Video Asylum

Posted by Ben (A) on September 06, 2005 at 13:01:27

In Reply to: I took the cheap route .... posted by phatty on July 11, 2005 at 11:47:47:

The question is:

Do you want to spend the next 15 years of your life hustling for the camcorder, the battery, the tape cassettes/discs, trying to be a videographer, while you miss whatever your tyke is actually getting up to, in the expectation that you may live to be too old to have any memories, and yet somehow capable enough to have saved those tapes and be able to operate a player (assuming whatever format you choose to store the memories is still supported in 2060) and that, although you mind will be crumbling, the video images will somehow bring those all-important emotions and perhaps tears of joy to your eyes that simple snapshots could not, and somehow make your otherwise excrutiating remaining days bearable, OR...

...don't you think it's a better idea to watch your family grow with your own eyes, and maybe even engage in the lives of those around you, using an old-fashioned still camera to record the times for prosperity?

You can see where my bias is! I spent a year with a camcorder. Darn heavy thing gave me a headache. (Tip: By taking lots of still shots in a row, you can create the illusion of moving pictures.)

My advice is to can the camcorder, take a roll of film on occasion, when the child is relaxed and cute. Use a tape recorder to record his voice.