cameras suitable for tripod use - manual zoom - sound not important

[Ken L Johnson]

For use in seminars where there are usually 300 attendees -

Will be on a tripod - run by non professionals - shooting demonstrations that are projected on a large screen or the wall - Camera will switch back and forth between two manual demonstrators and need a smooth , easy to use zoom that can move well in small increments.

Seperate sound system - do not normally record demonstrations -

lighting is two t-bars with 4 spot/floods per t-bar - in a seminar room with lighting dimmed but not off.

Reliability of the highest importance - 4:3 image - HD not needed

want good resolution, reasonably high quality images - manual overide of shutter/speed and aperature so that object of primary focus will properly exposed and not have to worry about background -

Previously, I used older analog VHS camcorder - recently used a borrowed Panasonic GS250 - Image quality was OK - never got the exposure quite right - I was projecting on the background - a grey background , which then pretty much faded to dark charcoal considering I was picking up the grey and projecting on the grey - still would have been better if I had able to figure out on-site how to adjust the manual settings

the GS250 not really flexible enough - don't mind paying for higher quality image.

will only use them 8 or ten days a year -

Criteria - most important first

1. Gotta work- every time

2. quality of image

3. ease of manual zoom in small increments

4.ease of manual settings - easy to use for unsophisticated users.

Cost - whatever it takes but I'm thinking 1000 to 2250 or thereabouts -

Would already have purchased and be playing with a Canon GL2 except for seeing posts relating to reliability.

Actually, would possibly be fine with some previous years model that doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles but would do great with the basics.

Also, am done now until next fall - so have the time to hunt for a deal on discontinued or used models - don't mind a used model from a pro in the local market

thanks for any input

Ken

[Georg Liigand]

Hi Ken,

I would suggest having a look at Panasonic GS400 or used VX2000 from Ebay. There are a lot in Ebay.com so have a look. It's a very good camera and it would probably nicely serve your needs.

[Boyd Ostroff]

I don't know about the GS400, but when you put the VX-2000 in camera mode it will shutdown automatically after a few minutes unless you are rolling tape. AFAIK, the only way to prevent this is to leave the tape door open. Would this be a problem for your application?

I think this may be a pretty common feature for consumer type cameras. The PD-150/PD-170/PD-100a/PDX-10 don't do this.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

From your description, it seems like 2 things are important..

1) SVHS (S-Video) output jack so you can output to a video projector. Your Consumer grade VHS camera probably did not have this option. Most modern consumer & prosumer cameras will have this option.

2) Menu setting so you can disable the auto shutdown feature most cameras have. (Not a deal breaker - see below)

Since you are not recording for edit, recording format does not matter. For a cheap solution, look at Sony analog Hi-8 cameras. For a couple hundred bucks you get good glass, hi zoom, manual controls, good low light capability, and I believe, the option to disable auto-shutdown. Even if you can' get the shutdown feature - just roll tape in the camera - you have the advantage of having a tape record of the event in case you might need it later.

By the way - if you are projecting on gray, you will never get a good image - it will always appear muddy. There is no such thing as white when projected on gray!

[Georg Liigand]

Boyd, are you sure that VX2000 shuts down even if you have no tape inserted? At least 2100 keeps running forever without a tape and the door can be closed.

[Ken L Johnson]

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

AFAIK, the only way to prevent this is to leave the tape door open. Would this be a problem for your application?........ The PD-150/PD-170/PD-100a/PDX-10 don't do this.

could leave the door open - Probably could just roll the tape.

Thanks for your input and you too Georg Liigand.I can start watching e-bay or look for locally used VX2000

Regards

Ken L

[Ken L Johnson]

Originally Posted by Mike Cavanaugh

.......... For a cheap solution, look at Sony analog Hi-8 cameras...

I'll look into them

Originally Posted by Mike Cavanaugh

..........
By the way - if you are projecting on gray, you will never get a good image - it will always appear muddy. There is no such thing as white when projected on gray!

Actually, the grey I'm projecting on is quite close to the Da-light High Contrast Cinema Vision that I project on at home, which is also grey - works pretty good.

It sucks when I project the grey background onto the grey though.

Thanks for your post

Ken L