Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Manner of Speaking]

I want to buy a couple of camcorders, one for use in my classes and the other to send home to Canada as a wedding present. Has anybody had any experience with buying them in Korea? Any particular makes/models to recommend or stay away from? Thanks in advance!

[elmer]

I bought a digital camcorder in Korea. At yongsan. JVC. The camera was 1.1 million, but shelled out for an extra battery (highly recommended), tripod, and later for the card to put into the computer so I could stream video. Couple hundred more. It uses 6mm tapes and has a 16MB memory card for photos.

There are plently of nice Sonys that I'd recommend if you want to spend a little less cash. Mine has lots of bells and whistles, but if you just want the basics, I'd go for a Sony. One whistle that is recommended is that it take digital photos as well as video. It's a nice addition that the cheaper camcorders don't have.


My only complaint is streaming video onto the computer--way too slow and tedious. But that's my computer's fault. Once I get a better computer that problem should be solved. Making videos to watch on tv is super easy though. Or you can just keep the 6mm tapes and watch your videos on the tv through your camera...whatever.

Oh. One thing to wactch for. Part of the reason I chose the JVC was the bigger LCD display. I'm not sure it was the best decision. It looked fine in the store when compared to the smaller screens (mostly Sonys), but once outside it's really hard to see the display if it's really sunny. Even the view finder doesn't look so hot. Sometimes I'm not too sure what I'm taking pictures (video) of. As well, Sony has a nice advantage that you can use the LCD and the view finder at the same time (my JVC won't). The good news is that the picture (or video) that comes out is always great. I'm not sure if all LCD displays have this problem in the sun.

hope that helps a bit

[half_pint]

I am shopping for a video camera this week too (I'm getting a tax return, woo hoo!)

I can't tell you what make to look for at the moment, but I recommend the Mini DV format. I would look for a camera with a glass lens, and manual audio controls, as well as audio inputs so you can buy a microphone if you choose to at some point (camera mics pretty much always suck and a microphone can make a huge difference). I second what elmer said about the LCD display - I wouldn't pay too much extra for that either. They are hard to see outside in the light, and you will usually shoot better using the viewfinder anyway. I also personally wouldn't pay extra for a camera that takes digital photos, because if you can stream your video into your computer whatever software you are using will allow you to grab still frames, and you will then have a digital photo you can save as whatever format you want.

For the camera you are sending back to Canada, do you think it would be cheaper to look around here and decide what you want, then buy it over the internet from a store in Canada and have it shipped from the store wherever its going? I would think this would be cheaper than buying a camera here and shipping it yourself.

I am going shopping soon so I will share whatever I find out. Yay!

[Manner of Speaking]

Elmer and half_pint,

Thanks for the advice; I didn't even know that you can stream a camera to a computer now, tells you how out of date I am. What I'm looking for is something that I can be used in classes and/or travelling, as I want to buy one for myself and one for a couple -- who are also teachers -- as a wedding present. Thanks again, the info is much appreciated, esp. re: the viewfinder versus LCD display. If I work in Thailand or someplace even more rustic in the future I'm just looking for something I can watch on TV through the camera. Whatever I eventually get I'll let you know!

[mrroboto]

I would disagree with the idea that having stills isn't necessary. It's a terribly frustrating thing to have to capture a dv stream, then output a still via whatever video program you use, etc.. instead of just grabbing it from the memory card.

I love my MiniDV cameras, but that is one feature I truly wish I'd held out for.

I highly recommend the canon eluras, they're excellent cameras. I've got two of them. More up to date advice can be found at http://www.supervideo.com. The best in DV rumours, etc, even if the author is a bit 'colourful' (excuse my Canadian spelling).

[elmer]

I'm with mrroboto. Being able to take still photos is definitely worth it. half_pint seems to think it's not necessary, but like roboto says, it's a real pain in the butt to stream video and then find which spot you want a still for. Granted you can always do that, but being able to take photos and video is totally great. I suppose if you already have a digital camera then it's not such a huge requirement, but then you are carrying 2 cameras around with you. The quality that I get is comparable to a normal digital camera. It's not superior or anything, but then I don't really care. I only use it to take snap shots and put them on the computer and send over email if I want. If you are totally new to all of this, it is extremely easy to do. WAY easier than streaming video and then capturing a still....

just more of my 2 cents...

[syclick]

Having a videocamera with the ability to do stills is nice, but if you are a stickler for photo quality and detail I'd get a digital camera. All the stills I've seen from videocameras were pretty bad quality - Especially the JVC my fiancee got (the GR-DVL728KR I think).

[elmer]

I have the JVC GR-DVL 1020. It's a few steps up from the 728, but the quality is probably comparable. There's only 1.07 MPixels for digital photos, so yeah, that's pretty sucky compared to a nice camera.

I've never printed off my stills. I just keep them on the computer. For snap shots, they're really not too bad.

I really don't have too much to complain about the camera.
Battery life is short, but that's an issue with most camcorders.

[different]

This is a good website about camcorder information:
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/

There are others too if you do an Internet search, but I like Camcorderinfo the best because it has in-depth reviews and is kept current. A lot of websites aren't updated frequently and have no information about recently released camcorders.

[logan2003]

I bought a camcorder from America.....MUCH cheaper!
I would recommend that you also look at optical zoom. 20x is best!
for digital camera's i think that 10x is the best zoom.
But if you going to buy a digital camcorder it is nice to be able to get up "close" to your subject. Also digital zoom is not all that great at all.
I mean mine has 800x digital zoom....at best i might go as high as 50x but after that image distortion is sooo bad.

I already have a digital camera, i did not want to get a camera with one installed.....for best results i think you would need about 3 mega pixels, and that is darn expensive, I saw a 4 mega pixel samsung model.....again it was quite pricey! But if you do not have a digital camera then i think it is a good idea to get a digital camera with one included.....like what was meantioned earlier....less to carry around.

[the saint]