HD Camcorder Advice - High-Def Digest Forums

carolinaforecast · #1 03-10-2009, 01:16 AM

I've been reading some of the threads but have somewhat of a special need and thought I would ask.

I'm really into weather and would like to film some severe weather this spring: lightning, tornadoes, hail, etc. It needs to be a very flexible camera for many lighting situations and excel at night to capture lightning. My biggest problem is my low buget. I want to know what I should get in the $500 to $700 range. And what I could get for this if I had $5,000 to $7,000 to spend.

Beast3238 · #2 03-10-2009, 04:16 PM

I have the Sony hdr-sr11 which is a great 60gb 1080i camcorder. And i love it! you should be able to find one in the 700 range if your lucky

peterhefer1 · #3 03-10-2009, 10:14 PM

I picked up a SD9 from Panasonic, Very grainy in low light, but outdoor video is great, it's 1080P/24 and records to SDHC cards, Software support is still a little off becouse of AVCHD just getting ground with blu-ray. Video works straight across with any PS3 or Panny Blu-ray player, only cost me $450 Canadian.

evizzle · #4 03-11-2009, 01:58 PM

I second the SR11 recommendation. There are some new models coming, and the ones that are better than the SR11 are over $1k. Hunt down an SR11 and you will be set.

crazzeto · #5 03-12-2009, 05:34 PM

Looks like ebay has those cams available:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-HDR-SR11-60...3A1%7C294%3A50

Beast3238 · #6 03-16-2009, 01:50 PM

I did get my Sr11 for Cough 5 bucks Cough Brand new in the box. I worked at CC and the liqudater cut me a deal on the last day!

crazzeto · #7 03-16-2009, 03:59 PM

holy crap.... I'll give you $10 for it, com'on.. double your money

carolinaforecast · #8 03-20-2009, 10:04 PM

Hey, thanks for all this good advice. The sony is hard to find but i did find a great deal on the Canon Vixia HG0 at amazon. Do you guys think this will work well for filiming weather? And should I get a better mic to plug into it?

foxysport · #9 03-21-2009, 04:52 PM

I'd rather suggest Canon HF11 Vixia or the new bunch to appear this April. I cannot praise enough its color reproduction and REAL true HD. 24MBps AVCHD recording works very well right onto Cat 6 SD cards.

carolinaforecast · #10 03-25-2009, 02:20 PM

Keep me updated on new models as they come out and what you suggest.

evizzle · #11 03-25-2009, 05:09 PM

Of the new models, the Sony XV500 is a superb choice, and has built in GPS, which would be pretty cool for your use, as you could tag locations of your videos. Of the upcoming Canon models, the HV40 (HDV recording) will be the first consumer model that records in 1080p, the S100 or S10 have the largest image sensors of any of the new models and record to memory card (S10 has 32GB built in SSD memory). All are pricier than last years models (over $1k) but I would take any of them!

crazzeto · #12 03-30-2009, 01:56 PM

I'm not sure if any of this helps, but looks like amazon is having an HD camcorder clearance or sale.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=xs_gb_rs...ag=rssfeeds-20

carolinaforecast · #13 04-13-2009, 10:30 AM

hey did you mean: Sony HDR-XR200V (I found it amazon for $900)

It has the mapping, 15x optical zoom, and 4 mp image capture. Seems great. Any thoughts.

crazzeto · #14 04-13-2009, 10:27 PM

Who was that for? My like was just a like full of cheap digital (and hd) cams.

carolinaforecast · #15 04-14-2009, 01:29 AM

I was asking "evizzle" if he meant the "sony xr 200v"

Sorry for any confusion. Its priced great right now...

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