I’m guessing a few of you have an interest in filming your own footage and have probably read a bit, experienced a little, the wonderful world of digital video cameras.
I might be in the market for one but I think I need a little unbiased (at least vaguely) on what I should be looking at.
I know the question depends upon alot of things that I should really be sharing - so here it goes:
Yes I do want to use this for my vacations and crappy home movies
However, I would like to put together film clips for my music using real footage, Blender animation, stills whatever…and I would like to reach a reasonable level of quality without having to go in the direction of high-end hardware. This includes high definition at this point. Its day will come for me - but that day isn’t today.
I’m thinking MiniDV tape as a format. Hard drive cameras are pricier and will probably become my next option if I feel I need to “upgrade” down the track. Not interested in SD or DVD options at this point
I don’t really care that much about the quality of the stills, but if the best purchase option comes with quality stills I won’t complain.
There is at least one brand I’m not interested in - Samsung.
Suggestions of brands and models are welcome, but I’m also interested in identifying the various differentiators to be able to maximise quality while at the same time minimising the cost. I would like to get my feet wet without feeling that I can’t possibly produce quality output.
I hope all of this makes sense.
Please feel free to ask me any questions if it helps to give concrete suggestions/directions.
I don’t need all the answers within 24 hours, so a discussion to help widen understanding and knowledge in the area is welcome.
I have two a sony trv 900 was really expensive. And a cheap jvc tiny one. Unluckly they both have been damaged by a early firewire external hard drive. frying the trv 900 which kinda works and kinda not.
Really the best camera depends what you need it for. It is easy to go for the top/best out right now in what level. But I think that usaully wastes money. I believe that steady filming/good camera moves/and proper light and focus as well as good composition. Mean more than the specific extras. But having the ability to control these will allow you to get the shot you want.
If taking a ton of time setting up shots isnt your thing there are lots of decent cameras in the consumer end that are point and shoot. I guess that it is like the differences between a point and shoot and dslr.
Anyhow camcorderinfo.com is a great site pretty unbaised to show all the aspects of all the top cameras.
For the uber camera check out the red camera due this year.
Thanks for that link - that has helped with understanding terminology.
Picking out a camcorder is in some ways more difficult after reading some of this stuff. It seems like a world of trade-offs.
As probably a 2 year interim solution for me, it’s difficult to determine what the trade-offs should be.
1CCD vs 3CCD etc…
Panasonic camcorders seem better equipped with manual adjustment capabilities at the lower end, while Sony may be better when you need good automatic features. That’s a hard pick for me because I don’t really know what’s going to be best for me. Auto is probably better when using it just as a holiday - take movies kinda deal, but if I’m seriously trying to get the result I want for a music video, manual options may be better.
So far, I think that the MiniDV is still the format I’m looking for at this point and I’m thinking I should probably get one with some sort of mic in compatibility. Bugger the still stuff, I think I’ll just ignore that feature altogether.
I want 3CCD, but that might put things a bit out of my reach from a price perspective.
I’m still trying to work out whether saturation levels in general are going to be more important then clarity in lower lighting conditions.
Can video editing software effects/adjustments make up for any saturation issues in filming on mid-lower end camcorders?
Actually - that’s a pretty important question. Can you make up for any shortcomings on your computer for inadequacies in the recorder itself - and if so, is this available only in high-end video editing packages or are they prevalent in general?
Some of these questions could take quite a while to answer… And there have been tons written magizines,books, etc. So what you are going to get is allot of peoples opinon. Which is what you are looking for.
My Sony trv 900 has 3 ccds. Its old but took good video. I like the camcorderinfo site because they post pictures for you to see for yourself what they mean by low light isnt good etc. because things are changing so fast all the time, it is good to see what does that mean.
Saturation and fixing in post… Color correction seems like it is the easiest to fix in post. Where as contrast and brightness there isnt allot of room to fix in post with minidv or 4:1:1
Pretty much if you shoot your video too bright or too dark the info isnt there to fix.
So getting the lighting right is key.
If you are shooting with autofocus and the camera decides to focus on something else there isnt a way to fix it easily.
And I agree having good audio is important usally one of the first things to give people a clue that it is not done by a pro.
as far as HD goes and expensive cameras… in my opinon unless you have mastered sd there is no need to go to hd. Hd just shows your mistakes more or so I hear. I hope to be up for hd in the future.
Sorry it doesnt help to make things so complex. the nice thing is the cameras are getting better and better. And there are some great new hd cameras for not much. Sonys cmos ones. etc. All this said I would say buy a ultra cheap one 300-400 play with it. And see if you really want to spend the money on a extra exspensive camera. Speaking from a guy that has spent over 2000 dollars on cameras and over 2000 on Premiere/ Matrox rx100 bundle and now is doing more with blender.
Honestly I have been very impressed in the mid range with the Panasonic that uses the p2 cards. My bother in law has been using it professonally in Hollywood and says that he really likes it.
The very high end is this http://red.com/
this is where hollywood is headed in my opinion
I sell camcorders (and cameras) at Circuit City, plus I own an old miniDV camcorder. I’ll tell you basically what I tell my customers:
miniDV
1 hour recording time per tape (tapes are reusable)
Magnetic heads will need to be cleaned
Transfer to computer requires FireWire card and cord (sold separate)
Transfer is real-time (1 hour of video takes 1 hour to transfer)
Additional tapes, if you chose to purchase them, can be around $15 to $20 for 3
miniDV is dying technology, and will most likely be the next format to die out
Does not come with a case or tapesHDD
7 hours of recording time on 30 GB camera
No media
Transfers through USB to computer
Transfer time of about 10 minutes for full hard drive
Most come with a 1 hour battery, so you need an additional one, most likely, which will run from $60s to $90s
Does not come with a caseWhen you add up all the prices, a good miniDV and a good HDD will be roughly the same price. I recommend HDD, not only because it’s newer technology, but because you save on tapes in the long run, as well as it’s being faster and easier to use.
This one is my personal favorite, but if you’re looking to save a little more money, the JVCs are fantastic as well and are available in 20 GB (~5 hours of time).
I will keep in mind your comments about fixing in post.
It looks like I should be “focusing” on clarity/brightness/contrast in different conditions moreso than vivid colour capture. So possibly 1CCD might be good enough for me in that case?
I think I probably have to make sure that the manual adjustment (particularly focus) is covered well which might lean me towards Panasonic.
I’ll have to keep reading and agonising.
Still happy for people to share their thoughts here though - even if it is just personal opinion.
I agree about getting a cheaper option. That’s exactly my thoughts. I think if I get a higher-end MiniDV it’s not really going to give me a return on the investment when a year or so down the track advances in High Definition and camcorder storage solutions put another level of quality again in the hands of the average consumer. Additionally, I have to be realistic about what I want to achieve - I’m not going to be Spielberg just by buying something expensive now - I think I need to play a little with something I can afford - see how I go and work out where to move from there.
The problem is that at the same time I don’t want to buy something that is going to be totally unusable except for filming my next holiday.