video camera's- to purchase or not to purchase

cbrookegrow

DH and I keep going back and forth on purchasing a video camera. DH thinks that since we have Iphones we won't pull out the camera when we have such a convenient one on our phones. While I partly agree with this rationale, I wonder if we will actually ever get the videos off our phones. Personally, I love going home and looking at home videos of my sisters and I when we were little and I would hate to not have those memories because we were to lazy to figure out how to get the videos off the phone and then off the computer.

So, STMs if you purchased a video camera are you glad you did?

FTMs, what are you all doing?

Any inexpensive options out there that you all have and like?

cbrookegrow

Sorry about the grammar mistake in my title- I can't figure out how to change it! LOL

juliane2004

I don't have a video camera but I wanted to comment anyway. We borrowed one when DD was born and we did actually use it. Honestly, I don't love it as much that they (or at least the one I was using) had video tapes not digital recordings, so it was WAYYYY more effort to get the video on the computer (where I put it into a slideshow for her birthday).

Now, with two kids (soon to be 3), we don't have it any more but we definitely use our phones for video. I think if I had to find the video camera every time I wanted to shoot something, it'd be over before I got it. I love having my phone take the videos, and they're as easy as photos to get off the phone.

My opinion is to use your phones, not buy a video camera.

bonjourbelle05

FTM here...we're getting a video camera, but just a pretty simple one....DH has an iphone, but I don't and since I will be home for roughly the 1st year we want to be able to capture some milestones, etc. 

Boots&Bows

FTM here.  We purchashed one this year as an anniversary gift to each other.  I think we spent about 350 on it.  Honestly, we haven't used it much thus far but we bought it to use when LO gets here.  Plan is to use our iPhones to get videos on spontaneous things that happen and then use the camcorder for holidays, birthdays, vacations, etc. 

mrs.kapow

juliane2004:

Now, with two kids (soon to be 3), we don't have it any more but we definitely use our phones for video. I think if I had to find the video camera every time I wanted to shoot something, it'd be over before I got it. I love having my phone take the videos, and they're as easy as photos to get off the phone.

My opinion is to use your phones, not buy a video camera.

I lean this way, too. We used the video camera a lot in the beginning, but now my videos are all on my phone, uploaded to FB if they're good enough and I'm hoping to grab them from there somehow. 

MeNV

We bought one and never use it. I keep trying to remind myself to stick it in my purse but I instinctively grab for my phone when I want to take a video of my two year old. It's so easy to instantly upload. Plus I'm a sucker for a good video app. 

linzeek44

Before last week, we had 2 iPhones and an old, crappy digital camera. We always just used our iPhones because the pictures were better than our old camera and we took video on them because it was convenient. 

We decided to get a new digital camera that has better-than-iPhone quality video. We debated whether or not to get a real video camera, but we decided we'd use the camera more. DH has been taking videos of the dog (and then playing them in slow motion, haha) and the quality will be good enough for adorable baby videos.

cbrookegrow

So, if you're using your phone- is it pretty easy to upload to the computer and then put on a DVD from there? Have you noticed if the video quality is good off the computer?

mrs.kapow

auroraloo:

FYI, there is a way to download your entire FB account to your computer, it's under setting somewhere. I did it before I deleted my account so I didn't lose all my photos.

OP, we have a FLIP cam we got a few years ago and our phones. 

Gracias -- I will investigate shortly since I might do a running DVD for DD's 2nd birthday party... 

abbs815

We have been trying to figure out the same thing.  I think we are going to just use our smartphones for now for a couple of reasons.  1) We are already in the habit of pulling them out when we want to take a picture or video of something and would probably forget to use it most of the time.  2) We wouldn't spend a ton of money on a new camera or video camera and therefore the quality probably wouldn't be that much better than our phones anyway. 3) We are upgrading our phones to the Galaxy III in the next few months so the quality will get even better.  I also have a Galaxy tablet that can take video, I have used it in my classroom and then tranferred the video to my computer and I thought the quality was fantastic. 

 I have no idea how to put anything onto a DVD so I'm not helpful there...sorry!

DolphinLover2002

We also have smartphones with video, but to me the the quality isn't as great as a real video camera. We bought a real video camera. My mom gave us money towards it for our birthdays, and we pitched in the rest. It's a very nice video camera. It's small enough to fit in your hand, and has internal memory and memory cards. It was about $250 from Walmart. We've already used it quite a bit. We took video of how the nursery looked before we started on it, recorded us working on it, and then the final product. We've got some video of the dog too. I love it, and I wouldn't take it back for anything.

lzmac11

This is going to sound a bit ridiculous but here it goes.

We have a video camera.  It is actually a good quality HD camera.  Don't ask me anything further cause I won't be able to answer it.  All I know is that it is super easy to work and we use it a lot. 

We also each have a really good p&s camera.  I have a canon and DH has a pentax (crappy brand name, but the camera is decent).  DH uses his p&s when he is hunting and fishing and the quality of the video is still decent. 

I also have my work cameras.  I have a standard Canon Rebel, a Rebel t3i, plus my newest baby a 70D. 

On top of all that I have an iPhone and DH has a droid.  We are technology buffs (just a little).  But for those that are wondering, there is a way to get things off facebook or off your iPhone or any other phone for that matter.

Pokedot

FTM here. Back in February we purchased a new, better camera and a camcorder. I always loved watching old movies of us kids growing up and think its a lost medium. Pictures are wonderful but they don't capture everything like a camcorder does. Skip to this past week. We finally took it out of the box and charged it. This week we're hoping to get a handle on it. Ours comes with a SD card spot and a cable that can hook up to our TV or the computer to burn the video. Must easier than the old ways. I can't say how much we'll use it but I'm hoping its a lot. Especially for special occasions like the birth, 1st birthdays etc...we don't have iPhones btw...we actually are old school and have the prepaid cells but even so I'm not sure how much I'd use it given that it would always be on the phone instead of a back up! GL!

Flamingemu

We are not buying one at this time, but that may change. We both have Google phones and Google automatically backs everything up into private folders in Google + so that is our plan for now.

lzmac11

swseals:

So that's what I did. Canon had a sale on their refurbished equipment, so I upgraded to a new Rebel - I had an XT and was itching for a new camera to get better performance at high ISO - I ended up with a T2i. I understand that video will be iffy on it, but to be honest, I care more about the pictures than the video anyway. Win win for me. I had been trying to figure out a way to get DH to agree with letting me buy a new body... and it worked out.

I will admit the T3i that I have the video is pretty darned good on it.  It is HD even.  But I never use it just because it is a work camera and I don't do video.  You should be able to get decent looking video off your T2i if you are stuck.