Videoing for YouTube

[noelford]

I don't do much in the way of video recording but I'd quite like to record a few videos to put on YouTube.

Can anyone recommend a camcorder that would give sufficiently good sound repro whilst not breaking the bank? I probably wouldn't use it for anything else, so the less bells and whistles the better!

Cheers

Noel

[ecca]

How's your web cam Noel ?
If you only want to video yourself playing it's as good as anything else.
There are a million cheapo camcorders these days, most of em good.
Try Maplin, there was one on offer I saw yesterday.

[Didier]

I don't do much in the way of video recording but I'd quite like to record a few videos to put on YouTube.

Can anyone recommend a camcorder that would give sufficiently good sound repro whilst not breaking the bank? I probably wouldn't use it for anything else, so the less bells and whistles the better!

Cheers

Noel

The Zoom Q3 and Q3HD might suit your needs. They aren't general purpose camcorders, as they don't have a zoom lens, but they have much better than average sound. For home musical video recording, it's difficult to find more suitable.
On our French Shadows' forum, someone posted videos made with a Q3HD, and they were excellent.
http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/q3/index.php
http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/q3hd/index.php

Didier

[Bluesnote]

I have the Zoom Q3 and its a great little recorder. Easy to use and great picture quality and more importantly, great sound.
The only downside with mine was that it did'nt come with a mains adaptor and I found I had to go get one right away as it really has an appetite for batteries
It was around the £200 mark when I got mine but I think they are cheaper now if you go search out a few sites that are more competitive.
I know you can get really cheap ones from other manufacturers but this one was developed with quality home recording in mind.
Oh, and it does have a zoom capability, not great but does the trick for my uses.
Hugh.

[noelford]

Thanks folks!

Ecca, webcam is good, but is built into my iMac, which is the computer I do all my work on and is not ideally situated for shooting videos.

Didier, Hugh, the Zoom looks exactly what I need in a freestanding camcorder, though.

All your inputs much appreciated

Cheers

Noel

[RayL]

To get good sound, you need a microphone that is separate from the camera. The microphone needs to be close to the source of sound whether it is an acoustic guitar or a guitar amplifier. If you use a camcorder with a built-in microphone you will inevitably pick up some of the room's acoustic and this will make the sound of the instrument less clear.

Of course, you could always do it the way a lot of videos are done - record the sound first then play the track back into the camcorder and into a monitor speaker. Play along to the track while the camera is recording. That way you get the best sound and the best pictures, because you can concentrate on each in turn. If you have the facility to do editing, this method also allows you to vary wide shots with inserted close-ups.

Ray

[noelford]

Thanks, Ray, I agree with all that. However, I would really prefer something basic that gives good sound, just for fun-posting. I even find it a pain hooking everything up to the computer to make recordings and I'd much rather just play and record in the simplest way possible. Looking at the Zoom, it does claim to be engineered specifically for quality sound, with it's stereo mic arrangement.

[Bluesnote]

I dont claim to know a lot about recording, actually I'm just a novice at it but I was really surprised at the quality that the Zoom gave. The built-in mic is really sensitive and I had no problem with unwanted sound. Maybe I'm just lucky with the set-up in my room but I'm more than happy with the results I'm getting. Put it this way, Its more than ok for posting stuff on youtube, maybe if I were wanting studio quality recordings, I'd look elsewhere but it suits my needs for what I'm using it for
Hugh.

[Didier]

I have the Zoom Q3 and its a great little recorder. Easy to use and great picture quality and more importantly, great sound.
Oh, and it does have a zoom capability, not great but does the trick for my uses.
Hugh.

It's a fake "electronic" zoom not a real optical one ("zooming" decreases image definition).

Didier

[Didier]

To get good sound, you need a microphone that is separate from the camera.
Ray

They are very few camcorders which have connections for external microphones. Up to now, to film club meetings, I have been using a Samsung SD camcorder and recording sound at the same time with a Zoom H2 audio recorder using a pair of T-Bone EM-9600 microphones. But replacing the camcorder sound by the H2 one involved complex editing work to achieve good synchronisation.



I just bought a second hand Canon HF100 HD camcorder which has connections for external microphones for a more simple setup and better image.

Didier