A 1080P AVCHD Camcorder, FOR HOW MUCH???

[ngjere]

OK, I don't normally pimp products but, I know some of you are looking for a new dashcam or one to record your chasing exploits such as myself.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16830145185

I stumbled on this while searching the web. I didn't get excited at first, but after seeing some of the reviews I was a bit puzzled what was wrong with this product.

Think back a year and a half ago. How many OS's had the capability to recognize AVCHD files? Much less the ability to edit them.

Have a feeling JVC got a lot of these back for that very reason. John homeowner couldn't playback the birthday party on his laptop so, back to the store the camera went. So, JVC refurbs them, and finds someone to resell them at a fraction of their original cost.

My early impression? it's a great camera. does everything you would expect.

I liked it so much I bought a second one.

 

[Jerry Prsha]

What kind of interface does it have, USB, Firewire, etc. The reviews I read were all over the place. First one basically said to throw it in the toilet and that kind of worried me.

 

[J Tyler]

They are selling new on Amazon for $215 or so. Both are great prices. I have not looked into the details of THIS camcorder, but I can tell you I paid somewhere around $800 2 years ago for my 1080p camcorder, the Canon HF100. This JVC is so cheap, I am considering buying one or two of them to use for chasing only.

A strong point to bring up.....If you plan to do ANY editing (even BASIC editing) with the AVCHD files, you damn near have to have a cray supercomputer. My Dell XPS M1530 can just BARELY get it done and you have to do restarts to do that. Check requirements before taking it for granted.

 

[ngjere]

Jerry, it has a USB-2 port for transfer of files from the on-board 8GB. Jeff? yes I would agree that you need SOME horsepower if you directly edit AVCHD. I'm running a Pro2 Duo with Win7 and have no problems with either. But you should have no problem finding converters to convert to your flavor of file format to edit with. If you're willing to deal with those minor inconveniences, it's a heck of a deal and makes great pictures.

I posted a video testing the time lapse function of the camera. The contrast issue is due to me shooting through a dirty window.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn1rS-61CYA

 

[Jason Foster]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn1rS-61CYA

That almost looks like it's in DC. The lamp posts, curb style, architecture, etc. However, there's no jackson and Kellogg in DC. Where is it though?

 

[ngjere]

Saint Paul Minnesota. And if that building weren't in the way, You'd find the Mississippi River at major flood stage.