Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Confused Canadian]

Last year, we had a Samsung Miniket VM-M2200. I was quite happy with it, until we left in the back of a cab, never to see it again.

However, there was one problem...it recorded in MPEG 4, but Samsung has it's own codec, which didn't seem to play nice with most video editing software (the stuff that came bundled with it was useless).

So, with the upcoming family vacation fast approaching, we're again in the market for a digital camcorder. At present, I'm considering the JVC
GZ-MG575 and the Sony DCR-SR300

I'm leaning towards the JVC (I've found both within 30,000 won of each other, so price isn't a factor), but I'm not sure about the recording formats. I believe both record in MPEG 2 Format, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience (good or bad) with either the Sony or JVC digital camcorders. As much as I'd love to spend the time editing movies together, I just don't have the time. I'm more interested in something that allows me to burn DVD's quickly and easily, without having to convert file formats first.

Advice and/or information greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

[rocklee]

I almost bought the JVC GZ-MC500, which was probably the first ever HD based video camera. Problem with it was that it was neither good at taking photos or video, kind of like in between. Plus, it got hot as hell because of the hard disk. That was 2005. Ever since then JVC had been aggressively pursuing the HDD camera market but its lead has slimmed to bigger companies like Sony, Panasonic and Canon. This tells me that JVC hasn't really progressed all that much compared to the others. It is filled with a whole of technological features, but whether that translate to better overall results is something else. Simply said, the JVC hasn't impressed me yet except for the HD7 which is a little more expensive but produces HD videos.

Having said that, the Sony DCR-SR300 has received some good feedback from some of the video camera reviews. Its Carl Zeiss lens is one of the best but knowing Sony, they do tend to produce colored videos that's a bit on the bright side. You can go for the Sony DCR-SR100 which was the model it replaced with less HD space but everything is essentially the same, only cheaper. OR, there is the Sony DCR-SR5 and SR7 the replacement for the SR300 in a month's time or so.

Anyway, both cameras will record to MPEG2 which will make DVD burning much easier and quicker to process.

Personally I would go for the HD cameras if you can afford it, kind of like comparing SD TVs and HDTV TVs.

[Confused Canadian]

In a perfect world....

I'd love to opt for the HD cameras, but with a budget (and currently no HDTV), HD is just not an option at the moment. I'm thinking of going with a 'decent' hard drive camera for now, and maybe in a few years, when prices have hopefully come down, I'll switch to the HD camera and TV.

Any advice on where to find reviews on these cameras? My google searches have only returned a couple of sites, and many haven't got reviews of these new models yet.

For example, http://www.camcorderinfo.com had the SR 300 and 100, but not the other models you mentioned. It also has limited JVC reviews.

On the other hand, http://reviews.cnet.com/Camcorders/2001-6500_7-0.html has more reviews, but I'd like a bit of balance.

Any other sites for decent camcorder reveiws?

[rocklee]

CC, I'm in a similar boat. Having bought several SD "high quality" cameras in the past for my dad, I don't really want my next camera to rely on the same old technology. I'm seriously looking at the Canon though which still uses miniDV tapes but records at 24P.

I have had hours of hands on with the JVC cameras, they are cool and perfect for gadget lovers but it runs hot and the battery is not outstanding. They should really be doing better since they practically started the whole thing. Their mid range cameras should suffice for the average video enthusiasts, however even the expensive HD7 can't compare with HDV.

The new Sony cameras I mentioned can be bought here in Korea, do a search on Gmarket.co.kr. They are around 1.3-1.8 million won. They use the same AVCHD format as the Panasonic SD1, which records at a max. of 15Mpbs. The JVC HD7 is 30Mbps but the video quality is no better, which says something about Sony engineering.

Here's a comparison of some of them :

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sony-HDR-SR7-Sony-HDR-SR5-Sony-HDR-CX7-Sony-HDR-SR1-JVC-GZ-HD7-Panasonic-HDC-SD1-Compared.htm

Seems like the trend might be moving towards AVCHD?

Have a look at this too :

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/The-Great-HD-Shoot-Out---Canon-HV20-Sony-HDR-HC7-Panasonic-HDC-SD1-JVC-GZ-HD7.htm

Apparently the Canon outdoes all of them at only 1.3 million won. It still uses miniDV tapes but the quality is much better than Mpeg2 and AVCHD mainly because of this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24p

Other links :

http://www.easycamcorders.com/ratings.php

http://reviews.digitaltrends.com/reviews_cat-16.html

[rocklee]

And for anyone interested in what HD video looks like (95MB Sony SR3 video) :

http://cue.la.coocan.jp/hdv_movie/Osanpo7.wmv


And the Canon HV10/20 :

http://usa.canon.com/app/html/See_The_Difference/hd_cmos.shtml