Best HD camcorder for concerts?

[TDUFreak]

I need to film a few concerts in my area (Just small bands for friends) and i wanted to upgrade my camera to a HD one but don't know what to get. Theres loads of choice but ive read up on them and they all have some little problem such as no zoom or bad with low light or no focus, poor sound quality and so on, but then again my budget is only about 200-275 Euro so i guess these flaws are to be expected.
What i need to know is what is the best type of camera for this kind of use? Or generaly a good HD camera within my budget constraints.
Does anyone have any experience with filming low-light/concerts with their camera?

MY Requirements are:
Zoom while recording function
Good sound Quality
1080p (preferably, but 720p could do)
Good picture with minimal blur
Possible Memory Card slot or at least a big enough hard drive for 2 hours recording.

I plan to buy online as i live in Ireland and would want delivery,
Anyone Got Any suggestions?

EDIT: Does anyone know if the Samsung U1 (http://www.elara.ie/products/detailsfull.asp?productcode=ECE1825684#) is any good?
Price-wise its good and the reviews on youtube say its good but theres no mention on how it looks at low light or if theres a zoom function while recording or anything. Any info on that?

 

[Jondot]

Don't get too hung up on the whole 'HD' thing. HD as a term simply means that the camera spits out an image that's got enough pixels in it to be 1280x720 (or 1920x1080) in dimension, and has little reference to true 'quality'. God, I sound like a Hyundai advert...

Anyway, my point is that just because it's HD doesn't neccesarily mean that you'll be getting a decent video out of the thing. So, for starters I'd avoid cameras like the Flip whatever it is HD and this Samsung, simply because they're designed to be in-your-pocket dealies and are far more oh-my-god-we're-totally-at-the-mall-lol than serious video tools. Also, the Samsung you mentioned doesn't have any sort of optical zoom - run away, run away now.

Your best option is to find a camera you like the look of, stick its name into YouTube and see if any HD sample footage pops up. That way you can judge for yourself whether it's good enough.

One question, though: what benefit are you getting from said videos being HD? Are you planning on watching them on a ma-hoo-sive HDTV later on, or are you just feeling the need to jump on the bandwagon a tad? (Don't be ashamed, we all do it...) Because with your budget and with what you're looking to video, I'd plain ignore all these and just buy a standard def Sony Handycam which spits out video in nice, easy to edit MPEG2 files.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

Does anyone have any experience with filming low-light/concerts with their camera?

Yes first rule don't take a camcorder unless you wish to get very friendly with bouncers/security and be escorted from the premises(it's happened to me twice)

There is actually a small digital camera which can meet everything you need(well 720p) for under £200 that i can assure you has been tried and tested with fantastic results in low light and with loud sounds with no issues at all.

 

[TDUFreak]

first rule don't take a camcorder unless you wish to get very friendly with bouncers/security and be escorted from the premises

No its ok lol i have the permission to do it so no chance of that!

what benefit are you getting from said videos being HD?

Well its not just a case of the concerts in HD that i would have to benefit from for it to have a use, its a case that i hope to do a media course soon and need a camera for it and i figured that a HD one would be better as everything is slowly getting to Blu-ray/HD status, and rather than be left behind i figured i better upgrade as i finaly got some money and the course is two years long and by then things would have moved foreward more so from the state they are now.
The fact that im using concerts as a base for the camera's useage is that an entry film is required and i might be make a sort of concert movie/documentary (Green day: Bullet In A Bible, Ramones: Were Outta Here kind of thing) but apart from the course i would be using it to film (with permission ofcourse) Concerts for friends and such.

And im partly jumping on the bandwagon

I actualy made a huge mistake and bought the Sony Webby PM1 yesterday for 200 Euros (and 39.99 for a 4Gb Memory Stick )
I would recommend this to nobody, it is terrible and it will be returned asap.

 

[Jondot]

I actualy made a huge mistake and bought the Sony Webby PM1 yesterday for 200 Euros (and 39.99 for a 4Gb Memory Stick )
I would recommend this to nobody, it is terrible and it will be returned asap.

...and what did uncle Jon say not to do?

So, for starters I'd avoid cameras like the Flip whatever it is HD and this Samsung, simply because they're designed to be in-your-pocket dealies and are far more oh-my-god-we're-totally-at-the-mall-lol than serious video tools.

Film course eh? Well I wouldn't get too excited to be honest. I did media studies for 2 years and filmed in widescreen on mini-dv quite happily. Don't forget that recording anything in HD means much larger video files, which take far longer for the average computer to process. So if you're not well endowed when it comes to processors, be prepared for looooong waits when it comes to editing everything together.

That said, it's not a bad idea to go for the newer technology. It's just that I'd wait until you start your course before you make any major decisions - HD camcorders will be cheaper by then for a start, and then you can re-assess your needs a little better (cameras might be supplied to you, etc).

 

[TDUFreak]

I will say the camera purchase was a bit of an impulse buy alright, a regrettable one at that! I wish i had of checked for any new comments before buying it.

It does make a lot of sense to hold out and wait for a while before i make any major investments, and not being HD isnt too bad so i guess when the time comes a Standard Definition camera wouldnt be the worst.

Also, i might be able to expand my budget by 500 euro so the range of cameras i can afford has greatly increased