Best HD video camera recording games for Youtube

Tighe

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Best HD video camera for recording games for Youtube

I hate my Flip Slide HD, the fixed focus sucks, you can't plug in a mic, and low light performance is shit.

I am looking for an inexpensive (under $400) 720p minimum video camera. The sensor needs to be HD, for example the Sony handycams use a SD sensor and scale the video up to HD (yuck). It needs to be zero lux, have an external mic jack. Also it needs to store the videos in mp4 or avchd format. No fixed focus and optical zoom and macro mode.

Any suggestions please?
 
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I was on a tighter budget... I have an Flip SD and was almost considering going to a Flip HD until I saw that there was no external mic jack. I ended up going with the Creative Vado HD 3rd gen and am very impressed with it.

http://www.creative.com/myvado/

Picked up a used for on Ebay for $70 I think.
 
I am thinking about the Kodak's discontinued Zi8 which is better than there current products, macro mode and external mic. I wish it had and optical zoom.
http://store.kodak.com/store/ekconsus/en_US/pd/Zi8_Pocket_Video_Camera/productID.156585800

Really, I would totally love a Sony Handycam HRD CX-130 if it weren't for the crappy SD sensor:

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/sony-handycam-hdr-cx130/4505-6500_7-34463639.html

The Canon VIXIA HF M400 can be had for $560 but that is just too much money!

https://www.google.com/products/cat...gtUNOAB4Tg0QGAuoCgDQ&ved=0CLABEK0E#scoring=tp
 
If you want probably the best consumer HD camera with complete manual control, amazing low light performance, and can spend just a tad bit more and buy used (or wait for the price to come down when the GH3 comes out in the next few months, or buy new when the GH2 starts getting deeply discounted) I would highly recommend the Panasonic GH2 (with a cheap lens.) You can get highly professional looking video and can hack the camera to take even higher quality video. And you can get adapters that will let you use practically any lens on it (including expensive lenses from the 80s that now go for cheap.)

Audio quality is amazing as well for on camera and it's in stereo. The new firmware also does 30 frames a second right off the bat, and along with manually setting the shutter, you'll be able to get the monitor to look right and in sync.

A lot of people are shooting independent video on these cameras and loving it. I've had it for about 18 months and can't believe the video I can get out of it.

I'd be happy to help if you need it. :)

Josh
 
If you want probably the best consumer HD camera with complete manual control, amazing low light performance, and can spend just a tad bit more and buy used (or wait for the price to come down when the GH3 comes out in the next few months, or buy new when the GH2 starts getting deeply discounted) I would highly recommend the Panasonic GH2 (with a cheap lens.) You can get highly professional looking video and can hack the camera to take even higher quality video. And you can get adapters that will let you use practically any lens on it (including expensive lenses from the 80s that now go for cheap.)

Audio quality is amazing as well for on camera and it's in stereo. The new firmware also does 30 frames a second right off the bat, and along with manually setting the shutter, you'll be able to get the monitor to look right and in sync.

A lot of people are shooting independent video on these cameras and loving it. I've had it for about 18 months and can't believe the video I can get out of it.

I'd be happy to help if you need it. :)

Josh

I have seen that people are using cameras instead of video cameras to shoot pro level video.

I was looking at these too, they both have sensors that are 5MP and optical zoom and mic jacks:

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/sony-webbie-hd-mhs/4505-6500_7-33490879.html

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/samsung-smx-u20-camcorder/4505-6500_7-34025073.html

This one doesn't have a zoom:
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/samsung-smx-u20-camcorder/4507-6500_7-34025073.html
 
I just upgraded my camcorder two weeks ago. I spend hours and hours reading reviews. I was looking in the $500 and under range and settled on the Panasonic HCV 700M. Man the Anti-Shake alone is almost enough to get this camcorder!!! First time I saw/used it, I just said WOW!! LOVE IT!!!!

Here's a link to check it out, I think I paid about $420 for it. The 16GB internal memory is PLENTY to start with!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0072B5DZC/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0072B5DZC&linkCode=as2&tag=thepekingesep-20

Steve
 
That Panasonic HCV700MK 3D looks great, but everywhere I look I can't get the sensor resolution, Panasonic burned me once with my dv cam which used a 640x480 sensor when dv resolution is 720x480. The damn thing extrapolates it up!

All I see is that is "full hd" I ain't falling for it again Panasonic!
 
"It's not about resolution anymore...It's about PPI (Pixels per Inch)"

We shall see how long it takes before someone gets this joke...
 
I don't get the joke, but the sensor needs to be greater or equal resolution than the final resolution of the output video.
 
That Panasonic HCV700MK 3D looks great,

All I see is that is "full hd" I ain't falling for it again Panasonic!

It shoots: Full 1920x1080p HD (that's a 'P' and not an 'I'!!) at 60fps :)
1/2.33" High Sensitivity MOS sensor
Total Pixel Count 15,300,000
Effective Pixel Count for Video 3,550,000
Plus you can add 3D to it later!

I have been able to edit the videos with Coral Videostudio X4 and Adobe Premire Pro!

Steve
 
I have seen that people are using cameras instead of video cameras to shoot pro level video.

I was looking at these too, they both have sensors that are 5MP and optical zoom and mic jacks:

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/sony-webbie-hd-mhs/4505-6500_7-33490879.html

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/samsung-smx-u20-camcorder/4505-6500_7-34025073.html

This one doesn't have a zoom:
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/samsung-smx-u20-camcorder/4507-6500_7-34025073.html


Okay, the Sony has reduced horizontal resolution (1440 x 1080). The Samsung does have full 1080p and does 30 frames a second (which is what you want.) It seems like a good deal (it's super cheap) but its low light performance is not great and it has a slow lens (doesn't let a lot of light in.)

The HCV700 produces much nicer video, has nice stabilization, has a faster lens and does much better in low light. However, it only does 60 frames a sec at 1080p, which is probably going to be a pain to edit and post (although 60 frames may become the new standard in a few years and should look about as nice as 30 frames a sec when recording a monitor.) It does do 30 frames a sec but only at a quarter of full HD (960x540).

I'd still recommend the GH2 if you can swing it. The video quality and low light capabilities will blow all of these away. Plus you'll have a very capable DSLR type camera as well. I'll see if I can find anything cheaper that I'd recommend for you, though.

Take care!
-Josh
 
The HCV700 produces much nicer video, has nice stabilization, has a faster lens and does much better in low light. However, it only does 60 frames a sec at 1080p, which is probably going to be a pain to edit and post (although 60 frames may become the new standard in a few years and should look about as nice as 30 frames a sec when recording a monitor.) It does do 30 frames a sec but only at a quarter of full HD (960x540).

I'd still recommend the GH2 if you can swing it. The video quality and low light capabilities will blow all of these away. Plus you'll have a very capable DSLR type camera as well. I'll see if I can find anything cheaper that I'd recommend for you, though.
-Josh

How much is the GH2?

I already have a super nice DSLR, so I personally did not go that route.
But as for editing the HCV 700 videos at Full HD at 60 FPS, it's no problem at all. As I posted, They edit just as easy as any other video in VideoStudio X4 and Adobe Premier Pro. Those are the only two video editors I use. Then the output can save it in ANY format, size, FPS you want.. Shoots in AVCHD with is a .mts extension. That was my big concern when I got it, was if I could edit the videos OK.

Again if you have either video editing software you will have no trouble!

But to be honest I don't know why I would need 60 FPS??
It wasn't any feature I was looking for.

Steve
 
How much is the GH2?

I already have a super nice DSLR, so I personally did not go that route.
But as for editing the HCV 700 videos at Full HD at 60 FPS, it's no problem at all. As I posted, They edit just as easy as any other video in VideoStudio X4 and Adobe Premier Pro. Those are the only two video editors I use. Then the output can save it in ANY format, size, FPS you want.. Shoots in AVCHD with is a .mts extension. That was my big concern when I got it, was if I could edit the videos OK.

Again if you have either video editing software you will have no trouble!

But to be honest I don't know why I would need 60 FPS??
It wasn't any feature I was looking for.

Steve

The GH2 goes for about $600 without a lens on eBay, although I've seen it as low as $500 new. You can get a cheap adapter (for Canon FD, Nikon, Pentax, Minolta, etc.) plus a really nice older lens (like a 50mm f1.4) for about $100 more.

I know a lot of people have had problems editing 1080 60p (aka 60 FPS), so that's good to hear, especially since VideoStudio X4 is cheap (as Premier is definitely not. :) )

60p looks smoother, while not necessarily having that video look of 30p. A lot of people use 60p for slow motion (slowing it down to 24p). James Cameron recently stated that he really likes the look of 60p and might be shooting movies in the future at that framerate, so there will probably be more wide support. Right now only the latest Blu Ray players will play the format and it is unsupported by Youtube (they transpose 60 frames a sec into 30 frames a sec automatically.)
 
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