The gigantic "which camera should I buy" thread!

[Bill Pryor]

Go to www.bhphotovideo.com and you can find the specs.
You might also look to see if they still are selling the VX2000. The VX2100 is out, but several stores still have the VX2000 in stock, and it's the best deal on the market, in my opinion, for quality and price.

[Frank Granovski]

If cost is a worry, look at the Panasonic MX500. The price should be down because it's going to be replaced with the GS400 in a few weeks. But if you can afford it, the TRV950 is a slightly better choice, if widescreen isn't one of your needs. An even better choice would be the PDX10, for widescreen and XLRs. Canon's GL2 in another good choice---I can't recall what the PAL version is called.

For a quick spec check of these cams, go here:

http://www.grandeye.com.hk/etx/900/index.html

[Aviv Hallale]

Thanks guys...

How is the Panasonic 3CCD NVGS120B for 699 pounds? It has a low lux level as well... Is it a good cam? Has everything I need.

Is it better to have a large inch CCD or not? The Panasonic has 3 1/6 inch's and the Sony TRV950 has 1/4.7. Is this Panasonic a good choie?

You see, price is a big thing because I'm also aiming on getting a $1300 PC

to make up for my:

Celeron 1.7GHZ
256 Megs Ram
20 Gig HD
Windows 98

If I got a bigger HD, would this PC be sufficient for video editing?

I was aiming for a

P4 3.2GHZ
Gig Ram
500GB HHD
Geforce FX5950 Ultra for high end gaming and editing.

[Frank Granovski]

I would get that Panasonic MX500, then. I can't answer your other questions. I suggest posting that on the PC editing forum.

[Ignacio Rodriguez]

If I were you I would try to get along with S-VHS and rent if you need digital for the next few months, because *everything* is about to change with HDV.

[Aviv Hallale]

I need a PAL cam, and on the panasonic.co.uk page, there's no MX models, only the NVGS120B which is 3CCD and the info seems to be growing on me, seems as good as the TRV950 for much cheaper... Please refer to my second, edited post.

[Frank Granovski]

It would be called the NV-MX500E

It's still being sold - last year's model. It's a 3-chip, with frame mode and a Leica lens. It also has good widescreen. Check here for info and further informative links:

http://www.dvfreak.com/pana_mx5.htm

[Aviv Hallale]

I'm going to need something available in a shop so my brother can pick it up in a few days... Is the NVGS120B good or also, contrived consumer rubbish?

[Glenn Chan]

You see, price is a big thing because I'm also aiming on getting a $1300 PC
P4 3.2GHZ
Gig Ram
500GB HHD
Geforce FX5950 Ultra for high end gaming and editing.

You could get a pretty comparable Dell for very cheap when they have a hot deal going. I remember a while back you could get:
P3.0"C"
512MB RAM
hard drive
ATI 9800pro
cheap CRT monitor
for $900

You could probably get some sort of Dell which has something like:
Pentium 3.0C (800FSB, hyperthreading)
1024MB RAM - (if they don't have quadruple memory, ebay off the sticks and get a new pair from crucial.com or newegg.com)
ATI 9800pro (slightly better than the GeForces, especially for next generation games like HL2)
no monitor hopefully (makes it a better deal)
throw in your own hard drives (wait for hot deals) - Dells are limited to 2 internals though, so you'll have to go firewire or jury rig something for more. 250GB may be enough?

check hot deals sites like gotapex.com, xpbargains.com, etc. A barebones Dell can be cheaper than whatever DIY system you can build.

Camera
You might want to go for a camera with XLR inputs if you can afford it, like the Panasonic DVC80 or Sony PD100a (old model, newer one is PDX10). If you want good sound all the good equipment uses XLR connectors and getting good quality sound will take a few hundred extra. Those cameras will have good circuitry too (technically better, better S/N ratio and frequency response). But you may not need that if going for TV/video. Those cameras are a lot more expensive though!

[Frank Granovski]

The NVGS120B? It's a newer version of the GS70. There's some first impressions by Allan about this cam on the MX Forum. The MX500 is way better, but then it will cost a tad more.

[Aviv Hallale]

Yeah... Like 600 pounds more :)

I'm 16 years old, doing some freelance work to raise a budget for NeverDead Productions (www.never-dead.cjb.net) movies.

I don't need such a great camera, DV, mic-in, 3CCD should be good enough.

I'm eventually aiming for a VX2100. The TRV950 would also be nice, but that's too expensive and this panasonic is 3CCD so it should be decent?

Is there a difference in quality between different CCDs all do all 3CCD cams look the same quality wise? (and do all 1CCD Cams look the same?)

[Aviv Hallale]

Aha... Sorry for the double post :P

the NVGS120 as the same as the PVGS120, not the GS70... The 120 is 699 pounds/dollars and the GS200 is 999 pounds/dollars, and the GS70 (I can only find it on the US website) is also 999 dollars, but I assusme it's 999 pounds as well...

Do any of you know of major differences between the GS70, 120 and 200? on the Panasonic Comparison, most of the differences between he 120 and 200

are No Vs N/A
never No for one and Yes for the other.

[Glenn Chan]

They all don't look the same. To my eyes anyways.

http://babelfish.altavista.com/babel....html&lp=ja_en
see a whole bunch of frame grabs from various cameras in the japanese market (they have different model numbers sometimes).

[Frank Granovski]

The GS120 and GS200 look very similar and very similar to the older GS70. If you go to that "grandeye" link I provided, you will see pictures and specs of all of these 3 cams.

[Devang Shah]

Which is the best single CCD camera under 750$ range?

It should have very good picture quality. Will not be shooting in very low lights. But mostly indoor during day time too. Will not be using tripod.

Thanks