On Tape

As I’ve said before I’m a huge Youtube fan and quite a movie buff, so I pride myself on the camcorder I own.  There’s a lot of options out there now (both where features and prices are concerned).  All I can do is give the low down on a few simple variations that can make all the difference when it comes to personal satisfaction.

I own a Canon camcorder and did have a Panasonic model earlier in my rather short film career.  There were a few simple reasons I made the decisions I did when it came down to the wire, and in the end a lot of it was personal preference.

A lot of confusion comes up surrounding video storage when purchasing a camcorder (in particular miniDV tapes or internal flash/ memory cards).  Again, it’s personal preference, but personally I like the mini DV tapes.  I like that I can label them and save them outside of my computer (which could always crash) and that I have options as to what tape I want to use.  From brand, to quality, to high definition, there’s extra security and control in a tape.  Flash memory does cut down on camera size and can often hold more footage in one go than a tape though.

Other simple options include actual camcorder control.  Do you prefer buttons to touch screens?  Sony uses touch screen playback controls where Canon and Panasonic still use buttons.  Again, I’m not a touch screen person, but Sony cameras are pretty sleek.

Price and use are really two of the most important factors.  How much can you spend on your equipment and how much do you actually need to spend?  Home movies are cheeper than independent films, but you didn’t need me to tell you that one.