Good Camcorders?

[Evan Coverdill]

I currently have a JVC Everio that does an okay job, but my complaint with it is that it loves to focus on whatever is closest to it. If im wanting to record something while in the car, it will focus on the raindrops on the windshield and nothing else. Is there a good camcorder that's reasonably priced that won't have an issue like this? I'm no genius on cameras unfortunately.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Any camera can be a good one. Just make sure its in HD, has a slot for SD card storage, and make sure it has manual focusing ability. Set the focus to infinity (or just zoom in and manually focus it) and record like that. Just make sure to check on it to make sure its focused.

 

[Evan Coverdill]

Any camera can be a good one. Just make sure its in HD, has a slot for SD card storage, and make sure it has manual focusing ability. Set the focus to infinity (or just zoom in and manually focus it) and record like that. Just make sure to check on it to make sure its focused.

Thank you for helping me with that! I hope I'll find a good one that isn't too expensive.

 

[Alex Heimberger]

Look for something that's good in low light. As most tornadic events happen close to sunset. Need something that can capture as much light as possible. Also, most camcorders have an Optical and Digital zoom. Optical uses the lens capabilities while digital really just enlarges the max optical. The picture will loose definition in most cases and not come out as great. Good thing to research before purchasing.

 

[Mark Ellinwood]

In addition to the suggestions posted, it would help if we had an idea of what your budget was. With that info, you could get some specific camera/camcorder suggestions that could produce the best bang for your buck. Most people on this forum (as a collective) have experience with equipment running from a couple hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars, so there's usually someone who can chime in on the subject.

But yeah, manual focus is probably the biggest thing to make sure to get. HD comes on just about everything nowadays, whether it's 1080p or 720p (you'll want to get 1080p if you can). 4K is nice if it's affordable and practical, but isn't really a necessity yet. "Good in low light" definition varies depending on who you ask, but generally a bigger sensor will do a better job. For memory storage, SD or CF cards are the standard for most people (usually the best options for the fastest workflow). I prefer a good SD card with fast read/write speeds myself. Most of the time you'll be fine with something like 16 GB of memory on any given day, unless you constantly have the video recording. My full 1080p memory usage at the end of any day from my camcorder is always (almost always?) under 8 GB, but I shoot mostly in shorter (3 min or less) clips unless there is actually something worth shooting longer and/or I'm shooting a time lapse. Internal memory storage is fine, too, but it's good to have the extra slot for an external memory card just in case.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

If you don't mind spending a pretty penny, this camera has some major bang for it's buck.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NPAJH8I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Brandon Lawson]

I finally upgraded to an HD camera last year (Panasonic X920) and jinxed the entire chase season - I may have used it 3 times total. Sorry, everyone.

 

[ngjere]

I've run an Everio for several seasons now with good success with the exception of the auto-focus issue. Just to make it clear, these cameras can usually be forced into some sort of "manual" focus mode and remain there as long as the camera is continuously powered and (in some cases) recording. The minute either one of those two conditions change, the auto-focus reverts back to its default setting. It's frustrating to say the least if you have to stop to reset your dashcam focus simply because you took a power hit unexpectedly or needed to make a battery change.

So the question I have for the group is this:

What small form factor camera (with the exception of Go-Pro, Action Cams, and similar POV cameras) have you successfully used as a dashcam that you know for a fact will remain in manual infinity focus for an indefinite period of time once commanded to do so? I've done plenty of past research on this and if they are out there, it's a feature manufacturers don't feel is a big deal and thus, it never makes it into their written specifications...

 

[Evan Coverdill]

My budget would probably be around MAX $400-500. I like the JVC that I have, it's just the focusing issue is very annoying. And it does great in low lighting situations. Maybe I'll just get a better JVC, unless I see anyone with a better suggestion for that price range.

 

[Adam R Davis]

You might want to look at Canon's HF-M500, which I've seen as cheap as $189. It does very well in low light for it's class and has decent manual override. The downside to it, like most consumer (and even some prosumer) camcorders is that most of the controls are touchscreen.

 

[nmoore125]

I bought the Panasonic v550 and enjoyed it so much I just purchased the newer v770. I am really enjoying these camcorders. The 550 you can get in the mid 300 range while the 770 is right at 600.. Love both of these. The 550 I use for streaming and the 770 for the HD video.

 

[Jason Boggs]

@Evan Coverdill Does your camcorder not have manual focus?

 

[Evan Coverdill]

@Evan Coverdill Does your camcorder not have manual focus?

Unfortunately no.

 

[nmoore125]

Yea you could definitely get a good camcorder with manual focus for your budget. Take a look at the low light videos out there for those Panasonics I mentioned earlier. The 750 is the older of the 2 between that and the 770 so you should be able to get that under $500. the $550 is about $350.. If you want to see what they look like I just posted a bunch of pictures on my Facebook feel free to check it out.

 

[STexan]

Just as an aside, I used to run with a camcorder (Sony) and a DSLR. I thought I'd try running my video captures from my [new] DSLR. While the DSLR (w/ 4k capability for later) took a great video and stills, and offered many lens options that you can't get with a camcorder, I've found the image stabilization found in the typical DSLR during video recording, is far Inferior to the image stabilization found in the typical camcorder (steady cam). To the point where shooting video of any sort of landscape or distant region of interest handheld [with a DSLR, even with IS on] is almost unusable in play-back terms. IS and handheld on a DSLR is fine if you're shooting subjects 5-20 feet away, but that's where the usability stops.

So, I say that to say this ... if one does decide to capture video with a DSLR, it's almost mandatory to do so on a tripod, and with a "fluid head" is another nice option. Otherwise the "steady cam" feature on most camcorders is not bad, for the most part, in comparison to a DSLR system.