... home movies, that is.
But, our video camera -- circa. 1998 -- is woefully outdated and absurdly large. I'm embarrassed to pull it out and use it. Other parents -- with their tiny video cameras in one hand -- look over & think, "Wow..must be heavy to hold that thing up there."
It still takes tapes -- which have to be played on our VCR (yes...we still have a VCR...several in fact) using a conversion tape.
The battery charge rarely lasts more than a 1/2 hour now and the zoom button doesn't work right.
Yeah, it's sad.
Needless to say we rarely use it.
I'd buy a new one, but...they're expensive..and I don't know what to buy and my PC can't handle converting files (it's so old and buggy that it can barely open Photoshop). So, I've put off doing anything about it.
But, it occurred to me this weekend, when Kelly asked to watch her baby tapes again (It's the "Kelly Show") this weekend, that we are missing out on recording these oh-so-adorable kid years that are going to go by very, very fast.
The girls love watching themselves on TV. I, too, love watching those movies. I can barely remember what it was like to cradle a 6 lb. infant -- those videos bring it all rushing back.
It's time I suck it up and invest in a new video camera before my kids go off to college. But, dear readers, I need your help.
Tell me about your video camera. Do you have one of the new hard drive kind? Do you have the DVD kind? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Where did you get it? Do you wish you'd bought something else? Have you had trouble converting your movies from the hard drive to DVD? What advice do you have for a girlfriend?
Comments (2)
I'm a techie geek. I'll admit that to you right now. I love technology. I have a SAMSUNG Mini DV Digital-cam (SC-D353 NTSC). It's about 5 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide... Weighs less than a pound. I like it, but I don't love it... then again, I'm still not 100% sure that I'm using it correctly. It takes Mini DV tapes... and I usually use the same one time and time again and then just record the videos onto my desktop (I fried my laptop editing videos on it). It obviously has DV interface because its a DV camera, but I have Audio/Video in plugs on my desktop, so I run videos on it like that. I have some pretty intense video editing software on my computer, but usually just use Windows Movie Maker for all of my youtube videos simply because its SIMPLE.
To be totally honest with you, I use the video setting on my Kodak Easy Share for motion shots more than my camcorder... but I use my camcorder when I'm recording plays or things that will take more to record than my 2G SD card can take.
OK, I guess I do like my video camera... It was a Christmas present, so I can't exactly tell you how much it ran for but I usually purchase all my techie stuff at Best Buy just because they have great warranties (and you have little kids who most likely WILL want to play with the camera... so get a warranty).
As far as the PC thing goes... If you plan on getting a new one now, Windows Vista is AWFUL! I know how to use it and I know how to use it well (I spend most of my time in the library on the computers in school) but I REFUSE to load it on my computers at home until it comes time to get new computers... If you're converting video files on your computer, once you burn them to DVD, delete the existing file so that you have room on your computer for future video editing. Oh - and you do have a DVD burner, right? Because my mom thought for the longest time that she did, when she really just had a CD burner... there is a difference.
That was a lot to chew on... but I hope it helped... And I do think it's time for an upgrade... or people may mistake you for a video newscaster working for WJET-24 with your dino camera. :-P
Posted by Michelle F. | April 17, 2008 5:34 PM
Posted on April 17, 2008 17:34
The Sony Flip isn't a traditional video camera but it may be something that works for you. It is about the size of a small digital camera and can take up to an hour worth of video. It costs $125. But the best part is you flip a USB connector out and attach it straight to your computer with no conversion or tapes or anything to worry about. You just drag it over. You can watch it right away on computer or TV, or burn it to DVD. The quality of picture is excellent and the price and convenience are terrific. The only drawback is the short recording time, but you can empty the memory very easily.
Posted by Anonymous | April 18, 2008 1:08 PM
Posted on April 18, 2008 13:08