Hello eveyone,
Lately, I've been searching a lot about cameras, adapters, mic and etc.
Then, when ever I search for a topic/product, I read tuns of reviews and I narrow it down to the best product to buy it.
Now, I knowticed when ever I search for a topic/product, it always narrows down to 2 products that are best in the market.(and it takes a week to find out)

I'm new in the videopgraphy business so I still need to do lots of research before I always buy stuff....???
so I want to ask you if you know what is the best 2 product in the market? (to make it easy for me to chose)


Lets just discuss the over all best product in each category. (Narrowed down to two)

For example, according to my research (I'm no expert)

Best camera you can get as a consumer= Canon HV20 or Canon HD10
Best camera to shoot in MiniDv= Panasonic DVX100 or Canon XL2
Best camera in HD= Sony EX1 XDCAM or Panasonic HVX200

Best 35mm Adapter= Letus Extrem or Redrock M2

Best shotgun mic= Sennheiser ME66 or Audio Technica AT835b

Best stabilazer= Steadicam Jr or Glidecam 4000

Best editing program= Final Cut Pro or Primer


Now those are all the research I did.
I've read so many good reviews on each product. so this is what I think I have in mind. (when ever I think of buying it....nothing else)

now I'm thinking of buying a tripod and I started to search for a good tripod...but I'm kind of tired of searching....so can some one just tell me the best two tripods out there? (less then $300)
That way, I will only have to chose from 2 and it will save me time.
I've read some good reviews on the Libec M20 and Matthews M25
so do you think these two are the best in the market? (for under $300)


PS: if you've done research on othere products and you know which is the best. let me know.(because I know I'm going to need it in the future)
for example. the best Matte box? filters? monitors? follow focus?
also some products have huge price difference so split that by Prosumers and Consumer category please.
thanks for the help

I know other forums that prohibit asking about "what is the best 'xy'?" - and they have a reason to do that: it always depends on personal opinions and on what exactly you want to do.

I can tell you that in my opinion (and that of at least a dozen other people I know) the best mini-dv camcorder qualitywise is the Panasonic HVX200. But well, the HVX200 isn't really a MiniDV camcorder, it's more a P2 HD camcorder that can record excellent MiniDV SD as well.

Then I know that the Canon XL2 has a better picture quality (again: in my opinion) and much less noise than the DVX100 - but I like the DVX100 much better in terms of handling and options. We could open a thread on only this statement and get hundreds of replies disagreeing with me...

It's really pointless to ask "what's best?" Your only choice is to read a lot of reviews, go test some camcorders, then make up your own mind.

so can some one just tell me the best two tripods out there? (less then $300)
That question is (in my opinion) a contradiction in itself, because for 300$ you won't get a tripod that is anything near "good"

I think it's more important to look at your budget and your needs, then to try to figure out the "best" camera. The best camera for you is not necessarily the best camera for somebody else, and vice versa.

Best shotgun mic= Sennheiser ME66 or Audio Technica AT835b
I have used both and am a not big fan of either. Those recommendations seem dubious to me.

But anyways, to get back on track, I think you need to look at your needs first. What kind of videography are you doing? If it's wedding videography, you'd probably be interested in how the camera fares in low light. And you'll need a different set of audio equipment. The 35mm adapter might not work out very well for you... they eat a lot of light, which is very bad in low light environments.
So anyways look at your needs and go from there.