Camcorder Help

[Zack-->607]

So I am planning on getting an HD camcorder soon. Should I get a camera with a hard drive or one that takes mini dv tapes (i heard the hard drive one compresses the footage weird or something). Thanks for your opinion.

[KTM229]

Id go MiniDV. That way you dont have to delete your footage to record new stuff, you can just get new tapes.

[459Productions]

If your looking into HD the tapes for hidefinition are about 25 bucks per tape and are HDV, which is just a high def MiniDV....Never liked the hard drive cameras....my 2 cents.

[Zack-->607]

Thanks.. Kyle I thought I read somewhere that you had a fx7... Well my question is what makes video cameras like that better than like for instance a handheld HD camcorder like a cannon vixia or any panasonic or sony Hd handheld camcorder. The microphone, the image stabilizers or what ? Thanks a lot

[459Productions]

Zach....I got the FX-1 which is right now the highest HD camera Sony makes, the FX-7 is a smaller version I believe. The difference is not so much in the image because both cameras run on 720p but the FX-1 also goes to 1080i.....The major difference is your audio inputs, stabilization, and because they are not hand held. Overall rule of thumb is that if it is a hand held like a sonycam or something then it is going to be a pain to work with.

Long story short, the difference between a large and small camera is that the larger ones are far easier to work with and you have a lot more stuff to play with and make your shot that much better. If you are just looking for a decent price camera to mess with then the cameras you listed could be your best bet but also if that is what you are looking to do then there is no need for HD because it costs a lot more money.