Which video cam...

[killergraphics]

I think I'm going to get one of these two.

JVC Everio GZ-HM300 Black 1/5.8" CMOS 2.7" LCD 20X Optical Zoom HD Flash Memory Camera

* 20X Optical Zoom 200X Di...
* 1/5.8" CMOS
* 2.7" LCD
for $400

or
JVC Everio GZ-MS230 Black 1/6" CCD 2.7" LCD 39X Optical Zoom 8GB Flash Memory Camera

* 39X Optical Zoom 800X Di...
* 1/6" CCD
* 2.7" LCD
for 2

Is the harddrive a biggie?

Also I have asked about editing software.
What is a good one and very easy to use when you don't know what you are doing?
I need one I can figger out fast. Cause I'm doing a bbq video this weekend and want to get it up as fast as I can.
Thanks for any help
Johnny

 

[TheSnowman]

On both questions...just remember, you get what you pay for.

 

[choucove]

My personal selection for video cameras has always been Canon, it is what we used for courses in video production and I'm thrilled with both that I have owned. I purchased a new one just this Christmas that is a Vixia HG21 and it has been perfect for me.

As Kraig said above, you get what you pay for. You can get some pretty nice HD camcorders now for pretty cheap. Some things you want to keep in mind:

- The bigger the CMOS censer the better picture quality you can get (generally speaking)
- Upgradable storage is another big factor to consider. Does your camera offer you the ability to just add in an extra memory card to record on if need be? Is there storage built in, and how big if so? If you are filming HD you can use up a ton of space in nothing flat. My camera has a 120GB hard drive in it and I've been able to fill half of it with footage from one project.
- Connectivity is also pretty important to consider. Does your camera have the output ports to work right with your computer and software? Many cameras used firewire before to import and capture footage from off of miniDV tapes, but that is becoming less popular today and is switching more to USB. You need to be sure your recorded file type is something your editing software can work with!

As for editing software, there are quite a few options out there for some simpler work. I was taught on and have always used Adobe Premiere, but that is pretty overkill for most home usage. There are a lot of cheaper and easier programs out there, such as Nero, but still will cost you a bit to purchase and require a bit of configuration depending upon how your camera imports to your computer. A free alternative that I have heard good things about is Open Movie Editor.

Most all real video editing software packages will take some time to figure out and get used to running, really, as about the only one I have seen that was easy enough for someone to just hop into for the first time and use was Windows Movie Editor, which unfortunately is not useful at all as an editing software.