Ok Guys, it’s been a while since we talked cameras.
I have found some good ones on the web in this price range to find they are dicontionued.

Looking for;
DV, mic input if possible. ( I’ve seen some with a zoom mic. Please explain ). Actually
I kind of know, but is the quality bad.

And good image quality.
I’m looking at a used Panasonic 3ccd.
Any Ideas ???

Hey Mark, Unfortunately at that price range there is a little bit of a gap in the market.  SD MiniDV cameras are inexpensive but being phased out.  Moreover, you hit on a key feature to look for, which is an external mic input.  Most built in mics just pale in comparison with even an inexpensive external one. 

The real question I think is whether you should try to stretch into an inexpensive HD camera.  They tend to start at $600 and you can find used/recertified ones <$500.  An HD camera is going to be relevant for a lot longer than an SD camera at this point.  And if you have a lot of old MiniDV tapes you want to still access, most DV tape based HD cameras can still play or even record in SD.

So, that being said, let’s look at the options.  In terms of brands, Canon, Sony and Panasonic are typically seen as the top 3 brands, and I probably wouldn’t stray from those 3.

If you want to stick with SD Mini DV in that price range or below, the Canon ZR960 seems like a decent camera at $250 with a mic input and a 1/6” sensor.  The Panasonics are good too, although they’ve tended to take away their mic inputs.  They have however made a habit of putting 3CCD sensors in less expensive camcorders, which is nice.  We have a GS500 which was discontinued a couple of years ago which is a nice little camera.

In terms of HD cameras though, we really like the Canon HV20 and HV30.  The HV20 was just “upgraded” to the HV30 last year, but you can still find some HV20’s out there for $600 or so.  The HV20 is a tape based HD camcorder, and has a mic input.  We got an HV20 for a steal right when they were upgrading to the HV30 and we love it.  The changes to the HV30 were minimal so if you can find a deal on an HV20, go for it.  The HV30 retails for $750 or so, or you can find deals on recertified ones such as this one from NewEgg for $450 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16830120360.  (If you want to stretch up to a new one, we recommend the guys at BHphotovideo.com http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/539289-REG/Canon_2680B001_VIXIA_HV30_HDV_High.html.)

I’d probably try to go the inexpensive HD camcorder route if I were you.

There’s an HV40 now as well, so HV30s are slowing being phased out.  The differences between the camera aren’t really significant for most people, though, so if you can find a deal on one, grab it.  It produces beautiful images.

In standard definition DV, you’re going to get the best quality if you can find a used 3CCD camera (a used Canon GL-1 would be ideal, but they’re still oddly expensive).  Unfortunately the lower entry-level cameras sacrifice a lot, especially in low light.

Great information.

Thank You.

Time to shop !

THANK YOU JASON !!!!!!

I now have the HV30 from new Egg. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT !!!

Now that I have it. Will I be able to upload videos in there full HD
quality, or will I have to pull it back a little?

I thought I saw a post on this before but can’t find it now.

Thanks again Jason.
Now, Let The Show Begin !

Mark

Cool!  Glad it worked out and you’re loving your new HV30. Can’t wait to see what you crank out with it.

As for uploading to MindBites, we still don’t serve videos outside of screencasts in full HD, so any HD videos you upload will get scaled down.  No harm no foul if you can get it under the file size limit, but you may just want to compress down to a 640x480 (or similar 16:9 size) to get your file size down a bit.  You’ll still have a fantastic quality video.

And stay tuned.  Full HD may be here before we know it…  :)

I have also used the HV30 and it is very impressive and just a quick reply to the thought of being to upload full HD-sounds awesome man, wil be some great material here then…..
Full HD asap
lol

Cheers guys….