The gigantic "which camera should I buy" thread!

Tony Beazley · July 27th, 2003, 10:04 PM

I have a ultura but would like to get one very similiar to it.That has mic input and headphone out, hotshoe for light ,at least 16 x zoom and firewire .Any close outs any where or anyone needing to get rid of one please give me a shout.

Contact me at sundogstudios@hotmail.com

Tony

What about the zr series any luck with those?

Frank Granovski · July 27th, 2003, 10:23 PM

Perhaps look for a used Optura PI and settle with 12X zoom. The Optura 100MC is even a better cam.

Chris Hurd · July 27th, 2003, 10:36 PM

I think your best bet is the Canon Optura 20. It has a 16x optical zoom, a large 3.5" flip-out LCD, the hotshoe, and it's well under $1000. Most all DV camcorders have FireWire. Hope this helps,

Pascal Petit · July 28th, 2003, 02:29 AM

Maybe the same one will do ?

http://www.ezsystems.com/dcat.cgi?i=D173812251
(found this by googling)
O.

Tony Beazley · July 29th, 2003, 09:09 PM

Thanks for the info.I do have an ultura but the power supply is dead .Canon wants $120 but might as well put it towards a new cam.
I would like to stay with the 1/3 or 1/4 chip cams with mic in /headphone and lcd and hotshoe and 16x . I'm checking the Opturas now thanks guys!!!!

Tony B

Chris anyway to go back a couple of threads and take my email address off...forgot about those bots !!!!

Rob Kelly · August 5th, 2003, 10:34 PM

I want to record a movie, and before i make it i would like to buy a new camera. Now i don't know a whole lot about camera shopping and i don't really know which cameras are meant for Photo Journalism and which are more for Filmmaking and things like that, so any suggestions would be good. I just want to film the movie, edit it in Adobe Premier, and then burn it onto a CD to play in my DVD player. Of course i want the best quality film possible.

the cameras i'm currently most interested in right now are:

JVC GY-DV500
DSR-PD150
AG-DVC80
JVC GR-HD1

I'd prefer to spend in between 1500 and 2500, but if going above and beyond would make a big difference, i'd be willing to put in the extra hours.

Frank Granovski · August 5th, 2003, 11:35 PM

Those cams you have listed are well above $1500 US. I suggest a Panasonic PV-DV953, or the slightly higher priced Canon GL2---both with their pro's and con's.

Dylan Couper · August 6th, 2003, 12:12 AM

Get a Panasonic DVX100. Great film look. Cost you $3500ish though. Otherwise a Canon GL2 is great for about $2300.

Of course, you'll need a tripod and mic, and boatteries, and.... add another $500 for extra gear minimum for whatever you buy.

Glenn Chan · August 7th, 2003, 10:00 PM

If you are going to burn it onto a CD in VCD or SVCD format then your quality will take a huge hit (especially VCD, which is blurrier than VHS but about the same quality). The Canon's frame mode (quasi-progressive; i.e. not interlaced) might be useful if you are encoding DVD/VCD/SVCD since it de-interlaces the footage for you (with better vertical resolution and less sensitivity and some other differences). De-interlacing allows for better compression and takes encoding time if you are working with interlaced footage.

Having a camera with accurate color reproduction would probably improve the quality of your videos. I think the VX2000 has the edge over the Canon GL2 (not sure). The VX2000 has better resolution and is more expensive. The Panasonic PV-DV953 has some gorgeous images, it just stinks in low light.

Jaime Valles · August 8th, 2003, 01:52 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Dylan Couper : Get a Panasonic DVX100. Great film look. Cost you $3500ish though. Otherwise a Canon GL2 is great for about $2300.

Of course, you'll need a tripod and mic, and boatteries, and.... add another $500 for extra gear minimum for whatever you buy. -->>>

While I agree that the DVX100 is a great camera for indie films (I own one myself), it needs a very careful hand and a lot of manual tweaking to produce a good image. I'm not sure what your experience level is with video equipment, Rob, but the DVX is certainly not beginner-friendly. The GL2 is, in this respect, much faster at producing a good image for the novice.

My advice is to visit the websites of the cameras you plan to purchase and see if they have the camera's manual available for download. Read them, and pick the one you think will be most comfortable for you in terms of using the controls on the camera. In any event, with good composition and lighting, you'll be impressed with the image of ANY of the cameras mentioned here.

Hope this helps!

Rob Kelly · August 8th, 2003, 07:09 PM

I really like the DVC80 because it seems very durable and will work well in low light situations and things like that. I don't really care a ton about progressive and 24p, I just want a 3CCD camera that will get high quality images and that will upload through firewire to Premier or Vegas, and eventually burn onto DVD.

So please warn me if i won't be able to do this with the DVC80 or if their is any reason i should not buy it, or give me some sort of positive/negative feedback if this is a good choice.

Frank Granovski · August 8th, 2003, 07:36 PM

Rob, the DVC80 is a great cam, but there's nothing wrong with the GL2 and DV953. Certainly the bigger CCDs of the DVC80 is a bonus, giving you more "realistic footage," in my opinion. I say this because no matter how sharp footage can be, the footage from larger CCDs always look more real and fuller to me. But then again, this is only my 2 cents.

Chris Reinhardt · August 9th, 2003, 02:23 PM

IM looking for the cheapest minidv camera...period. I dont want to ruin my VX200 by using it as a deck, so i'd like to get a horrible, cheap, POS. Anyone have any ideas? sub $200 would be great...thanks
Chris

Chris Hurd · August 9th, 2003, 02:35 PM

I'm not aware of any DV camcorder available for less than $400 new. Unless you're planning on winding tapes ten hours per day, seven days per week, you're NOT going to hurt your VX2000 in my opinion. Hope this helps,

Chris Reinhardt · August 9th, 2003, 07:17 PM

I mean, playing, and rewinding and all that has got to wear on the tape heads, right? I'd rather pay $300 for a cheap camera, than spend $500 fixing my vx-2000.....

July 27th, 2003, 10:04 PM	#226
Tony Beazley New Boot Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Tennessee Posts: 20	Need a new cheap camera canon dv I have a ultura but would like to get one very similiar to it.That has mic input and headphone out, hotshoe for light ,at least 16 x zoom and firewire .Any close outs any where or anyone needing to get rid of one please give me a shout. Contact me at sundogstudios@hotmail.com Tony What about the zr series any luck with those?

July 27th, 2003, 10:36 PM	#228
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	I think your best bet is the Canon Optura 20. It has a 16x optical zoom, a large 3.5" flip-out LCD, the hotshoe, and it's well under $1000. Most all DV camcorders have FireWire. Hope this helps, __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

August 5th, 2003, 10:34 PM	#231
Rob Kelly New Boot Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: westboro, Massachusetts Posts: 13	What is a good camera for indie film making? I want to record a movie, and before i make it i would like to buy a new camera. Now i don't know a whole lot about camera shopping and i don't really know which cameras are meant for Photo Journalism and which are more for Filmmaking and things like that, so any suggestions would be good. I just want to film the movie, edit it in Adobe Premier, and then burn it onto a CD to play in my DVD player. Of course i want the best quality film possible. the cameras i'm currently most interested in right now are: JVC GY-DV500 DSR-PD150 AG-DVC80 JVC GR-HD1 I'd prefer to spend in between 1500 and 2500, but if going above and beyond would make a big difference, i'd be willing to put in the extra hours.

August 6th, 2003, 12:12 AM	#233
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	Get a Panasonic DVX100. Great film look. Cost you $3500ish though. Otherwise a Canon GL2 is great for about $2300. Of course, you'll need a tripod and mic, and boatteries, and.... add another $500 for extra gear minimum for whatever you buy. __________________ Need to rent camera gear in Vancouver BC? Check me out at camerarentalsvancouver.com

August 9th, 2003, 02:23 PM	#238
Chris Reinhardt New Boot Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 13	Cheapest Mini Dv Camera? IM looking for the cheapest minidv camera...period. I dont want to ruin my VX200 by using it as a deck, so i'd like to get a horrible, cheap, POS. Anyone have any ideas? sub $200 would be great...thanks Chris

July 27th, 2003, 10:23 PM	#227
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Perhaps look for a used Optura PI and settle with 12X zoom. The Optura 100MC is even a better cam.

July 28th, 2003, 02:29 AM	#229
Pascal Petit Tourist Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Paris France Posts: 1	Maybe the same one will do ? http://www.ezsystems.com/dcat.cgi?i=D173812251 (found this by googling) O.

July 29th, 2003, 09:09 PM	#230
Tony Beazley New Boot Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Tennessee Posts: 20	Thanks for the info.I do have an ultura but the power supply is dead .Canon wants $120 but might as well put it towards a new cam. I would like to stay with the 1/3 or 1/4 chip cams with mic in /headphone and lcd and hotshoe and 16x . I'm checking the Opturas now thanks guys!!!! Tony B Chris anyway to go back a couple of threads and take my email address off...forgot about those bots !!!!

August 5th, 2003, 11:35 PM	#232
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Those cams you have listed are well above $1500 US. I suggest a Panasonic PV-DV953, or the slightly higher priced Canon GL2---both with their pro's and con's.

August 7th, 2003, 10:00 PM	#234
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	If you are going to burn it onto a CD in VCD or SVCD format then your quality will take a huge hit (especially VCD, which is blurrier than VHS but about the same quality). The Canon's frame mode (quasi-progressive; i.e. not interlaced) might be useful if you are encoding DVD/VCD/SVCD since it de-interlaces the footage for you (with better vertical resolution and less sensitivity and some other differences). De-interlacing allows for better compression and takes encoding time if you are working with interlaced footage. Having a camera with accurate color reproduction would probably improve the quality of your videos. I think the VX2000 has the edge over the Canon GL2 (not sure). The VX2000 has better resolution and is more expensive. The Panasonic PV-DV953 has some gorgeous images, it just stinks in low light.

August 8th, 2003, 01:52 PM	#235
Jaime Valles Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 316	<<<-- Originally posted by Dylan Couper : Get a Panasonic DVX100. Great film look. Cost you $3500ish though. Otherwise a Canon GL2 is great for about $2300. Of course, you'll need a tripod and mic, and boatteries, and.... add another $500 for extra gear minimum for whatever you buy. -->>> While I agree that the DVX100 is a great camera for indie films (I own one myself), it needs a very careful hand and a lot of manual tweaking to produce a good image. I'm not sure what your experience level is with video equipment, Rob, but the DVX is certainly not beginner-friendly. The GL2 is, in this respect, much faster at producing a good image for the novice. My advice is to visit the websites of the cameras you plan to purchase and see if they have the camera's manual available for download. Read them, and pick the one you think will be most comfortable for you in terms of using the controls on the camera. In any event, with good composition and lighting, you'll be impressed with the image of ANY of the cameras mentioned here. Hope this helps!

August 8th, 2003, 07:09 PM	#236
Rob Kelly New Boot Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: westboro, Massachusetts Posts: 13	I really like the DVC80 because it seems very durable and will work well in low light situations and things like that. I don't really care a ton about progressive and 24p, I just want a 3CCD camera that will get high quality images and that will upload through firewire to Premier or Vegas, and eventually burn onto DVD. So please warn me if i won't be able to do this with the DVC80 or if their is any reason i should not buy it, or give me some sort of positive/negative feedback if this is a good choice.

August 8th, 2003, 07:36 PM	#237
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Rob, the DVC80 is a great cam, but there's nothing wrong with the GL2 and DV953. Certainly the bigger CCDs of the DVC80 is a bonus, giving you more "realistic footage," in my opinion. I say this because no matter how sharp footage can be, the footage from larger CCDs always look more real and fuller to me. But then again, this is only my 2 cents.

August 9th, 2003, 02:35 PM	#239
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	I'm not aware of any DV camcorder available for less than $400 new. Unless you're planning on winding tapes ten hours per day, seven days per week, you're NOT going to hurt your VX2000 in my opinion. Hope this helps, __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

August 9th, 2003, 07:17 PM	#240
Chris Reinhardt New Boot Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 13	I mean, playing, and rewinding and all that has got to wear on the tape heads, right? I'd rather pay $300 for a cheap camera, than spend $500 fixing my vx-2000.....