Looking for new stage event cameras

[Scott Brooks]

As I've "matured" I've found myself looking to lighten my load to record stage events. This is essentially all I shoot these days. I no longer shoot weddings. Dance recitals and other stage performances is about it.

I currently use an FX1 and Sony Z7. I would like to get rid of them both and I am most definitely going to be done with tape.

#1 consideration ... the camera HAS to be 100% compatible with FCPX ... no work-around of any kind. I have to either be able to plug the camera in or use a card reader.

I've seen the Sony CX700 mentioned in many forums as a possible event camera. I'm not sure how I feel about moving to a small Handycam after all these years, but if I felt that the end product was going to look good then maybe the "professional look" on my part won't make a difference.

I am very used to using XLR inputs. I'm assuming that if I get a camera that does not have XLR inputs that I can purchase an adapter so that I'm able to use a line out of the sound board as well as another line for a shotgun mic.

I considered the AX-2000, but have held back thinking maybe it's over-kill for what I need.

So ... any suggestions on event cameras and experiences with them would be great. I will more than likely be purchasing two.

If you have any youtube videos of plays or dance recitals that you've shot with your smaller cameras I would appreciate a link to those as well.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Scott

[Scott Brooks]

Hmmmmm ... looks like the CX700 is not on the FCPX camera list.

[Eric Olson]

Originally Posted by Scott Brooks

#1 consideration ... the camera HAS to be 100% compatible with FCPX ... no work-around of any kind. I have to either be able to plug the camera in or use a card reader.

The JVC GY-HM150U would lighten your load and records Final Cut compatible QuickTime files directly to SD flash memory. It also has XLR inputs so you don't have to worry about adapters. I'm still shooting on tape, but if I wanted convenience with Final Cut I would definitely look into the HM150U.

[Peter Manojlovic]

Originally Posted by Scott Brooks

#1 consideration ... the camera HAS to be 100% compatible with FCPX ... no work-around of any kind. I have to either be able to plug the camera in or use a card reader.

So I was lurking around, and found a neat little device called the Atomos Ninja, which accepts an HDMI signal.
There's also the Atomos Samurai, which accepts an SDI signal...


You should check out the Tapeless video recording section, and have a look at both AJA and Atomos products, and see what suits your budget.
Narrow it down, and find the camera that suits your needs...
Because you've forced yourself to use FCP, you're going to spend at the hardware capture end..

Otherwise, the easiest answer would be to record to card natively, and run it in Adobe Premiere (which supports native playback of most cameras)..
But you've already stated that FCP is non-negotiable..

[Scott Brooks]

Yeah ... I've been running FCP way too long for me to start learning another program. I have FCP and FCPX on my computer right now, so I'm slowly working my way through FCPX. I know my current computer won't last forever and one day FCPX will be all that I'm left with. Plus ... for two camera coverage of stage events it's not like the editing I had to do when I was shooting weddings.

I suppose if there's a quick and simple way to convert the footage then maybe I can be flexible in that area ... but FCPX is going to be the program of choice.

Thanks

Scott

[Scott Brooks]

Is anyone using the Canon VIXIA XA10 for stage events? I see that it's got XLR inputs which would be wonderful.

[David Stoneburner]

I would also second the JVC. I just added 4 of the 750's to my equipment at work, although those cameras won't lighten your load like the 150, they record the same. I've been really happy with them so far and their files will go right into FCP. This is my first time shooting with JVC but it's been good so far.