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Yeah pretty much.  I wasn't looking for that when I bought it, but that sure puts me at a disadvantage now, doesn't it.

Ah my bad, please forgive me!  Seriously though, I'd be the wrong person to ask as to whether or not you could rig that up.  Sounds like a nifty idea though.  On the plus side I'm not worried about cracking it open or violating the warrantee, seeing as how a new camera might be in the works anyway.

And actually, before we got a new TRV and were using an older VHS-C camera, we'd just record audio using a seperate tape deck and then just mash the two together post-production. It's more work, but might give you the effect you need until you can afford equipment more suitable to your task.

To run the tape deck deal I'd still need to run that into the computer, and I'm not sure I'm willing to go through all of the audio for so many different scenes and takes.  How would you go about doing that hack?  It sounds like it might be a viable option.

I'd have to have a look at it, but it could be as simple as snipping a couple of wires and splicing them in to a 1/8" audio jack. Or, if it's soldered directly to the motherboard, then some desoldering/resoldering work would be needed to get it to work. Oh, and you'll definitely have to cut a hole in or remove the grill on the front for the jack itself, so destroying the casing will be necessary.

I checked the manual to be sure, and I still can't find any reference to an audio in jack anywhere.  I'd love to be able to find one, obviously, but the manual doesn't mention it anywhere.

Well, if you are looking to upgrade your editing software, say to Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro Production Bundle (like you suggested) then you are going to need to upgrade the camera.  It is not on list of qualified devices.

Best to upgrade to a miniDV camera anyway...far superior quality to hi-8...even Digital 8.

So for that money, you think the better investment is in a new camera?  Do you have any recommendations?

I'm hoping I could get a camera for under 1000, maybe like 800 or so so I could get a mike with it?

EDIT:  How are canons?  I liked my sony, so this looks good, but this looks like it might be a nice camera.  Also, how reliable is ebay?  I know I could get a better price but I'm not sure if it's worth taking the chance on something so expensive.  I don't really care about the camera being compact, but image quality, the ability to play around with settings, and expandability options are a must.

The Optura isn't bad - it has pretty good video quality, close to that of a 3CCD camcorder.

But why not get the real thing?  You can get used Sony VX-1000s in that price range and that will give you most professional features.  Look in eBay for local sellers in your city, or in your city's Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org/).

eBay varies in reliability.  Best solution for a high-value item like this is to buy locally.  If you're not in a large urban area where this is possible, check the feedback of your potential seller and make sure they've sold similar products before.  If you find someone selling a VX-1000 who sold only Beanie Babies in the past, you're probably looking at a fraudster who's hijacked the account.

I love Canon and in fact own a Canon XL1 which I bought when it was introduced in 1998 and is still  going strong.  Unfortunately, used XL1 are still above your price range.  If you want a cheaper 3-Chip, look at the Canon GL2, but it's still likely to be a bit pricey.

Contrary to what others have told you, Digital8 refers to a video format that is identical to MiniDV except that it uses a different (cheaper) tape.  The camera is worse because it was built down to a price to be cheaper than MiniDV cameras, not because Digital8 is inherently worse.  The recording technology is the same.

Hope that helps.

D

That camera is so cheap because it is the first miniDV prosumer camera made.  It is about 7 years old.

The ohter ones you listed are all consumer cameras, and don't ofer much of anything for mic input or expandability.  You really aren't going to find a new prosumer camera in your budget.  You need to increase it to $1500 - $2000.  The low end would be a Canon GL2 or SOny VX-2000.

Actually, there is a nice SOny 3-chip TRV something...but I can't recall the exact model.  Used to be TRV900...but they model number changed.

Actually, there is a nice SOny 3-chip TRV something...but I can't recall the exact model.  Used to be TRV900...but they model number changed.

It's now the TRV-950.  I have one, it's quite nice.  It even has bluetooth.