Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Digital or Analog Handycams

Jan 12, 2005 11:21AM PST

I have been using a Sony super 8 camcorder for years and want to know if I should buy the newer technology camcorders or stay with the super 8. My budget is around $300 to $400 and want to know what you think is the best handycamcorder for the money. Does the optical zoom make a big difference? My sony has a 26x but I notice that few have that much and more are around 20X. Any help would be great. Using for filming my 18 year daughters games.

Thanks

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Digital or Analog Handycams
Feb 12, 2005 7:16PM PST

Digital camcorders will give you a great picture quality and the tapes are cheap. The tapes are small too. You will be amazed at how much better the quality is then Super 8.

Optical Zoom & Digital Zoom is a big debate. I personally think, get the biggest optical zoom you can, but it is hard to get a big optical zoom.

Optical zoom is when the lens and glass itself actually moves in and out...like a magnifying lens.

Digital Zoom is when the picture just gets blown up digitally, like when you take a picture in the comptuer and zoom into it. It gets grainy.

I'd trade in all the Digital zoom for Optical, but Optical Zoom is more expensive because you pay for the glass and sometimes a bigger more bulky lens and camera. On my camera I turn my Digital Zoom off completely. I don't even use it. I'd rather walk towards the subject then have them get grainy.

By all means, make the step up to Digital! Then you can shoot your daughters games and then edit a montage of all the points she scores at the end of the season to music and burn it to DVD as a gift and she will love you! It's the coolest

Have fun!

- Collapse -
Digital or Analog Handycams
Feb 14, 2005 11:38PM PST

Ditto on the optical zoom over digital. I'm guessing that
you may want to someday make dvds from you super8 tapes if this is so make SURE that the one you buy will do analog to digital passthrough converson. Since all cameras will NOT do this you may have to spend a little more to get one that does, but it will be well worth it.
There a lot of post in the multi media form also.
Here is good link about converting to DVD. John
http://www.timwerx.net/odds/pcfile.htm