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Best Camcorder to buy? Best format to record in?

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I was trying to decide what cam to buy, I kind of like the Canon's, such as the FS20, FS30, FS200, HF R10, HF R100, HF 200, etc..... Was wondering if anyone was using any of these and what they thought of them?? I will be using the cam for home movies. Also, Was wondering the difference between the different formats such as MPEG-2, AVCHD, MPEG-4, etc..... Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
 
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A friend has a an HF-200 and it's an awesome camera. It works flawlessly with final cut express too.
 
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Yes, the HF-200 is a pretty good camcorder. I also like the more high-end sony ones as well
 
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Sony HDRsr11e
Great cam for the price. Has the ability to add lenses etc.
Crystal clear display. Great. Not had any problems with it.

'edit'
Dont like Macs tho.
 
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Sony HDRsr11e
Great cam for the price. Has the ability to add lenses etc.
Crystal clear display. Great. Not had any problems with it.

'edit'
Dont like Macs tho.

Precisely. any of the sony HDR higher end models will do just fine
 
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I just purchased a Canon VIXIA HF S100 from Beach Camera and I am loving this unit. The picture quality is outstanding and it has all the bells and whistles I could want. Apple does warn that Cinema Mode or 24p cause jittery playback, but I have not experienced it. It's last years model and can be found for at least $400 off it's normal street price which makes it a steal in my book.

I also looked at the Sony Handycam HDR-CX500V, but the reviews of this unit in lower light situations were avg at best and it doesn't support SDHC only their proprietary memory. It did have some nifty features that the Canon didn't but none of them were necessary to me. Thinks like GPS Tagging seemed like something I would never use anyway.

Just my 2¢

EDIT: I only answered 1/2 the question. I record in 1080i 60fps, AVCHD (Highest settings on the Canon) mainly b/c I have a huge external HDD and don't have issues storing them. It is rather pointless right now, b/c I have no way outside of playing it through the camera to get this level of detail onto a media to play on my Home Theater. The Apple TV doesn't support video this high and I don't have a BluRay burner. I assume at some point Apple will have to address this and so I have all the ADCHD files archived. But that's just how I do it, I'm sure there a better ways for better reasons.
 
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I was trying to decide what cam to buy, I kind of like the Canon's, such as the FS20, FS30, FS200, HF R10, HF R100, HF 200, etc..... Was wondering if anyone was using any of these and what they thought of them?? I will be using the cam for home movies. Also, Was wondering the difference between the different formats such as MPEG-2, AVCHD, MPEG-4, etc..... Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Different formats are just various flavors of video compression... it really depends on what your goal is as to whether they will even matter to you. MPEG-4 is one that tends to compress the most, it is also the one that pops up in those cheap sub-200 dollar camcorders. MPEG-2 is old school and most likely to be found in SD camcorders. AVCHD is a a sony/panasonic created format... If you are looking for HD you'll likely find something that records to H.264 (which is a type of MPEG-4) which is common in HD camcorders.

You should start by deciding if you want a SD or HD camcorder... once you decide that you can narrow down your format options... but remember to make sure that whatever you have to editing will edit the format you are looking at. Not all editing software like all formats... even when they will edit all formats some of them will require more time than others.

You've listed both SD and HD camcorders so it isn't clear what your end use goal is.
 

RavingMac

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I was trying to decide what cam to buy, I kind of like the Canon's, such as the FS20, FS30, FS200, HF R10, HF R100, HF 200, etc..... Was wondering if anyone was using any of these and what they thought of them?? I will be using the cam for home movies. Also, Was wondering the difference between the different formats such as MPEG-2, AVCHD, MPEG-4, etc..... Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
I know camcorder purists will flame me, but I have been delighted with the quality of the HD video recorded with my Pana Lumix FZ28 (a 10MP Ultrazoom P&S Still Camera).
I have a Sony Compact Digital DV Tape Recorder, but never use it anymore. The FZ28 is more convenient and shoots better video. I realize the new Canon's will outperform my FZ28, but for home movies what I have is good enough for me.
 

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