I need help on deciding which camcorder is right for me....

Question

I'm going into college early September and my professor wants me to practice making films.
I'm getting a MacBook Pro tomorrow along with Final Cut Express, now all I need is the right camcorder.
Unfortunately, $200 is my budget, and I need a camcorder (mini or not) that has great 1) video quality (HD) 2) low-light quality and 3) good zoom.
When I'm shooting, I also need to have good audio quality and be able to hear when I review what was shot.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Here is my tuppence-worth after three years of amateur videoing and several hours of edited video (not artistic stuff, just records of things happening).
1. Three years ago I was advised to get a mini-tape machine because FCE does not work well with non-tape machines. This was confirmed in this discussion group recently.
2. Three years ago I was advised not to get a Canon machine - not because they are not good but because FCE has difficulty working with them. Sonys were thought to work well. Others might confirm or update this.
3. Unless you like the awful current fad of continuously zooming in and out, in and out of focus and jiggling the camera purposely, use a tripod whenever you can, and failing that a monopod which is easy to carry attached to the camera and takes three seconds to position (assuming the legs are expanded). It greatly steadies the shot (but press it into the ground if outside to make sure that it does not jerk).
4. On light level sensitivity which you mention, my Sony DCR HC96 which cost much more than you want to pay (but all the cheaper versions in that range have the same level) the Minimum Illumination is 5 Lux (Lux is a measure of light intensity falling on a subject so obviously 0 Lux is total darkness). This allows me to shoot in remarkably low light levels conditions, so the 5 Lux figure will give you something to consider when looking at specifications.
5. My camera (but not the cheaper versions) has "Night Shot" which allows shooting in total darkness up to about 6 metres away using the infrared light on the camera.
6. It also has Sony's "SteadyShot" which compensates for rapid shake (but not hosepipe shots of course). This was tested when shooting on a tripod on a hill in very windy conditions when I had to brace myself. The camera was vibrating noticeably but there was no sign of that on the footage. (I don't know whether the anti-camera shake system was optical or electronic). The manual indicates that the cheaper versions in the range also have this.
7. Most beginners start by hosepiping (moving the camera all over the place to get everything in). My advice is to get that out of your system very quickly, and pan (s l o w l y) instead.
8. As often advised in this forum, start shooting a few seconds before and keep shooting a few seconds after the shot that you want. This is to allow for transitions at both ends (the dreaded "Handles" thing). Also, at events etc. which you cannot re-shoot, aim to shoot at least 5 to 10 times the footage that will survive the average editing process. Therefore, carry spare tapes (if you go for that type) and a spare charged battery.
9. I find that the cheaper the camera the greater the optical zoom. This might be due to the greater ease of designing a cheaper lens where compromises can be made. Beware Digital zoom — it doesn't add any extra info., just pixellates.
10. I find that Scaling up a video clip in FCE by more than a few percent degrades the image (probably because video cameras are designed to make footage that will be shown via a DVD or TV when the footage has to be greatly compressed, so a lot of pixels is not economic, but I am only guessing here). Do a (optical) zoom during the shoot or use a still taken with a still camera which will have more pixels than a video camera. You can always Scale in FCE and then pan using Motion.
11. You want to hear what you have just shot. I think that most cameras will allow this (in Play mode).
Hope this helps.