GoodTill

I went out and got a very nice setup from Blackwidow. I get it home , set it up and plug in my JVC VHS-c camcorder. AARRG!!! It has no input capabilities. The rca jacks are for output only. The funny thing is that if I close the lens cap, I can just make out the signal for the wireless.

Now I need another camera that has input capabilities. What should I get? Should I go DV? I really don't want to spend alot on it as I already have another camcorder. I would like to try to keep under 300.00. That way the wife won't start asking alot of questions.

What are you guys using?

Thanks
Mike

yb2normal

Mike,

I've been there, and I ended up buying a camcorder even though I had a perfectly good 8mm Sony, because I needed analog inputs. I ended up buying a Sony TRV230 which is a digital 8 camcorder with analog inputs. The advantage for me was that I could still play my analog tapes from my old 8mm camcorder, AND the new camcorder had a firewire output so I could capture my family videos to the PC with very good quality.

I have sinced bought a mini-DV camcorder for my business and it is a great little unit also, but I can't play any of my 8mm tapes in it.

Not sure if you have a VHS or 8mm camcorder, but moving from an analog 8mm to a digital 8mm could be a smart move, if you have a PC on which you want to capture your family videos and share with far off relatives (see how I made that sound appealing to your wife? )

Regards,
Bill

Skycam41

GoodTill....the cheapest solution is to look on ebay for a used VHS camcorder that has video/audio in set up. I found one for $50 and it works just fine BUT the quality is nothing like digital. Using a broadcast quality VHS tape does help a bit. Like I said, this is the cheapest way of doing it, you might be able to find a good used Digital 8 or mini DV camera to get you going. You have bought a very good quality set up (saving up for mine from BlackWidow) and if you are going to be using your camcorder for things other than recording your R/C flights such as family/special events etc then it would be my suggestion to go digital 8 or mini DV.

One thing to remember is that the video/audio inputs may not be located on the camera itself but on the battery charger/adaptor which would require a 12V power source at your flying location....

Hope this helps

Mike

GoodTill

Thanks for the info guys. This is what I have come up with so far. The TRV230 on ebay are about 380.00. I have found a guy by me that I can get a TRV250 for 300.00. On ebay, a Canon ZR60 for 279.00 and a ZR80 from the guy local for 307.00.

The problem is finding a listing that states that it has analog inputs. I would need to know what models have them and then serch for the model.

Mike

Fubar-One

My Feedback: (1)

You are on the right track with the digital 8.
You can also most likely find the specs on the Sony website. They have most of the manuals for their gear downloadable in pdf format. Takes a little searching but most of them seem to be there.

stevennh

Silly quesiton. Does your current camcorder have a record button in addition to the normal camera trigger. Some camcorders use the same connection for input and output, when you put the camera in record, it switches modes. My older Canon (8-MM) and current Sony (DV) work that way. If you can swing it, I would try to get a mini-DV camcorder. That way you can record in digital and stay that way when you edit. Once a DV camera compresses the image into DV-25 format, it can stay that way going into the PC via 1394, and can be edited that way (dubs are also the same quality as the original as long as they are created via 1394). The good thing about this is you never lose image quality once the image is on tape. The down-side is they tend to cost a bit more. Good luck.

Steve

W4UAV

Careful!

The ZR60,65 and 70 DO have analog inputs, the ZR80,85 and 90 DO NOT, apparently they didnt incorporate
many of the features of the previous models, I guess they scaled them down for cost reasons....?

I use the Canon ZR60, it has analog inputs and I LOVE it! 279.00 is a great price!
Also..
Go to www.pricegrabber.com, put in the model you want to find, on the right in a link bar is technical specifications,
thatll tell you if they have analog inputs or not!

hope this helps!

GoodTill

Mike
I have been reading some of your posts on ZR60. I decided to get it and it is on its way. I should have it in a couple of days.

I want to thank everyone for there help, now if the weather would give us a break in the NE.

Mike

W4UAV

Thats great, youll appreciate the features it offers. As Im typing this, I am processing my latest AP flights onto the computer via
its Firewire cable. I use Pinnacle Studio 8 and it cuts out any dropouts in signal (the few there are) so when I record it back
onto the MiniDV tape (in the ZR60) the flight is pretty seamless!!

Glad I could help!

GoodTill

Well I got the camcorder tda. A very nice unit!!. I did not realize how small they have gotten in the past few years. I already tried it out downstairs and it works great. The interesting thing is that you set it to VCR and you have to record with the remote, or at least that what I get out of the manual.

Thanks
Mike

Rj-TailSpin

I don't own one, wish I did, there's a catch with the VCR setting recording. I can't remember what it is. Maybe some one can help. I recall it's something like you can't record in VCR and have full featured MiniDV editing later on. Or, you only record once... and every push to record tapes over the first shots. Arrhhheeee, can't remember. Just play with it and learn the functions. I hear they're really nice. I only heard of one complaint where it stopped recording and was replaced by the store under warranty. Treat it with care and no worries...
Rob

W4UAV

No, thats not true. The ONLY thing I wish they would change is when you get ready to record from your
AP receive setup, you have to go into the MENU, VCR SETTINGS and set AV/DV OUT to ON, then use the remote, I know,
I carry it in my pocket, I start my engine then as I taxi out I hit REC/PAUSE then PAUSE to start recording.
It works fine, I use Pinnacle Studio 8 to edit with afterwards.

Rj-TailSpin

Maybe it was the counter... in VCR mode the counter doesn't work for seaching. Whatever it was, it was minor. I have been looking at those Canon models for a long time. I can't decide if I want to go for the single CCD model or the three CCD model. I am leaning toward the XL1 with three CCDs.
Rob

skyhawk-RCU

My Feedback: (8)

IF anyone is looking for a camcorder with the av inputs, I have
the Sony 8 mm model 66 for sale, works fine for recording downlink video..skyhawk
PS--the cost is about a third of the newer version, with Sony 8mm quality recording.