Which Sony Camcorder works best for editing?

debbie wrote on 10/17/2006, 2:01 PM

Hi,
I am about to begin a project with middle and elementary school students. We won a grant to study advertising techniques and the final project is going to be a film illustrating advertising techniques and showing student created commercials. I want the kids to use a Sony DCR-HC46 MiniDV Handycam camcorder for filming and Vegas 7 Movie Studio + DVD Platinum Edition for editing. We are planning to burn the project on DVDs when we finish.

Originally, I was planning to get the Sony Handycam DCR-DVD105 but I read in a couple of places that it was difficult to edit from DVDs.

I'm also worried about compatibility issues????? Are there any with the minicamcorder?

Any thoughts about any of this??? I would appreciate any help that you could give us!!! Several years ago, we made an animated film with Vegas Video and this forum was invaluable!!!!

Thanks,
Debbie

Comments

Strangeman wrote on 10/17/2006, 2:42 PM

I have a DCR-HC42 and I think it's excellent, plus the fact that you can use it as a converter to get VHS onto the computer too.
You can also get more on a miniDV tape than one of those DVDs. I would guess that the DVD recorders are more convenient for people who have no great ambitions as far as editing goes.

IanG wrote on 10/17/2006, 3:07 PM

You're right to stay away from DVD recorders - they record in MPEG2 format, which is a nightmare to edit and the end product is inferior. MiniDV is a far better option, though it takes up a lot of disk space, so be prepared for "discussions" with your IT people. There shouldn't be any compatibility issues with MiniDV - you can choose whichever camera best suits your needs and budget.

Ian G.

Chienworks wrote on 10/17/2006, 4:09 PM

Don't get stuck on the brand name. You don't need a SONY camcorder in order to edit with SONY software. True, SONY camcorders are perfectly fine so don't avoid them either. But if you find an excellent deal on a non-SONY model, don't pass it up just because it isn't SONY.

And yes, avoid the DVD camcorders like the plague.

debbie wrote on 10/17/2006, 7:11 PM

Hi all,
Thanks so much for the help! I knew that I could count on ya'll! Yesterday I went to Best Buy and the salesperson told me that the DVD camcorders were "the way to go!" I'm so glad that I came back to the forum to get really good advice!!!

Which camcorder do you think is the best? I only have $499 in the grant for a camera so it can't be the top of the line in anything!

The last project we did was with Vegas 3.0. Do you think the kids will be able to handle Vegas 7 Movie Studio Platinum??? I always worry that we're getting in over our heads, but the whole process seems so intuitive to the students.

Thanks again,
Debbie

IanG wrote on 10/18/2006, 1:51 AM

I'm in the UK, so I've no idea what the good deals are in the US. I'd have a think about whether you want to use an external microphone, and a tripod's always a good thing to have. The camera controls need to be suitable for small hands, and a remote control might be helpful for the smaller children, especialy if the camera's above head height on a tripod.

I don't think VMS7 is more difficult to use than V3, and the basics are the same. You've now got keyframing and compositing if you need them, but they're not mandatory. I think the trick is to decide what you want to do and then find out how to do it, rather than trying to master every feature and then looking for an excuse to use them. The big difference is that you've now got DVDAS for authoring your DVDs. I have to admit I don't use it, but it seems pretty straightforward.

Ian G.

Strangeman wrote on 10/18/2006, 7:02 AM

Tripod makes a huge improvement, although it also pays dividends to learn how to hold the camera steady (ie be aware of what you're doing with the camera rather than relying on your eyes). And teach them to be subtle with the zoom control (!!!) I had to edit some footage shot by my nephew and it almost made me ill.

debbie wrote on 10/18/2006, 10:23 AM

I think that the Zoom control is kind of like Power Point sounds and animation -- too much of a good thing will make you ill!

Great idea about the tripod and the microphone. I'll have to check on the external mike. I don't know if the level camera I can afford will support it. I have a tripod at home that I was planning to use.

When we did the other movie with Vegas 3.0, we only did the basics and we were incredibly thrilled with ourselves!! I can't wait to get the software and start learning it.

Thanks,
Debbie

ANDREMIKE wrote on 10/24/2006, 9:00 AM

I like the cannon elura 100. better optics then the SOny. nmot to mention it has a better warranty.

ConvivialCreator wrote on 2/3/2007, 3:10 PM

Here I am replying to an old post but maybe for the next person that is looking into buying a camera for school use. We goofed the first time and bought cameras that didn't have jacks for a mic or headphones. As you advance you may want to be able to plug in a shotgun microphone and monitor the audio via headphones.

inkybme1 wrote on 2/5/2007, 9:40 PM

If you will be shooting in a classroom, you may want to make sure you have adequate lighting. Some of the inexpensive cameras have trouble in low light situations. You don't have to go nuts with an entire light kit, but enough to brighten things up a bit.