RonWell… in my last post I mentioned my decision to buy the Sony HDR HC5 camcorder. I found this one on ebay and loved it. The seller was also very good in answering any questions I had.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130281944460
So, 2 days ago I placed my bid. It’s not cheap and at a fair price — actually a bit more expensive than some others on ebay, but I like the microphone it has. Plus, I just feel this seller is easier to trust than some others.
Sadly though, someone else is bidding on it! I increased my bid by $10, but I’m still losing it. It’s now to the point where it’s just gotten too expensive — so I decided to let it go. It’s at $425 USD now
After my last post mentioned that my investigation of all this HD camcorder stuff — miniDV versus card versus hard drive… miniDV seemed the best. But then, I found another camera for sale — the Sony HDR-CX7 … newer and I can get it cheaper than the ebay auction. It actually uses a memory stick card and the AVCHD format.
I know I mentioned that this AVCHD format is hard to edit — both my versions of iMovie and Windows Movie Maker don’t support it. But then I discovered that buying software that supports it is actually pretty cheap. I can buy Corel VideoStudio Pro X2 now on sale for just $59.99.
Once I discovered that — then I can see the advantages of going with a card and the AVCHD format. The one thing I’ve always disliked with tape is it’s hard to find a particular clip. I might have 30-50 clips on an one hour miniDV tape. But it’s a pain to find any of them. I think I need to copy the entire tape to the computer to be able to work with the clips and edit it.
While, with the AVCHD and a memory card, I should be able to easily work with any individual clip. Also, being more heavily compressed, it might not be up to the quality of miniDV, but it should be pretty close. I read the low light ability of the camera not be as good as the HC5, but in any case, it will be much better than my 10 year old TRV-900.
I’m surprised the TRV-900 is still selling for almost $1000 on Ebay — like who would buy it when there are HD cameras out now? True, the TRV-900 was a great camera and has served me well over the past 10 years. I’ve shot many hours of tape with it — except, my tape collection is completely disorganized and I never edited it… so I would shot video but then never look at again… trouble of working with tape.
Ok… wish me luck. As long as it doesn’t snow, tomorrow I’ll go and buy the CX7… really looking forward to getting the new camera and recording many precious memories of moments that can never be repeated.
And this is all part of the Tao teachings… or fate. Like, I studied everything and decided on the Sony HDR-HC5 camera on the weekend. But then, on Monday, someone at my work mentioned tomorrow, Thursday, being “Canada’s National Buy Something Used Day”. And they had pointers to a few websites where used things can be found. I went to one of them and searched for Sony HDR cameras… and found the CX7. It looked like a great camera. But, I had already entered my bid on the HC5. Plus I was concerned with the AVCHD format. But then, last night, I was installing some software on my computer at home, and I installed Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 — I bought it last year. After installing it, it told me about a special offer on the VideoStudio Pro X2 software… and that lead me to think that perhaps an AVCHD camera is perhaps good afterall.
Luckily, someone else came forward and bid on the HC5, so I’m now free to get the CX7… it’s fate or the Tao all coming into play and things working out in the end. The thing is to have an open mind and don’t be too stubborn. My wife always says I’m the most stubborn :-).
We are on a river… flowing… and we just have to keep our eyes open… don’t plan or try too hard to get somewhere, but let the river take us to wherever it may… and don’t fight the current, but smile and enjoy the journey we’re on.
Take care my friend, with hugs and kisses and love always…
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