MiniDV - Sony vs Panasonic?

Wow - so glad I checked this forum...almost bought a HDD camcorder this morning.
I want to record and edit using iMovie, so it seems like MiniDV is the format for me, right?
I've narrowed it to the SOny DCR-HC96 or the Panasonic PV-Gs80
Any thoughts on the two models?
Thanks all.

I agree with Gene - choose between the Sony HC96 (1 x 1/3" image sensor) and the Panasonic PV-GS320 with it's 3 x 1/6" sensors.
Both these cams will give a better Standard def image than the usual single 1/5" or 1/6" CCD offerings you usually get with cams at this price point.
Image sensor size is important - the bigger, the better the image and the better the low light performance.
Both these cams will be suitable - if you can stretch to the Panasonic PV-GS500, you get 3 x 1/4.7" CCD's and reasonable manual controls for better creative control, but the advice to check 'em all out by the feel is good.

Similar Messages

Which HD camcorder? Sony - Canon - Panasonic

Currently I use a Panasonic MiniDV with great results
but not HD and would like to upgrade to HD.
I am looking at three HD camcorders and would like
to see if anyone has an opinion of them.
The three HD cameras I am looking at:
Sony HDR-HC3 - MiniDV tape
Canon HV10 - MiniDv tape
Panasonic HDC-SD1 - Memory card (4gig = 1 hour recording)
I am not interested in a DVD disc camcorder.
Harold

Hi guys, I'm estimating hd camcorder between Canon
HV10 and Sony HDR-HC3.
but what do you really mean with "you will need to
convert the footage to something imovie can use"
I don't think you need to convert it.
Can I import hd video direct in iMovie from this
camcorder?
Probably; Apple is very good with camcorder support.
See:
http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/features/importing.html
and
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=43000
"iMovie works with most DV camcorders that have a FireWire connection. For information on cameras that Apple has tested and qualified for use with iMovie, see the following:
For iMovie 1 see "iMovie 1.0.x: Compatible Camcorders"
For iMovie 2 see "iMovie 2: Compatibility"
For iMovie 3 see "iMovie 3: Compatibility"
For iMovie 4 see the iMovie webpage.
Tip: Devices that are not on the qualified device list may still work. Results will vary depending on the device. Consult with the camera's manufacturer for additional compatibility information."
-Robert

CS3 - Simple Project - DVD-R Plays in Sony, NOT Panasonic!!

Hi all - I am following this thread with some interest. I am having the exact same issues with Encore CS3. VERY simple project, it all checks out fine, previews perfectly.
My questions are:
I have an interesting issue on my first use in anger of CS3.
Does CS3 burn an "appendable" disk? I think it does! If so, will that affect DVD player compatibility?
I have tried direct burning to DVD-R (Verbatim), and it plays fine on my SONY DVD player, but comes up as "Unsupported" on my Panasonic standalone DVD/HDD recorder drive. Is this a DVD player firmware issue?
If so - I guess I need to find out how to close the disk through Adobe CS3. (Note I have tried closing these DVD-R's through another application such as Roxio 10, but it craps out stating it thinks there is like 400GB free on the disk!!)
Other things I have tried include building an ISO file AND a DVD folder, neither of which will burn using Cyberlink DVD Suite. THey are not recognised! Arrgh. Any ideas?
Anything else I can try would be MOST useful!!
>Joe

Well I now have a few more tidbits to add... I have burnt the same avi file using Roxio 10 & it's DVD creator application, using menus etc. Success! So it's not the BD-R disc format, as I'm using the same brand etc throughout all this.
The only other problem I'm having is the audio which seems to drift around 0.2 and 0.7 (or so) seconds across the picture! (the original avi file is bang on). Is there any generic method to investigate the cause of such an issue now?

Import miniDV (Sony DCR-TRV33E) leads to artifacts in the video

Hi,
I hope there is someone who might help solving my issue.
I am using
Mac OS X
Premiere Elements 11
Sony DCR-TRV33E (miniDV Camcorder)
The import from a miniDV with add media functionality from DV is loading the video from the tape.
However, on the Apple screen there are disturbing artifacts in the video like shifted columns. The material is not useable at all.
Importing the same material into iMovie is leading to correct results.
Using the iMovie imports via add media from file into Premiere Elements leads again to the artifacts mentioned.
The import into Premiere Elements shows also a warning message stating that for certain listed items the file type is not supported or a different codec is required.
It looks like that the artifacts are caused by the rendereing of the miniDV formated video in Premiere Elements.
Is there anything missing I need to configure or install?
Do I need to install a Codec? If yes, where do I get it from and how to install?
Thanks,
Henning

The material was recorded using the same camera and connection was with FireWire (otherwise capture miniDV vide owouldn't work).
I uploaded a quicktime .mov file demonstrating the artifact - you can find it in the T-Shirt at the throat:
http://kruse-hg.gmxhome.de/miniDVArtifactsInPremiereElements.mov
Using iMovi this artifact will not occur.
Thanks,
Henning

AVCHD camcorders from sony and panasonic

Is there any software right now that supports this format? The video is compressed in mpeg-4 avc/h.264 and the file extension is .m2ts. Will apple release a program that supports this formats?

still no support...ok, thanks for the confirm.
Is there someway to play/export .m2ts in windows? I have Sony AVHDC viewer software for windows, but it only reads from AVHDC discs..not the hard drive.
Yes, If I was doin it, i would capture the footage with FCP. But in this particular instance, the .m2ts are being supplied by the client. In other instances, he supplied .m2t files, which I handled with mpegstreamclip fine. but these .m2ts files are trickier.
MacBook Pro 2.16ghz core duo 17" Mac OS X (10.4.8) Apple Certified Pro - FCP 5

DVD playback is poor on quality Sony and Panasonic players-jagged horizontals are particularly noticeable. Top quality Verbatim DVD-R discs used. Ideas please?

I'm new to Mac and have not regretted the move from the "other side" until now. I produce many DVDs of slideshows and movies which are frequently shown at public venues or are given to friends and organisations so quality is very important. So far all attempts at producing a DVD free of "jaggies" and other artefacts have failed, the results not being acceptable even when viewed on 22 inch LCD TVs.
The projects have been created using iMovie which produces excellent quality Quicktime files perfectly watchable on large HD screens or projectors fed from a notebook (and a windows one at that!)
I have burned the DVDs on the iMac internal Optiarc drive and an external LG one with the same poor results.
No similar problems experienced over many years of using Adobe Premiere, Cyberlink and WNsoft software. In fact many audiences have commented on the near broadcast quality of the productions.
Am I preparing the files wrongly in iDVD or do I have to seek out alternative authoring/burning software (not so easy with Mac of course) ? I have Final Cut Express 4 on the Mac also but wanted to cut my teeth on iMovie first.
Any help will be most welcome.
Stuart

Hi
Still one has to know that DVDs can only be SD-video (it's a standard) any program used.
But You can get a better result by using iMovie HD6 or FinalCut any version as they can deliver intrelaced video over to iDVD (or Roxio Toast™ or DVD-Studio Pro) - this will not discard every second line as iMovie'08 or 09 or 11 does.
You might also try to use FotoMagico™ to make SlideShows as this also results in as high quality possibly.
If You need even better then consider
• Blu-Ray (Roxio Toast™ Pro bundle incl. BD-component) - Short BD movies on standard DVD disks (BUT neeed Blu-ray player to be viewed (no not on any standard Mac either))
• Save to Memory stick and Playback on PlayStation 3
Yours Bengt W

Panasonic tape in a sony deck?

I shot footage on Panasonic tape (miniDV) in a Panasonic AGDVX100. Will I have playback difficult in a SONY deck - specifically DSR11 or DSR40? I am outputting via firewire from one of those decks to a DSR 45 - dubbing from DV to DVCAM.
if so, do I need to acquire the shooting camera to output.
(shot at 29.97 NDF) (and some DF)
thank you!

Folks,
thanks for your answers regarding the mixing different brand stock/decks...
Nelson --
Thanks for your totally ridiculous question. Yes, of course... I shot at DF and NDF because I thought that would make things easier in editing.
My DXV100 malfunctioned a couple time during the course of shooting 60 hours of documentary footage in some pretty dusty environments, and miraculous slipped into DF somehow mid-tape on a rare occassion, despite a setting of NDF. It's hard to get your camera repaired when your in a 3rd world country in South America.

Panasonic PV-GS500 compatible with Final Cut HD EXPRESS

Is the Panasonic PV-GS500 compatible with the HD express software. I've heard it will work with the MAC and it has a firewire, but will it work with the HD express software?
Thank you!
Sheila

I'm new to Apple and FCP and I understand your frustration. (Been over in the MS/UNIX world for 21+ years) When I decided to get FCE, I did quite a bit of research, found and read the FCP/FCE forums and choose a Sony MiniDV camcorder based on the experiences others had with simular Sony products. I bought it from a reputable store that I could return it to if it wouldn't talk to FC.
Keep in mind with your tire anology that there are Federal laws governing compliance with specifications for tires. There are no laws govering FW implementations. The biggest issue is usually the camcorder manufacturer, not Apple. Apple has no control over how camcorder manufacturers implement the Firewire standards. Canon is notorious for poor FW implementations while Sony and Panasonic seem to get it right most of the time.
Printers are another story entirely. Almost everyone with a computer uses a printer. Apple knows this and therefore expends more resources to test compatability for the wider audience.
Prosumer Digital cameras are relatively easy. They use USB and flash memory cards for data transfer. They don't use FW to control a camera or deck. The don't have to worry about mutiple data streams for video and audio or about codecs and frame rate. They just transfer files.
If you're talking about professional cameras like Haselblad, there are specific capture software packages made by other (PhaseOne comes to mind) companies that take care of the transfer and testing compatability.
Ian is right, FC is a very specialized area in the larger general use computing scope, so it unforunately gets less resources for things like compatability testing.
Personally I'd rather Apple stick to making better computers (like the MacPro and MacBooks) and keep spending the money on developing and testing better versions of FC.
-John

Newbie question:- Is my Sony camcorder compatible with iMovie?

Hi, I have been using Sony and Panasonic camcorder mini-DVs for some time and have been creating DVDs using a Sony notebook with very clear and crisp videos.
Recently, I used my new Macpro to try out iMovie and iDVD. While mini-DV tapes created using Panasonic gives the same satisfactory videos, those recorded using Sony is giving me dismal output with facial features quite blur even when rendering using Professional Quality. Can anyone advise?
I must confess I really like the iMovie software compared to the one on my Sony notebook! So I hope to make use of it.

That's odd since MiniDV tapes are digital and should be the same. I've used a $2000 Sony camcorder and $200 Canon and have not noticed any difference with my DVDs when the recording speeds are 1 hour per 60 minute tape, and the encoding process is the same.

Upconverting minidv to HD

I am doing a re-edit on a documentary for an international tv station. the doc was shot 3 years ago on minidv. they want it re-edited and lenghtened and it must be delivered in HD. they know that it was shot on minidv and know that the picture quality is minidv. Any suggestions for a work flow? of course budget is low. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much!

make sure to ask what flavour "HD" your project must be delivered on. ie Sony or Panasonic and the particulars of the required spec. your client should be able to fax or email the required specs to you
Then find someone with a Kona2 Card. source in the minidv as 525 8 bit. Apply an upconvert on output2 and patch that to whatever format you are going to 720P 59.94 or 1080i 29.97. If you are going to a different frame rate it's not as easy. you can monitor your original via output1 and the upconvert via E-E on the record deck.

Mini-DV camcorder compatibility

Can someone tell me what this actually means:
"This camera has a firewire port, but it does NOT work with a Mac for digitizing..."
I read this while doing some research on JVC mini-dv camcorders. I'm looking to upgrade my old JVC which worked fine when I plugged it into my MBP for the first time the other day. Do I need to be concerned about compatibility?

Without seeing more of the article you were reading, I am hesitant to guess what that means. Possibly they are saying that you can't use that cam to pass analog video through to digital.
AFAIK, all miniDV cams with a firewire port WILL work with Macs. However, some of the JVC non miniDV cams have presented problems to users, even though they are supposed to be compatible with iMovie 08.
You have had JVC, with no problems I assume, but there are better quality miniDV cams from Sony and Panasonic. Maybe check out more reviews of these cams here:
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/

MySql - Connection Props - Please help - willing to pay

Hi,
My setup:
Windows XP
IIS ver 5
MySQL databse
Dreamweaver MX 2004
Language ASP.NET VB
This is driving me round the bend have searached all forums
and nothing is pointing me in the right direction.
1) First question, can I actually use dreamweaver MX 2004 to
create ASP.NET VB pages and connect to a MYSQL database?
The reason I ask is I have set up a system DSN in >
control panel > administrative tools > Datasources (ODBC)
All works fine connection is successful etc. (MySQl ODBC 3.51
Driver)
I then open dreamweaver, create new ASP.NET VB page. Go to
the databases panel click the + sign and have 2 options:
OLE DB connection or SQL Server connection. I assume its not
the latter as that is for SQL seerver not MySQL. I have tried every
combination of the OLE DB connection (2options - Templates or
Build)
Templates:
Oracle (Microsoft Provider)
Oracle (Oracle Provider)
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft Access 97 (Jet 3.5 provider)
Microsoft Access 2000 (Jet 4 provider)
UDL File
I don't think any of the above are correct for connecting to
a MySQL database, so I try:
BUILD
List of providers this time are :
Microsoft ISAM 1.1 OLE DB Provider
Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Data Mining Services
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Indexing Service
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers (***** I Guess its
this one? ****)
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for OLAP Services 8.0
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Oracle
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server
Microsoft OLE DB Simple Provider
MSDatashape
OLE DB Provider for Microsoft Directory Services.
So I choose the one highlighted above for ODBC drivers as I
think this one is correct?
1st option - Use data source name which has a dropdown box
and I can choose my dsn as mentioned earlier.
or 'Use connection String' - I Don't use
2nd Option Logon to server info
Username ***Is this the username and password of mySQL
database because if so it doesn't work, have also tried leaving it
bland and every time i do a test after choosing the initial catalog
to use I get the eror message:
Test connection failed because of an error in intialising
provider. Catastrophic failure!
All I want to is connect to a bl**dy databse so I can teach
myself the basics but can't get past this first hurdle.
Someone please help! Thanks in advance.
Password

For your eMac, you will need to go with a *miniDV camcorder*, such as the Canon ZR series (current lineup is the ZR900/930/950/960). They all have image stabilization & take stills; the 900, 930 and 960 also have an external mic input.
You may also want to look into an earlier Canon Optura or Elura series camcorder or similar miniDV camcorder from Sony, JVC, Panasonic, etc. There aren't many new miniDV models available anymore, but you can still find them and they are on the lower end of the price scale these days!
B&H Photo is a great supplier to deal with and you will be hard pressed to find prices lower elsewhere.
The eMac does not support AVCHD, so that eliminates any of those newer camcorders (you need an Intel based Mac to capture & edit AVCHD video). The Canon FS line unfortunately records to MPEG2 MOD files, which needs to be converted before it can be imported into iMovie or Final Cut Express. And the conversion is not simple.

What is the best camcorder for a mac?

Hello everyone,
I am a total newbie in terms of imovie and video recording. I am also just got this macbook recently and, oh my, I wish I would have gotten a macbook many years sooner
So my question is: what camcorder is easy to use with a macbook from your experience? Something that is not very large in size (I am a petite girl), that can produce a video in a format that is easy to edit, with decent quality (maybe even HD), no tapes, either flash or hard drive memory. I would need a device that could work well outside, in sunny and windy areas (like a beach) as well as in low light situations such at dusk or artificial lighting outside. I going to work at a marine biology lab in a few months so I want to record my adventures.
A big plus would be if it's also sturdy...I snowboard in my spare time and there is a lot of material I'd like to catch on tape i.e. my friend plowing face down into a pile of snow
Thanks a bunch,
-naz

"there is a lot of material I'd like to catch on tape"
You see, subconsciously you know that a miniDV tape cam would be your best choice, but if your new MacBook doesn't have a Firewire port, that option is not available to you.
Look at cams by Sony and Panasonic. Most of them are compatible with iMovie 08 (and most likely iMovie 09 too). Check this list to find models that work : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1014
Then go to this review site: http://www.camcorderinfo.com/ to see what they have to say about particular cams, with attention to the way they perform in the situations you will have, eg. low light. No consumer cam will give you satisfactory audio on a windy beach, unless you buy one that can be fitted with an external microphone.

What camera do I need?

I want to be able to plug my camera into my computer and transfer my home movies to a DVD.
I have an iMac running OS X 10.3.9 and iMovie 4.
I bought a Sony DCR HC21, thinking it would work. It does not.
Help, please?

Welcome to iMovie Discussions..
It's not really the brand that's important, but the model. (The Sony brand, for instance, makes many, many compatible camcorders, but the models which use "microMV" tape - instead of "miniDV" or "Digital-8" tape - are NOT compatible with iMovie, because they encode the signals differently on that kind of tape. Similarly, their mini-DVD camcorders are NOT compatible with iMovie.) Oh: hard disc camcorders, like the JVC 'Everio', are NOT compatible with iMovie.
Almost all brands of camcorders - Sony, Canon, Panasonic, Samsung, JVC - are generally compatible, as long as they use "miniDV" tape. In Europe (..e.g; Spain..) some camcorders will NOT be able to import edited movies back from iMovie and onto a tape in the cam, as some have their DV IN disabled, so that they can be sold more cheaply than the ones with DV OUT and IN. So most will send video and audio OUT to iMovie, but cheaper ones may not be able to receive it back IN from iMovie.
The important thing is to look online, using Google, to discover the capabilities of any particular model which you see offered for sale. If it doesn't have a specific model name or number, then avoid it ..as poor descriptions like "JVC camcorder" don't tell you anything about that model ..it could be anything!
On the other hand, if the description says "JVC GR-D270" you could look that up with Google, and find, for example, this rather poor description (..although it does include the phrases "..Firewire, S-Video, USB (for photos), and composite video out connections.." and "..MiniDV recording format.."

Compatible HD Camcorder?

Ok, I'm considering buying a new HD camcorder, but am worried that whatever I buy won't work on my Mac. Even though I have iMovie 07 (I think that's what it is...), I prefer my good old iMovie HD. I know that application inside and out. My Mac is two years old and I'm still on Tiger OS, not Leopard. I have been looking at reviews for high def camcorders and have encountered lots of terms, such as resolution, some with an i or a p after them; format, media, HDV, AVCHD, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. I am familiar with some of these words, but not all. Also, if I were to get a high def camera and it was compatible with my iMovie, would I be able to burn it on a DVD using iDVD? Some of the information I've read online makes it sound like I won't be able to unless I have a blue-ray burner, which I guess are rare due to cost. Any words of wisdom? Right now I have a Sony miniDV camera I'm using and it works out nicely, but I'm starting to take video of more and more things at work (I work at a middle school), such as plays, and could really use a better picture.
Thanks
PS - If your best advice is to upgrade or update my Mac in order to use a high def camera, please give specific details on what I need and how to do it. I don't have a clue about that stuff.

To add to catspaw's good response:
The newer card/disk based camcorders have benefits (smaller, less moving parts), and card is definitely the way the industry is moving, but you will be pushing your iMac because the format used for recording to card is very processor-intensive (just so you know, HD tape cameras record in a format called HDV; card HD is recorded in AVCHD; the main difference is that AVCHD compresses more than HDV, which means the computer has to work harder to uncompress it).
I suggest you find a store that has both tape and card/disk recorders, and play with them - you can get a lot out of feel. For tape, as well as Sony, Canon do the HV30/HV40. For card, look at Canon and Panasonic.
If you like card recorders, but worry about your iMac being able to cope, you can get cheap/free software that will take AVCHD and 'transcode' it to something easier for the iMac to deal with.
Catspaw's point about archiving back to tape is well made, but you can archive AVCHD as well, simply by using the Finder to make copies.
If you can, upgrade the memory in your iMac - 1GB is very low for video editing. Also, invest in an external disk to store all this stuff - as catspaw said, it takes up a lot of space.
Couple of other points:
You can burn to DVD: ding so downconverts High Def to SD, but the quality is still excellent.
Ignore resolution - if it's HD, it's fine; but beware of the really cheap 'HD ready' camcorders. Stick with Sony, Canon, Panasonic.
i and p - i is for interlaced and it's left over from the world of old-style TVs. If you live in the US, video runs at 30 frames per second. Camcorders offer 30 full frames per second (p for progressive), or 60 half-frames (i for interlaced). All decent camcorders offer both. The differences are esthetic, not functional, when you're not a pro.
Some camcorders also offer a 24 frames per second mode (24p or 24f depending which maker), which exists solely to try and look a bit more like film (which is shot at 24 fps).
If you decide to go for a new iMac, get the biggest screen you can and at least 4GB memory.
Hope this helps, but just keep asking.

MiniDV - Sony vs Panasonic?

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