Which Camcorder to buy?

Which Camcorder to buy??!!....Please help!!?

• Hi, it's been a few weeks that I have decided to buy a Hard Disk Drive Camcorder and have been searching the net for reviews, etc, but there are toooooo many options and I'm not sure which one to choose!!....I can spend up to £500 on a HDD camcorder....which brand or model do you recommend??....Have you tried it yourself??....what are the advantages and problems with them??.....Thanks alot for your advice.... I need to buy one very soon, cuz I'm gonna go SKYDIVING in two weeks time for the first time in my life and want to record everything on the day.....if I die I will leave behind the events on my last day....and if I come back alive I can always watch it back and remember how TERRIFIED i was on the day!!...LOL...

• Answer:

  We assume you want to somehow mount the camcorder to a person to record your fall. If you are going sky diving, you don't want a hard drive camcorder. As you go up to altitude, you camcorder's pressurized hard drive may explode. If not, as you fall at over 100mph, the constantly increasing air pressure may implode your camcorder's drive. Hard drives are designed to work at a specific altitude and only be transported in pressurized cabins like commercial jets. Plus any sudden hard movement (which you will experiencing) will cause your hard drive to damage itself or lock up. In unpressurized cabins, aerial video is recorded with gyro stabilized camera systems that record to magnetic tape, cellulose film, or a completely digital system with no moving parts. You might be able to use DVD, but any sudden jarring will skip the recording system just as it would in a hard drive camera. Your best bet is a camcorder with a Flash Memory system. They are the most compact and lightweight cameras of all, and they have no moving parts. The flash memory in these camcorders are either internal or external. The internal models are like the hard drive camcorders you mentioned, but these cameras have no moving parts. The external type require you to insert SDHC memory cards http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010LPBRK?ie=UTF8&tag=motionpicturecentral-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0010LPBRK . Either type is fine for your situation. The Canon VIXIA HF10 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder with 16GB Internal Flash Memory and 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001144JQU?ie=UTF8&tag=motionpicturecentral-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001144JQU would be perfect. It has both internal and external options, one of the best optical stabilizers in the industry, records in full 1920x1080 HD, and its instant autofocus system is supposed to always be in focus or take less than a second to find and fix focus. * If using the external card port, be sure to tape the card door shut. You will probably want to use Gaffers Tape http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002GVVA0?ie=UTF8&tag=motionpicturecentral-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0002GVVA0 which is very similar to duck tape in that it has extremely strong adhesion, is waterproof, but unlike duck tape, it is cleanly removable. You don't want the tape ripping away at 100mph with a part of the camcorder and the memories on the card. Tape the side view screen shut. You won't be watching it during 'flight'. *** Also tape down the battery. You don't want this coming down and hurting someone or causing damage when it lands. Purchasing a UV filter to cover your lens would also be a good idea Before you exit the plane, be sure the zoom is at 0 (wide, or all the way open), so you don't miss anything. You will be recording in HD, so you will be able to zoom in on some distant features later in editing. Also be sure to activate the feature in your audio settings that minimizes wind noise (consult your owners manual). It won't eliminate it in this particular situation but it will make it more manageable. Finally, ensure the optical stabilization is operating. It should already be on.