10-11-2007, 01:19 AM

I am on the verge of buying a new video camera - or to be exact, a 'high end camcorder' which is good enough to shoot weddings and events for a small business I am starting.

I could not find a model by my trusted Panasonic to suit my requirements but the Sony HC7 pictured below seemed to suit my needs, it shoots in Hi Def, has the ability to use external mic and just about everything I need (apart from looking professional.)



The problem is that the honest woman in the store told me that DVD's produced from the cameras footage would not be in High Definition but standard AVI format.

There was an Apple Store nearby that couldn't confirm this as they we not Sony experts just as the Thai Sony rep wasn't an Apple expert and maybe something was lost in translation.

If the camera shoots in High Def is there any reason why I would not be able to produce DVD's of weddings in High Def after importing my footage into i-movie or Final Cut?

This is something very important which I have to find out soon as I have my first assignment a week away.

Are Sony cameras generally compatible with Apples?

I have a 15" MBP - my business is just starting out so I don't have the budget for a full pro camera, besides I prefer hand held. If this woman is right then I am wasting my time getting HD - I don't understand the point in having HD if you can only see the quality when playing the DV cassette footage through the camcorder onto a TV.

Any advice greatly appreciated as I need a camera soon.

10-11-2007, 04:30 AM

I have the HC5, the previous model. It shoots HD. The problem isn't the camera to mac or mac to cam. It's the burning. You have to have a blueray or HDDVD burner to burn HD. Then you have to find a player... You can shoot in HD, edit and then burn to standard also archive back to the tape saving HD content for future burning to HD.

10-11-2007, 07:12 AM

You can also play HD content if you hook your Mac directly to an HDTV.

10-11-2007, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by dakineyj

I have the HC5, the previous model. It shoots HD. The problem isn't the camera to mac or mac to cam. It's the burning. You have to have a blueray or HDDVD burner to burn HD. Then you have to find a player... You can shoot in HD, edit and then burn to standard also archive back to the tape saving HD content for future burning to HD.

So it doesn't matter which camcorder I get then as I would need a special HD DVD burner anyway? ....Because my MBP - like most computers can only burn standard?

If this is the case then my problem is solved, I have nothing to lose and may as well go ahead and get the HC7 - I assume you're happy with your Sony?

Please confirm and thanks again.

10-11-2007, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by cameronryan

So it doesn't matter which camcorder I get then as I would need a special HD DVD burner anyway? ....Because my MBP - like most computers can only burn standard?

Correct

10-11-2007, 12:36 PM

You should look into Canon's set of HD camcorders. http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/co...categoryid=172

10-12-2007, 10:11 PM

After reading this post I started playing with DVD Studio Pro. I added some HD content from Final Cut Pro and created a regular DVD that plays HD content. Well, on my computer anyway with DVD Player. Since I do not have an HD DVD or Blu Ray player, I can't tell you if they would recognize the disc. My brothers older DVD player couldn't understand the disc. In fact the Sony said "The Disk is Dirty"!

It looks like Adobe Premier can create Blu Ray discs. I thought that Toast 8 might be able to, but haven't been able to confirm that. Perhaps the Apple forum for DSP has some info on that.

By the way, the camera used was a Canon HV10a. I've been very impressed with the limited items I've seen from it. Nice color & contrast and very sharp images. Canon does have a tarnished reputation for their transport mechanisms though.

Buying into HD might not be a bad idea as you can learn and play with it now, and when the burning technology, and customers ownership of HD players rises, you'll be ready to deliver the format.

10-13-2007, 12:27 AM

I have heard that Sony also have a questionable rep for mass produced crappy parts - esp in Bangkok.