Web cams or video recorders?

[richII]

I went to 'General Topcs' but didnt see anything specifically about stuff like this so if this belongs someplace else I aplogize and ask that it be moved.

I'm in need of a device with which to record weight lifting sessions, and martial arts practices but know literally nothing about them. I hear web cams might be good enough but then again they are rather fixed, arent they? A cam-corder type device might be more portable but arent they a bit more expensive?

Suggestions more then welcome.

 

[MichealM]

First off Mikey is your mobile phone good enough to shoot video? Some of the new models are pretty good.

If not are you really in the market for a video camera and do you have a budget in mind?

Here are a few ideas.

http://reviews.cnet.com/best-budget-camcorders/

 

[melodi]

Mikey one thing you will need to take into account is how long you want to record for.

A phone will not give you a long recording time, some recorders are governed by the size of the memory card they take, with the other option being the HDD (hard disc drive).

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/

http://www.pcworld.com/article/125646/how_to_buy_a_digital_camcorder.html

 

[moeh]

i still recommend a decent digital photo camera with video function. easier to put into place than cellphones, most if not all come with tripod attachments if you want to use a tripod, and you can get some pretty damn high capacity memory cards nowadays, which wuuld give you more than enough time to record at least set by set.

 

[ELLAL]

You guys have any brands off hand that you'd recommend or suggest I look at first?

 

[sexii_becca]

panasonic's got a pretty good selection of digital cameras under its lumix line, under quite a range of camera types (and accompanying prices). the one i use is an old lumix lx-50.

alternatively, nikon and canon are two of the biggest photography brands, afaik, so you're bound to find quality there if you look for a digicam w/video recording.

 

[Romina]

My smartphone can do HD video. If you're in the market for a new phone any time soon, might be a good 2 birds one stone opportunity (and a fantastic, woman friendly business case for gadget purchase)

 

[MlRon]

Web cams are fine if your computer and weights are in the same room other wise you'll NEED the cam corder.

 

[Emms27]

Actually they are - or at least one of my PCs is in the same room anyway.

 

[darrinb]

a lot of standard definition Digital Video Cameras have gone down in price since High Definition flooded the market and for most uses there isn't a lot of difference if you have correct lighting for the subject being filmed. Any of the Sony Handycams DCR-PCs with tapes (not dvd recording) would do a decent recording for an hour. I've used Canon and Panasonic (my current DVC). The only thing with them is parts are expensive so if the sensor goes it can cost almost as much as a new camera, happened with my Canon but was covered on the insurance for the repair. I like my Panasonic, a better CCD sensor, and proper 16:9 widescreen recording

 

[AllOftheAbove]

I recently bought this

http://fujifilm.co.uk/consumer/digital/digital-cameras/fun-and-easy/finepix-jx530

for about £50. It has 720p HD recording and will give around 80-90mins recording in HD on a 16gb card. Quality of the film is good and it has a 5x optical zoom which is nice for the price.

 

[Fr3sh]

Ever since I got one of these a few years ago nothing less will do! But maybe that's just me?

 

[dfinc1987]

I highly recommend this website. It has a lot of different camera's to choose from, and if they are on sale you can get them quite cheap. I bought a Cannon Hv40 camcorder from this site for 30% off. But that is a higher end model and you get other good ones for a lot less. bhphotovideo.com

 

[BlankB]

Damn, I was logged out and lost a lot of text, oh well from memory...

The thing with HD is the format AVCHD used in most of the SD Card video cameras and how editable the footage is on current software. Windows standard Movie Maker won't hack it, all but the current versions of most software Abobe, Sony, FCP won't so you'd need recent software. My laptop has 4GB ram which I think would be minimum to handle the increased bitrate files. This put me off going to HD but if anyone is currently using and editing stuff I'm happy to be proven wrong. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVCHD#Editors

 

[PINKt]

I will always reccomend the Cannon ELPH digital cameras. Mine was less than $200, maybe less than $150, and it takes videos just fine. My wife's iPhone takes really good video as well. Putting the camera on a computer is as easy as using a micro-USB to USB cable to plug the camera into the computer, or pulling out the SD card and putting it into a media slot on your computer or buying an SD to USB adapter. Pretty simple stuff. My experiences with webcams have been poor, but maybe I've just experienced poor quality ones. The only issue with my digital camera is using it in tricky lighting and at great distances...its meant for personal, up-close use, not professional quality use....but in a lighted dojo setting, or gym, it works great. The biggest issue in that scenario is stabilizing the camera so the screen isn't shaky.

 

[Dwarf]

I have a Panasonic HDC-HS60. 120GB HDD and slot for SD cards and shoots in full HD.

http://panasonic.net/avc/camcorder/hd/hs60_tm60_sd60/

It is a fantastic, compact camera, might be a little bit more bling than what you need it for, but it did me proud on my wedding day, with incredibly crisp images for stills and movies.

 

[fruitdog69]

I could be mistaken but doesn't the current version of windows movie maker have HD?

I haven't updated my desktop since XP and now I use a mac. Imovie does a great job for most purposes, in my opinion.

 

[questionman]

I have a Flip Cam. It is very small and compact and takes OK videos in HD with sound. They even have a standard mini tripod attachment, something phones do not have.

 

[Brains_Not_Bombs]

There's a ton of choice and options in consumer cams out there. I spent ages doing my research on the best cams available and went for a middle end one.