Help required for newbie to camcorders - Sony DCR-PC100E

Hi

I just joined this forum as I could not find another one that was willing to help somebody new to camcorders like myself. The others were all the " arty-farty" brigade that new all the techincal stuff and gave me the impression that as I was new to camcorders, I wasn't welcome! They couldn't even be bothered to answer my call for help!

However, I have just purchased a second hand Sony DCR-PC100E camcorder. It is my first ever camcorder and I was hoping to make a hobby of it as I am on dialysis for three days a week and have plenty of time on my hands for starting what seems like a very intersting new hobby like this. OK, I know that my camcorder is not an up-to-date, brand new fangled all whistles and bells jobbie but at £60, perfect working and cosmetic condition, with most of the accessories, I was not going to complain!

I have purchased a few filters and lenses for it and a couple of spare batteries but I would like some assistance as to what type of microphone and light I should get for the above Sony Camcorder please (not to expensive if possibe please)? Obviously, at a later date as and when I have mastered the rudimentaries of playing with camcorders, I shall probably buy a more up-market model but until then, I am sure this old(ish) model will suffice as it does take exceptionally good films and has an infra-red night vision mode as well, although I am totally at a loss as to what the hell the Sony Memory Stick is for and how to actually use it?

I am still trying to get to grips with the destruction manual, so please be gentle with me as I am very new to this hobby - LOL! Many thanks for any assistance offered and I hope I do get a reply this time? Cheers! Mike.

hay mike
hay dont worry about it iv been bugging people for months on the american version of this site untill i found out there was a uk one! makes converting money much easyer lol.
not that big an expert myself on the actually physicality of the camera but if you need extra advice then try camcorderinfo.com should give all the specs for you camera and links to suppliers. also check out viemo for inspiration its basically a pro/semi pro utube but the people on there have been really patient with me and given me some good advice so worth a shot. Also dont be in such a rush to buy all the bits and bobs for your cam untill you decide what type of filming you like best, if its home movies then you prob dont need filters. if its more doc based then the vid quality dosnt matter so much as to what shots youv got. for instance im filming in low light environments but for me night vision would destroy my shots, i didnt know that untill i tested the camera out in the environment. have a muck about and see what you like doing then have a look for bit's to make that better.

good luck and have fun x

Hi kizkoz

Thanks very much for replying! It is greatly appreciated. You are the only person who has bothered so far! Do you have the same camcorder as me then? I find it is such a nice, decent weight and fully featured camcorder, which is basically what I was after. I doubt that I will be doing much (if any) family stuff as I mainly wanted it for animal documentary and the like as I have a degree in Animal Science and really wanted to get out there in rain, snow, hail or sunshine and get some decent footage of the things I like best. At a later date and once I have mastered the rudimentaries of filming, I will probably get a more professional camcorder but not until I know what the hell I am doing with this one first?

I have so far only purchased a polarizing filter, a neutral density filter and an infra red filter. I also got myself a cheapy tripod for the time being, until I get to grips with the camera and then I will probably buy a more heavy duty one as because of the places I shall be filming, I shall need one as this piddley, light-weight thing won't last five minutes! LOL! When I got the camera, it didn't have most of the included accessoris with it, hence it was cheap so I had to buy a mains adapter, both types of AV leads (I think that what they are called) and because my lappie doesn't have a firewire port, I also got PCMCIA two port firewire card with cable but I am buggered if I know how the hell to take film from the camera to the lappie, although I have Sony Vegas? Hehehe!

Cheers for the links and I shall deffo be having a look at them later this morning to see what they can offer in the way of assistance. Can you keep in tough please and let me know what you are up to with your camcorder, so that i can get some idea as to what I should be doing, if you don't mind please? Many thanks again.

Confussed of Gillingham
Mike

PS
I looked at the two site that you suggested. The Vimeo one is a bit to technical for me as it's all about uploading vids etc. and I won't ever be doing that. The other site was an axcellent site for information but I got the impression that it's only aimed at the more modern and up-to-date camcorders, of which I don't have as yet? Its a very interesting site though and I shall keep looking. Cheers again!

hay no worries all us newbes gota stick together, dont worry im finishing a masters in theatre and media for development which basically means that for the last few years i have used media and theatre technics to train others as a communication tool. yet this means i have been using the most basic of media even though it was my main interest. now that im home and just writing my paper im basically teaching myself a whole media corse just by researching on the web. hell there are some media terms that baffle me and code and model numbers that are so similar that i keep looking at the same cameras thinking they are a different species lol. na i know that vimeo is mainly for uploading but im currently researching the best camera for low light/Nightclub, so when i stumbled on vimeo i looked up to see if anyone had done nightclub promo work and loaded it. i found two and msg the guys asking for advice and specs they were really kool and gave me loads of info. its also good to see what kind of footage different cameras produce and editing software as they usually say what they used and how. its an online film fest really with ammeters and pros alike. dont be daunted everyones doing the same thing trying to make a decent bit of footage that they are proud of. unfortunately no i haven't used or come across your camera but iv found that the older the cam the more info there is on it. cams are great there are new ones coming out all the time but when someone get one they like its used to its full potential and they are more than willing to talk about their five years experience with that cam. thats pretty kool actually because i am interested in short doc making too especially on animals and human behavior, so shall swap notes.

here are some of the other sites i have been looking through hope some are of some use also the american version of cnet is quite good aswell they were lining up to give me advice.
try
videomaker.com
dvinfo.net
videoforums.co.uk
dvcreators.net
dv.com
dvxuser.com

happy travels

Hell yes, we can swap notes by all means! I am not that cluey with the webcams though as yet but give me animals and I can talk all friggin night! LOL!

I was going to go abroad to do some work with tiger conservation (the best animal sub species on the planet as far as I am concerned) but my health put an end to that idea as my transplant of 26 years (was my mums) died last year and I am now back on dialysis again. I don't much fancy british wildlife to be quite honest, though there are certain aspects of certain species in the UK I would like to have a go at filming ie: badger, bats and some of our native and very rare newts (underwater photography) etc. A bit sad I know but it's what takes your fancy I suppose?

I am still having no joy whatsoever with this bloody old Sony dinosaur at all! No matter what I do, I just cannot get it recognised by either My Computer or any and all of the video capture progs I have, like Vegas 9, Corel VideoStudio X2 Pro and even the simpler WinDV! I have a feeling that the firewire cable may be a bit dodgy so I am off to my local computer shop tomoz (just around the corner from me) and get them to test the cable and the PCMCIA two port firewire card to see if they work (cheapies from eBay - bloody China no doubt?) and get new ones if they are knackered. I really think I was conned when I got the camera from eBay, which is why it was probably so cheap but I have spent so much on getting filters, lenses, tripods etc. for it, I am loathe to get rid of it now, unless I can find another camcorder witha 37mm thread on the lens? I think the newer cams are all larger threads these days though?

I will take a look at those links you sent me tonight as it's not a machine day tomoz so I don't mind sitting up late and taking a gander. Thanks by the way for those as well. BTW, my name is Mike or Mick or whatever else you wanna call me. I answer to anything. Right, I am off the eBay now to see if I can find a decent newer camcorder just in case I find out that whatever firewire lead I use isn't going to work? Then I shall keep the cam as it takes brilliant footage as the reviews will tell you and just put the tape in the new can and transfer it from that one. Talk about a cock-up but needs must and I want a new camcorder that damned well works for once! LOL! Take care and keep in touch. Speak soon. Regards, Mick.