Howdy from Montana! Looking to do macro video. at DVinfo.net

David Rygmyr · October 22nd, 2011, 02:24 AM

Howdy from Montana. My name is Dave, and we own a manufacturing company that specializes in model railroad upgrade and repair parts. We have ongoing requests for how-to videos, and to do something worthwhile we're going to have to get in close. I own a Sony HVR-HD1000U which is fine for presentation kinds of things, but between its bulk and its 0.7 minimum focal length this camera is not going to do the job.

I do a lot of macro photography for the products we make and for the instructions we do, all with an older Nikon digital camera with integral lens that'll get in as close as I want. It does that job well, but at 3.1MP and with no effective manual focus (I've tried, but it's not practical) it's the wrong camera for the job.

I'm thinking the way to go is a digital SLR, so I can have manual focus and/or fixed macro lenses, and ideally small enough to be able to strategically locate the camera yet has what it takes to do the job. The new Samsung NX200 looks very interesting, and Samsung has 60mm macro lens annouced for the thing that looks pretty good. Not on the market yet, though. That said, there are a lot of other units out there that look like they might do the job, and some of these seems to have a pretty good selection including aftermarket brands like Sigma. Depth-of-field is the Holy Grail here; I'd like all I can get. I'd also like the ability to use an external monitor to watch the action (as opposed to the camera's display) to better tweak/adjust things on the fly.

Help? This forum is huge and there are a lot of choices out there, and trust me we do not have a lot of camera stores in Montana--especially for this kind of thing. Forgot to mention that I'm not too concerned about audio, either, since the plan is to try to do voiceover during editing/production. (I have not picked a package yet; I'm currently trying Vegas because it seems to be a happy match for my Sony camera.)

Thanks very much in advance for any help/advice/warnings. I'd like to get started right and it's easy to make expensive mistakes, as I've learned one too many times.

October 22nd, 2011, 02:24 AM	#1
David Rygmyr Tourist Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Hamilton, MT Posts: 1	Howdy from Montana! Looking to do macro video. Howdy from Montana. My name is Dave, and we own a manufacturing company that specializes in model railroad upgrade and repair parts. We have ongoing requests for how-to videos, and to do something worthwhile we're going to have to get in close. I own a Sony HVR-HD1000U which is fine for presentation kinds of things, but between its bulk and its 0.7 minimum focal length this camera is not going to do the job. I do a lot of macro photography for the products we make and for the instructions we do, all with an older Nikon digital camera with integral lens that'll get in as close as I want. It does that job well, but at 3.1MP and with no effective manual focus (I've tried, but it's not practical) it's the wrong camera for the job. I'm thinking the way to go is a digital SLR, so I can have manual focus and/or fixed macro lenses, and ideally small enough to be able to strategically locate the camera yet has what it takes to do the job. The new Samsung NX200 looks very interesting, and Samsung has 60mm macro lens annouced for the thing that looks pretty good. Not on the market yet, though. That said, there are a lot of other units out there that look like they might do the job, and some of these seems to have a pretty good selection including aftermarket brands like Sigma. Depth-of-field is the Holy Grail here; I'd like all I can get. I'd also like the ability to use an external monitor to watch the action (as opposed to the camera's display) to better tweak/adjust things on the fly. Help? This forum is huge and there are a lot of choices out there, and trust me we do not have a lot of camera stores in Montana--especially for this kind of thing. Forgot to mention that I'm not too concerned about audio, either, since the plan is to try to do voiceover during editing/production. (I have not picked a package yet; I'm currently trying Vegas because it seems to be a happy match for my Sony camera.) Thanks very much in advance for any help/advice/warnings. I'd like to get started right and it's easy to make expensive mistakes, as I've learned one too many times.