolution of my Sony PC109, but is considerably lower than the 5 or 6 megapixel resolution which seems typical of many digital cameras. I've occasionally used my camcorder when I really wanted to get a digital picture and that was the only camera I had with me, but it's not really useful for anything other than viewing on screen.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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rob@rar.org.uk,
Ok, so can you lift out a 'still' from the video footage you have taken depending on your editing software? I realise this is a convoluted way of trying to grab a pic. I still use an old Minolta non digital point and shoot which takes good pics and I have an EOS which takes very good pics but I don't want to carry these really..
I guess I will have to try the pics and see how useful they are, I'm more interested in Video anyway. Thanks
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| JT wrote: |
rob@rar.org.uk,
Ok, so can you lift out a 'still' from the video footage you have taken depending on your editing software? |
Yes you can do this, although the quality of the digital 'still' lifted from the video is even worse than using the digital photos function. This is for two reasons: (1) video is recorded as two interlaced frames - the first frame records line 1, 3, 5, 7 and the second frame records line 2, 4, 6, etc. These two frames are then interlaced to form the full video frame, but for moving subjects there is a slight difference in position between the first and second frames, so when you combine them to get a digital 'still' the picture is not very sharp. Reason (2) is because video footage has a very low resolution compared to digital stills (720x576 pixels compared to 3072x2048 from my Canon digital SLR).
The photos I've posted of me skiing GS gates at Tignes (such as this) were lifted from video footage. Quality is poor, but better than nothing.
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rob@rar.org.uk,
Thanks for that, it looks useable then...if not ideal. As I've said, I'm more interested in the video side.
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