yet another video opinion

[Gedeon Deák]

As someone who has used VHS, Hi-8, VHS-C, and DV for detailed 
behavioral coding, let me second Barbara's comments that for many 
purposes, one probably would not want to gear up towards using 8 mm, or 
for that matter anything but either VHS or DV. VHS is a good option for 
budget projects in which low resolution (both video and audio) is no 
problem. Mini-DV is the best way to go if you have a bit more money and 
need detailed analyses (e.g., exact 1/30 sec sampling rate).

We went with Canon DV cameras because they have better optics than some 
other manufacturers, and are not significantly more expensive. We got 
GL-1s for less-controlled environments (e.g., naturalistic 
observational data), because they have excellent low-light performance, 
excellent optics (3 CCL) and very good digital image processing. The 
GL-1 is no longer produced (you might luck into finding a refurbished 
unit at a Web-based discounter), but the new GL-2 looks comparable (on 
the Canon website). I found it for about $1700 in a quick web search, 
but a bit more searching & bargaining might shave 100-200 off of that. 
Note, however, that the GL line is considered "pro-sumer"--i.e., almost 
professional-quality.

For a less-expensive option, the Optura line has pretty good optics and 
are small & easy to use. We have 2 Optura 20s and have had no problems 
so far. Video quality seems good, though I'm no expert.

In both cases, a decent range of mics are available from various 
manufacturers and vendors, if the built-in mic is inadequate for your 
purposes.

One note: 60 min mini-DV tapes usually cost $6-7 each retail. This is 
really outrageous, and a burden for research projects with limited 
budgets. I've been buying from certain merchants on-line using eBay and 
PayPal (for secure transactions) and paying about $3.50 per tape in 
bulk. Still pricier than VHS, but no comparison in quality, 
flexibility, etc.

Issues of storing & backing up digital video, and processing & coding 
in different platforms, are more significant than which camera to buy. 
If anyone has questions about these issues, feel free to contact me 
directly (though we are still ironing out some procedures, so no 
guarantees I'll be able to answer anything!).

> Dear Edy,
>
> I'll just add a second to your report.
>
> We bought a Sony digital 8 camcorder  2 years ago.
> It was less expensive and our needs are fairly limited.
> There have been 2 problems...

Gedeon O. Deák, Ph.D.
Department of Cognitive Science
9500 Gilman Dr.								(858) 822-3352
University of California, San Diego				fax    (858) 534-1128
La Jolla, CA 92093-0515				   http://cogsci.ucsd.edu/~deak/