[PYROphonez]

So a friend and I have decided to start filming some movies to be posted online eventually (primarily a sitcom, along with other shorts, all of which will be uploaded to Youtube), and I need some help with video camera choices.

To be completely honest, I'm looking to spend as little as possible, and have been eying the Aiptek A-HD Pro. It's $180, does 720p at 60fps (or 1080p at 30fps), is one of the few in that price range that does optical zoom in any amount, and I believe it has AV In so I can use a shotgun mic or any other mics I need (gotta check on that).

However, my friend has said that he never clicks "Watch in HD," because it takes too long for him to load. Is there a way to take HD video and keep the same aspect ratio while lowering the quality (upload one in HD and one in lower quality)? It seems like the standard definition Youtube does for HD movies is a lot worse than it should be.

So, would this camcorder fit the bill? Should I worry about people not clicking the "Watch in HD" button?

Any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[PYROphonez]

Bump

I guess I'm willing to spend about $350 tops. Would I be better off buying something hard drive based with a 16:9 aspect ratio, but not 720p?

 

[Quaddy]

the vado HD is sweet - not sure if thats over your budget - its the best of the bunch of pocket size cell phone type hd cams. really easy to upload to youtube from.

check out this guys videos on youtube about the vado etc

 

[JadeEast]

Why do you care that you friend doesn't watch youtube in HD?
Is he the only person you want to watch your creations?

My advice is get any cheap camera and a tripod (or a gorilla pod)
put the camera on the tripod and get to work/play at making videos.

 

[PYROphonez]

Thanks for the tips. Does the Vado HD do 720p at 30fps or 60fps?

There's also the Insignia for $100, but I know it does 30fps, and I'd prefer 60.

@JadeEast: I do have a digital camera/my brothers old camcorder that we could use, but we want this to look as nice as possible. Watching a low quality video is never as enjoyable in my opinion.

 

[Quaddy]

AFAIK the creative vado hd does 30fps, but for me the 'fish' eye perspective (eg. further back not zoomed in by default) settles it for me

Quote:

Originally Posted by PYROphonez /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the tips. Does the Vado HD do 720p at 30fps or 60fps? There's also the Insignia for $100, but I know it does 30fps, and I'd prefer 60. @JadeEast: I do have a digital camera/my brothers old camcorder that we could use, but we want this to look as nice as possible. Watching a low quality video is never as enjoyable in my opinion.

 

[yticapac]

If you're not sure which one is best, checking out the camcorder ratings might be worthwhile. The expert reviews are very helpful in getting inform about certain products. Many found it cool.

Hope this helps.

 

[ast]

the best place to get an idea of AV gears is avsforum.com

 

[Nocturnal310]

^ i tried that ..they reply very slow.

i bought Sony SR45E handycam...it is PAL..costed around $400

if u want cheap High def video cams..then Vado HD is the best option.

all other proper HD camcorders cost a lot...easily above $350

 

[PYROphonez]

Thanks for giving me some more tips everyone. It seems like it's either one of these real cheap ones, or a $500 minimum, and I really don't wanna spend anything near that amount.