video camera question

[SDJ]

ok so i know a fair bit about dslrs but not so with video cams. Anyways i been looking at a few, im just after a cheapy. My question is should i buy one before i go to Japan and am i able to claim the GST back at customs when i go through or should i wait till i get to japan and see if they have ones that arent released here yet???

thanks in advance

[spaz]

I would stick with Sony, they make the CCDs that are used in most cameras, and the cheap ones have some nice features. What are you going to use it for?
Mini DV has the best quality, the hard drive type only record a smaller file but are alright if your going to post youtube etc.
Check online reviews they offer some good info (google the model no your intrested in)
Check that you can get the English version in Japan and you'll want a PAL camera not NTSC. I've been looking at lots of cameras lately, I'll check my research in the morning.

[SDJ]

cheers spaz. I mainly want it for just taking about on holidays. nothing serious. i just want it fairly compact. Just something to take rather than lugging the DSLR everywhere. it doesnt have to be HD or anything. I have been looking at the Samsungs. and Canon (mainly cause i trust canon for stills cameras) just looking to spend around $400 or so

[ 29.01.2009, 01:10 AM: Message edited by: SDJ ]

[24]

hey sdj i have a canon that records to flash memory (sdhc). 16gb is now around $50 for a high speed card - and you don't have the worries or fragileness of a hard drive or tape. I would recommend a flash based one.

[spaz]

So you may be considering a 'hybrid' camera? MP3, stills, video etc... The new ones claim they offer HD, but I highly doubt they actually record full 1080res. it's more likely they compress their 600x480 image so it can be viewed on HD screens, even if they do capture HD it's through a CMOS sensor! Which means poor performance in bright or dark lighting. Our phones use CMOS. I'm sure the sound quality wouldn't be to great either. The stills should be good.

But at the prices these pop up on ebay I'd consider one as a pocket video camera at least they record at 30fps some do 60fps!?

They are the camera I wanted 5 years ago.

SDJ, get one in Japan!

[SDJ]

the one i been looking at is a flash one from memory. how many hours can u fit on a 16gb card???

[24]

heaps, but it depends on compression. i get around an hour, but the camera doesn't compress at all - 1280x800 at 30fps in mjpg