Video camera questions
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Video camera questions
I'm still a bit of a n00b here in the forums but it seems that a lot of you are pretty up on the video stuff.
We have just upgraded from our 12+ year old tape video camera to a new mini DVD unit. So far I'm not too impressed. The first three DVD-R disks I used had flaws that rendered them unusable with poor image quality, freezing, and in one case 20 min. of video is locked up with a disc error. I also have tested a DVD-RAM disc and that seemed to work fine. We have lost all footage from my daughter's birthday party this weekend and that makes me really nervous about using the camera on an upcoming trip to Australia.
The camera is a Panasonic VDR-M53P and was highly recommended by Consumers Digest. It is really easy to use, small, and has good image quality (if you can get it from the disc!). We purchased the DVD format camera to make it easier to load and edit the footage on a PC and with the hope we could view the disk directly on a PC or home DVD player. The recorded DVD (the DVD-RAM disk that worked) can only be viewed on my PC, not on the three DVD players and one other PC in the house. This format seems really finicky, or is it just me?
Can anyone tell me the basic benifits and drawbacks to a DVD camera. And is there a great quality difference between DVD disc manufacturers? The discs I am having problems with are from Memorex and have a "scratch resistant coating". I think one issue is in defects in this coating.
Thanks for reading through this and for any help/advice.
We have just upgraded from our 12+ year old tape video camera to a new mini DVD unit. So far I'm not too impressed. The first three DVD-R disks I used had flaws that rendered them unusable with poor image quality, freezing, and in one case 20 min. of video is locked up with a disc error. I also have tested a DVD-RAM disc and that seemed to work fine. We have lost all footage from my daughter's birthday party this weekend and that makes me really nervous about using the camera on an upcoming trip to Australia.
The camera is a Panasonic VDR-M53P and was highly recommended by Consumers Digest. It is really easy to use, small, and has good image quality (if you can get it from the disc!). We purchased the DVD format camera to make it easier to load and edit the footage on a PC and with the hope we could view the disk directly on a PC or home DVD player. The recorded DVD (the DVD-RAM disk that worked) can only be viewed on my PC, not on the three DVD players and one other PC in the house. This format seems really finicky, or is it just me?
Can anyone tell me the basic benifits and drawbacks to a DVD camera. And is there a great quality difference between DVD disc manufacturers? The discs I am having problems with are from Memorex and have a "scratch resistant coating". I think one issue is in defects in this coating.
Thanks for reading through this and for any help/advice.
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Originally Posted by PIAAWRX
I'm still a bit of a n00b here in the forums but it seems that a lot of you are pretty up on the video stuff.
We have just upgraded from our 12+ year old tape video camera to a new mini DVD unit. So far I'm not too impressed. The first three DVD-R disks I used had flaws that rendered them unusable with poor image quality, freezing, and in one case 20 min. of video is locked up with a disc error. I also have tested a DVD-RAM disc and that seemed to work fine. We have lost all footage from my daughter's birthday party this weekend and that makes me really nervous about using the camera on an upcoming trip to Australia.
The camera is a Panasonic VDR-M53P and was highly recommended by Consumers Digest. It is really easy to use, small, and has good image quality (if you can get it from the disc!). We purchased the DVD format camera to make it easier to load and edit the footage on a PC and with the hope we could view the disk directly on a PC or home DVD player. The recorded DVD (the DVD-RAM disk that worked) can only be viewed on my PC, not on the three DVD players and one other PC in the house. This format seems really finicky, or is it just me?
Can anyone tell me the basic benifits and drawbacks to a DVD camera. And is there a great quality difference between DVD disc manufacturers? The discs I am having problems with are from Memorex and have a "scratch resistant coating". I think one issue is in defects in this coating.
Thanks for reading through this and for any help/advice.
We have just upgraded from our 12+ year old tape video camera to a new mini DVD unit. So far I'm not too impressed. The first three DVD-R disks I used had flaws that rendered them unusable with poor image quality, freezing, and in one case 20 min. of video is locked up with a disc error. I also have tested a DVD-RAM disc and that seemed to work fine. We have lost all footage from my daughter's birthday party this weekend and that makes me really nervous about using the camera on an upcoming trip to Australia.
The camera is a Panasonic VDR-M53P and was highly recommended by Consumers Digest. It is really easy to use, small, and has good image quality (if you can get it from the disc!). We purchased the DVD format camera to make it easier to load and edit the footage on a PC and with the hope we could view the disk directly on a PC or home DVD player. The recorded DVD (the DVD-RAM disk that worked) can only be viewed on my PC, not on the three DVD players and one other PC in the house. This format seems really finicky, or is it just me?
Can anyone tell me the basic benifits and drawbacks to a DVD camera. And is there a great quality difference between DVD disc manufacturers? The discs I am having problems with are from Memorex and have a "scratch resistant coating". I think one issue is in defects in this coating.
Thanks for reading through this and for any help/advice.
Put it off to the side and cover it up mostly with clothes. She'll never even notice it.
stick w/ MiniDV...never had a problem...and firewire hookup into the lappy makes editing a breeze...
return it and get a small MiniDV.
the only DVD camcorders I have heard are worth a squat are the Sony's...all the rest jsut can't seem to get their act together...but the Cybercams are a grip...and aguable quality gain compaired to MiniDV...
DVD cams won't really be able to be taken advantage of until HD/HighRes hits the consumer market in a few years.
return it and get a small MiniDV.
the only DVD camcorders I have heard are worth a squat are the Sony's...all the rest jsut can't seem to get their act together...but the Cybercams are a grip...and aguable quality gain compaired to MiniDV...
DVD cams won't really be able to be taken advantage of until HD/HighRes hits the consumer market in a few years.
Try putting the disc in boiling water for a couple of seconds. Works great on my game disks...
But I agree with N600, take the camera back and get a miniDV cam.
I am personally partial to the Canon ZR series of cameras. Canons are not the best in low light (Sony's are better), but good price and great features. Super small, too.
But I agree with N600, take the camera back and get a miniDV cam.
I am personally partial to the Canon ZR series of cameras. Canons are not the best in low light (Sony's are better), but good price and great features. Super small, too.
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