RonThe weekend came and went and I didn’t accomplish anything. Is this the way of the Tao?
But I was distracted by material things — wasting most of the weekend because of wanting something. It all started on Friday night as I saw a Sony camcorder on sale for half price… a demo… HD. Back in December, there was only one thing I wanted that I didn’t get — and that was an HD camcorder. Now that I have HD (high definition) TVs, and see how much better the picture is with a high-def. picture — I want to upgrade my video camera to HD as well.
I have a good Sony video camera — about 10 years old… one of the best cameras they sold back then. But, I want to upgrade it to HD.
I discussed it with my wife, and, with the economy the way it is, at first she was against it… eventually I got her to say ok. But, she wanted me to get a machine that uses a card or hard-drive instead of tape.
So, I spent hours this weekend, going in circles, reading about various technologies and cameras. Eventually, I ended up going in a circle and back to the camera on sale. I found that mini-dv tape is still the best. The hard-drive ones or cards — they still seem to have compression and editing support issues with the files. Plus, I still have a lot of mini-dv tapes to use.
The main problem with tape is just the time it takes to get it from the camera to the computer — linear and in real-time… as opposed to the idea of just copying a digital file across… which cards/hard drives would allow. But, I want quality and a camera that will last me the next 10 years. For quality, tape still seems the best.
So, I went in a circle, examined different cameras and technologies, and decided on, for the price, the best choice is the camera I started with, the one on sale — the Sony HDR HC5. And then, last night, I placed the order for it.
But… seconds after placing the order, I checked my email and found a reply from someone selling the same camera on ebay. On ebay, I figure I can save between $150 and $200 — depending on whether I need to pay taxes. A bit worried though — for the ebay ones has no warranty… so, worry if it works properly. But I think it should be ok.
I spent so much time and energy over the weekend on this — knowing I want an HD type camcorder, and then finally deciding on which one to buy.
But… back to my listening about the Tao — it tries to teach to free yourself from wanting. Yet, why do I want this camcorder? Mostly, it will allow me to do things that I cannot do now. My precious children are growing quickly and I want to record these memories before the moment passes. I could use the camcorder I already have — but… I want a higher quality picture.
Do I really need it? No.
More important is having time to spend with family and not worry recording it.
Most important is health… my wife and daughter have both come down with the flu. I seem to still be ok myself — and my baby too. Everyone needs more sleep. The flu doesn’t seem too serious… I think the flu shots we all got helps. Mostly people feel tired and some diarrhea.
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