Camcorder optical zoom requirements???

[QueenYaYah]

Good morning!

 

DH and I are in the market for a new camcorder before our Alaskan cruise this May (ours is about 10 years old) and wanted to see if anyone has any advise about optical zoom size. We are looking for the smallest camcorder but with the most optical zoom that we can find. Right now it looks like Sony has the largest at 60x optical zoom and Canon's largest is 37x optical zoom.

 

I'm not sure whether a 37x optical is enough for use during the cruise. I have a Canon digital camera right now and I'm happy with it; however, I'm not opposed to buying a Sony camcorder. Our current camcorder is a JVC (uses the small tapes). The price is basically the same between Sony and Canon and features are close enough that I can't pick one single thing to rule one or the other out.

 

Any help, suggestions or guidance is greatly appreciated!

[CALMOM]

I had to laugh when I read this post, only because I have reviewing camcorders for our upcoming Alaska cruise for months. Here is what I found:

 

I believe the Canon has the best lense (I have a Canon SI camera too). It is the Optical Zoom that is important not the Digital. I would definitely buy a High Definition camcorder. You also need to decide if you want an internal hard drive and or flash drive. I personally wanted both options. The camcorders that I was considering were the Vixia HF S20 or the Vixia HF S21, although they were a little pricey $1,000 - $1399.

 

I ended up buying the Vixia HF20 because I got a great deal at $479 & an extra Canon battery for $25. It was hard to pass up the deal. I would also suggest using a HCSD cards, as they hold more and transferring is much faster.

 

Here is a website that you can do comparison:

 

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ProductCatIndexAct&fcategoryid=173

 

Hope this helps, it can be a tough decision.

[QueenYaYah]

Calmom

 

Thanks for your input. I'm not concerned about the internal hard drive because I use an 500g to backup all my pictures, music etc. I'm a stickler for making a full backup copy of all pictures, music, videos etc.; you never know when that camera is going to quit working and there goes all you vacations memories - lost if not stored in another spot. Also because hubby is in charge of the filming and he wants it as light as possible. I also prefer to use the SD cards - I always transfer pictures etc. to the computer as soon as I can, that way I can edit and file them based on the event.

 

Did you look at the Sony camcorders? The optical zoom on theirs is 60x. I'll probably go to the local camera store and get their "expert" opinion before I make my choice. All we have in town (chain wise) is BestBuy and they are pushing the Canon with the internal hard drive.

 

Did you get your camcorder online or at a local store? That sounds like a really good price for a high definition.

 

Thanks again for your help.

[ClassyShots]

We were also in the market for a new video camera for our upcoming cruise. In 2005 I had a standard def JVC. I shot about 8 hours of video and was able to compress and edit to 2 hours before burning to DVD.

 

We went with the Canon HF10. I like the idea of removable cards. In testing since we got it, I find about 30 minutes on the 8 Gig card. Battery life is between 45 minutes and an hour, with temp being the biggest influence.

 

This one has 12 power optical zoom. I have locked out the digital zoom. What I found is the more you zoom, the more movement you get. This one has image stabilization, but without a tripod, I think the 12 power is going to be fine.

 

And yes, DH shoots with a Canon. Wants to get the 5D Mark II before we go to go along with the 40D he has now.

 

Good luck with your choice. And whatever you capture will remind you of the great time you had.

[CALMOM]

Calmom

 

Thanks for your input. I'm not concerned about the internal hard drive because I use an 500g to backup all my pictures, music etc. I'm a stickler for making a full backup copy of all pictures, music, videos etc.; you never know when that camera is going to quit working and there goes all you vacations memories - lost if not stored in another spot. Also because hubby is in charge of the filming and he wants it as light as possible. I also prefer to use the SD cards - I always transfer pictures etc. to the computer as soon as I can, that way I can edit and file them based on the event.

 

Did you look at the Sony camcorders? The optical zoom on theirs is 60x. I'll probably go to the local camera store and get their "expert" opinion before I make my choice. All we have in town (chain wise) is BestBuy and they are pushing the Canon with the internal hard drive.

 

Did you get your camcorder online or at a local store? That sounds like a really good price for a high definition.

 

Thanks again for your help.

 

I did look at Sony, as well but I thought the Canon had a better lens and their stabilization was better too. When you taking video and using the zoom in feature, the stabilization is extremely important. The newer and more expensive Canon Camcorders have the "Dynamic Stabilization" which is incredible but a little out of my price range but if you can afford it, I strongly recommend it.

 

I bought my Canon Vixia at Best Buy but I also checked at Costco, Fry's, Sears and Ritz Camera. You need to go play with the camera and use the features. It is really amazing how little these camcorders weigh. My camcorder weighs less then a pound.

 

I agree with backing up, I am OCD about it. I was just suggesting the SDHC cards because videoing uses up the space real quick and you can get up to 64GB on the SDHC which is enough space for an entire excursion and when in Alaska you will need the space. The last time I was there, I took over 2,000 pictures and about 3 total hrs of video. I'm a scrapbooker, so that explains the pictures:D.

 

Take your time, it's a big investment and just remember after you buy yours it will already be outdated so just choose one that will serve your purpose for the next 5 years. Let me know what you decide on.