The gigantic "which camera should I buy" thread!

[Brendan Marnell]

Originally Posted by Tom Hardwick

Brendan, the Canon XH-A1 and G1 straddle (pricewise) the two Sonys - the FX7 and the V1, so you can see how far your money goes. I think you really need to have both cameras on the table in front of you to come to an informed decision, but of one thing you can be sure - whichever camp you join you'll not be disappointed.

Me? I rather like the Canon's bigger chips and more wide-angle to start with, and the money saved can go towards a stack of tape this high. It's shooting lots and lots of footage that will get you the best results, regardless of which camera you choose.

tom.

Very helpful Tom, thanks. Can you take me a step further please and tell me how Century Optics 1.6x teleconverter would work with XHA1 particularly for wildlife at about 50metres?

[Tom Hardwick]

I'm sure the Century 1.6x teleconverter will work just fine, but unlike their zoom-through wide-angle converters adding the telephoto converter will probably reduce your 20x zoom to something like an 8x or so. It will also add to the distortions and flare levels of course.

Also, a lot of people are somewhat disappointed with teleconverters. They're big, bulky affairs that vignette the image fairly early on in the zoom range whilst at the same time not giving much extra 'reach'. It will be worth while using the digital zoom to show what adding this telephoto converter will give you - it's a bit more, but not much.

Adding the converter also covers up Canon's external sensor that measures camera-to-subject distance first using contrast, to get the focus “in the ballpark.” This may not matter much, but is worth mentioning.

Also, are you sure about those 3.4k and 4.7k price figures? Are there street, with no add-ons? Here in the UK the prices are pretty much neck and neck and far closer.

tom.

[James Allison]

Back again. Currently still saving for my next camera, but whilst I am I have been hired by a friend to help him shoot a short film. Based on The Office meets The Bill it's going for the documentary feel, so for the most part will be shot handheld.

The problem I face is that the film is going to be shot at night and my previous encounters with HDV camera's in low light (Z1) were not great. Is there any specific models out there than I can rent which hold up better than most in low light conditions and have a pretty good light attachment that I can hook up to get that documentary feel?

[Brendan Marnell]

That advice is helpful Tom.

Originally Posted by Tom Hardwick

Also, are you sure about those 3.4k and 4.7k price figures? Are there street, with no add-ons? Here in the UK the prices are pretty much neck and neck and far closer.

tom.

About camcorder prices, where in the U.K. are they competitive?

[Tom Hardwick]

Well, Calumetphoto.co.uk sells the XH-A1 for £2540 and the V1 for £2670, just 5% dearer. The CMOS sensors and the smooth slo-mo may be worth that on their own.

[Steve Loeffler]

The wife is going to allow me ;-) to invest exactly $4000. to help me get my fledgling event video business started. I already have some small jobs ordered and need to look and be more professional when going out to shoot on location. These are small but detailed corporate style projects involving training films, kiosk presentations and workshops with guest speakers.
If you had this same situation and same funds, how would you spread around the funds. I realize this is not alot to work with but I'm interested to see what the veterans would do in a similar situation.
Below are the main things I currently have. Help me fill in the blanks. Thanks for any suggestions!

Still Camera: Nikon D40 kit (new)
Video Camera: Panasonic PV-GS250
Video Camera SD:
Video Camera HD:

Mics: (2) Radio Shack powered lapel mics
Wireless:
Shotgun:

Lighting: DIY flos, 500/1000 watt work lights and small background tungsten spots.
General Lighting:
Soft Box Kit:

Editing: Edit Studio Pro, Serious Magic VC 2 Studio, Adobe Premier Elements 4/Photoshop 6, GIMP 2 and tons of other software.
Extra Editing Tools:

Web Site: very soon!

Thanks !

[Tom Hardwick]

You'll need a good tripod in there Steve, and something like the Manfrotto 503HDV + 525 sticks will last you for years and years. And of course microphones and backup audio recorders are so very important. A shotgun on camera and radio mic on speaker is usually a good starting point, and a Zoom H2 recording to SD card mave save the day. Phones to monitor that all's working as it should be are needed too.

tom.

[Allen Zagel]

Nothing less that a prosumer 3CCD camera. But I personally think you're not going to do it for $4000. That Canon XH-A1 Or the Sony Z1 /V1 for HD and for SD I'd go with the PD170 still a workhorse in the ENG / Event field. You want XLR connectors for the audio.

Problem is these cameraas are all in the $3500 to $500 range. I jsut bought a Sony DSR250. Got a great deal on it. You can find them used sometimes new the 250 is $4000 with nothing included. No power supply or cables. Not even a tripod plate. I wound up paying around $7k for the whole thing and the darn tripod and head was another $1700 to support that camera as it's 9 lbs without the battery.

Probably a PD170 is around $3600 or so with a battery and charger. Like the post above says, good audio equipment and I'd be careful of Radio Shack stuff.

Hope this helps.
Allen

[Steve Loeffler]

Originally Posted by Steve Loeffler

The wife is going to allow me ;-) to invest exactly $4000. to help me get my fledgling event video business started. I already have some small jobs ordered and need to look and be more professional when going out to shoot on location. These are small but detailed corporate style projects involving training films, kiosk presentations and workshops with guest speakers.
If you had this same situation and same funds, how would you spread around the funds. I realize this is not alot to work with but I'm interested to see what the veterans would do in a similar situation.
Below are the main things I currently have. Help me fill in the blanks. Thanks for any suggestions!

Still Camera: Nikon D40 kit (new)
Video Camera: Panasonic PV-GS250
Video Camera SD:
Video Camera HD:

Tripod: I have junk (need better $200-$300)
Tripod:

Mics: (2) Radio Shack powered lapel mics
Wireless:
Shotgun:

Lighting: DIY flos, 500/1000 watt work lights and small background tungsten spots.
General Lighting:
Soft Box Kit:

Editing: Edit Studio Pro, Serious Magic VC 2 Studio, Adobe Premier Elements 4/Photoshop 6, GIMP 2 and tons of other software.
Extra Editing Tools:

Web Site: very soon!

Thanks !

I had a Pani AG-DVC60 in mind for a shoulder mount. Even with the 1/4" CCD's, it has alot of features I could use. The Sony VX-2100 is really good too, but not shoulder mount.
I don't really feel need HD right now with type of work I'm doing. I'm still looking at the new Sony HVR-HD1000 if more people would post some feedback.
There are what seem to be good deals on ebay for lighting kits and other video equipment. I'm not sure about the quality though. You get what you pay for usually.

[Michael Wisniewski]

If I had to start all over I'd skip the budget equipment. Start with first rate mics, audio, and lighting equipment. Rent the camera as needed. Camera upgrades are a never ending treadmill but good pro mics, audio, and lighting equipment will last you a long, long time. If you're production "bidniz" gets off the ground, you'll be able to own a camera soon enough.

[James Kerri]

I am in an undergound Hip Hop group who has recently signed a record deal and is in the process of recording our new CD. I plan on filming a DVD called "A Year in the Life Of Potluck" I want to film... recording in the studio, touring (behind the scenes and the actual performances), mettings at the record label, interviews, home life, etc... basically every situation imaginable.

The biggest problem I have is that it will take me a year to film, several months to edit it, and 3-5 months to properly market the release. So I am looking at a minimum of 2 years before this thing hits the store shelves.

Technology changes so fast. What type of camera should I get now that can film all the things I need it to film now and still keep up with what will be on the shelves 2 years from now.

I am a newbe to cameras this will be my first one ever. I have looked on alot of forums and searched google for info. This is what i have learned i should get.

AVCHD
3ccd's
mpeg 4 technology
1080i
front facing mic
2.7 wide screen LCD
record onto minidv tapes

I have a budget of $500 but.... the give my very last dollar for my struggling career budget is $1000

I know all of you on here know more about cameras then me and some should feel my indie struggle. Can anyone PLEASE give me some advice?

[Dennis Robinson]

Is this a joke? $500? It will cost you more than that for tapes>

[James Kerri]

I am very green when it comes to cameras but I am not an idiot. The budget is for the camera only. Sorry if I was confusing in the original post.

[Alexander Ibrahim]

Originally Posted by James Kerri

I am very green when it comes to cameras but I am not an idiot. The budget is for the camera only. Sorry if I was confusing in the original post.

You weren't confusing- its just that your project is probably very much more difficult than you think it is, and frankly I don't think you can do it... yet.

You are off by an order of magnitude on the camera alone for a project like this.

I recommend either a Panasonic HVX200 or a Sony XDCAM EX1.

In your case I lean towards the HVX200. It is an older camera, but a good one. It has a more mature "ecosystem."

The HVX200 is about $5500

The EX1 is about $6500

I'd skip recording to MiniDV cassettes. You want to archive your footage onto hard drives.

Now, that's just what I think about the camera.

If you want my real advice, scale this project back A LOT.

For starters try producing a "road" video.

Get a cheap camera, shoot your own behind the scenes footage. Hire a decent lighting cameraman (Or a DP or a videographer) to shoot live footage of one of your more popular songs. Let them bring their own camera or hire one for the day.

As far as the bits you shoot yourself- I advise you to take at least a day course in camera operation. If you are near a major city you should be able to find one nearby. If nothing else you should be able to hire a pro camera operator to show you the ropes for a day or two.

If you are a student, try and get permission to "shadow" a local news camera operator. I did this early on and I learned a TON. Stupid simple stuff and tricks you might otherwise spend years figuring out and collecting.

Then get an editor to edit it together. I don't mean your uncle who's always tinkering with "that stuff" I mean a professional editor. At least a senior film student. They'll put together your behind the scenes stuff with the stuff from the "real" camera operator.

See how that turns out, then revisit this idea.

Seriously. At this point its very clear that you don't know what you don't know. Take a little time, and tackle some smaller stuff first. You'll learn a lot and your big project will turn out much better as a result.

Good luck

[Dennis Robinson]

Sorry James. I wasn't trying to be mean but $500 for a camera!! A decent still digital camera costs that. I am afraid I don't understand. The cheapest 3ccc tape camera in Australia would have to be over $1000 and that would be only good enough for family holidays.