First let me say to try not to use your camcorder for pics. Use a separate camera with at least 4MP (megapixels). This one has 5MP…you don’t really need more unless you’re doing professional photos for magazines and even this one should be fine at the highest quality setting.

That said, I love my Pentax Optio 550 Digital Camera. It does exactly what I need without the drama of tons of features that serve only to confuse and take away from a photo shoot. Can you get a higher MP camera? Sure. But why spend even more money on something you don’t need. I’m the first to spend as much money as needed on quality (like the brilliant, but expensive, Canon GL2 Camcorder), but sometimes mid-range is actually very high-end. For a bit more detail on this camera, you can see my vlog review at GroovyOrNot.com.

Pictured is my editing station that uses a Mac Mini. I only use a mac for editing as it’s simply the best, most user-friendly, never crashes, editing computer I’ve ever used. I use a pc for everything else and don’t find it at all cumbersome to have both a pc and mac in my office area. It comes with iMovie for editing, which is an extremely easy, full-featured, editing software. Almost all of my footage are on mini-dv shot on my Canon GL2 and easily hooks up to the mac as you can see in the picture. The monitor is brilliant, compatible with both a pc and a mac, and widescreen (since I’m only shooting in 16:9 now).

I’ve begun testing this hard-drive camcorder, since using tapes will be going away very quickly. So far I’m extremely impressed (and I don’t impress easily any more

It has a built-in, 30gb hard drive that it records all video onto (a USB connection downloads it to your pc very quickly). I opted to buy the extended battery which means that I can record about seven hours (yes, SEVEN HOURS) of video footage without my needing to ever touch the camera again during that time. Brilliant! (If you’ve shot footage for any amount of time, you’ll understand how brilliant this is….if you’re new, then just trust me on this one

The only thing I don’t like about it is the video quality sucks in comparison to my GL2 camcorder (the GL2 has a 3CCD chip and this one doesn’t). This Sony kept its famous “Night Shot” feature and even enhanced it quite a bit. Also has a 3MP camera function that took high-quality photos (still not good enough to replace my higher megapixel digital camera, though).

At the time I bought this, it was the first on the market. I’m now seeing some that have higher quality (I haven’t seen 3CCD yet but have seen a Sony High-Definition Hard-Drive Camcorder) and I can’t wait to try one of those puppies out! For amateur videos, however, the one pictured above is all you need….and for you seasoned videographers, you’ll drool in amazement at the extremely long recording time.

Digital Videomaker: Guide to Digital Video and DVD Production. Title pretty much says it all. I believe this is made by the same people who bring you VideoMaker Magazine.

At the time I write this, it’s in its 3rd edition dated May 2004 (which by today’s standards can be fairly outdated), but not many of the basics have changed since then.

Although these will go away soon, since hard-drive camcorders will become the standard very quickly, they are still needed for digital camcorders that still require them. If you’re new to this, I can’t stress enough the importance of having way too many of these on hand. There’s nothing worse than realizing you haven’t finished shooting and are out of mini-dv tapes to record on.

I can’t stress enough the importance of lighting your scenes. Although it’s amateur videos we’re shooting, if the audience can’t see it then it’s a total waste. Lighting is the most common negative issue with videos we receive and the most common complaint from customers (next to the motion-sickness of watching hand-held camera footage…for God sakes, use a tripod!).

This one’s great because it has all the basics and a carrying case for travel or storage.

The Canon GL2 Camcorder is what I’ve used for years. The quality is unmatched as far as a consumer-priced level camcorder. Definitely a costly investment, but I wouldn’t trade mine for the world (although I am testing out the new hard-drive camcorders). Uses a mini-dv tape, likes either mac or pc, and the handle is a life saver.

Why not the XL1 instead? Because we’re shooting amateur and (basically) the only difference is higher end, interchangeable lenses, but that’s overkill and not needed for what I’m doing

Although they offer more for advanced features and the latest technology, VideoMaker Magazine continues to offer “basics” articles and tips. I’m always either learning something new (or being reminded of how to do something right) from reading this and it’s a great way to keep up with the tools of our trade!