camera suggestions?
i have about 700 to 1400 dollars to spend on a new camera when i get some good coin in the bank. i was wondering what a good camera would cost in that range. i was looking at handycams,the older xlr from canon for about 1500,some toshiba and some futureshop,best buy brand. i'm not fucking around this time. canadian dollars please.
If you ever see me getting beaten by the police, put down the video camera and come help me!
Re: camera suggestions?
Give people a chance to get on the boards.
You may want to check out the top of the line 1 chip minidv cameras. 3 years ago my wife got a $1000 Sony camera. I used it for all the behind the scenes footage and also used it for mulitple angels.
There is a shot in my movie that I can not remember whether or not it was filmed with my 3chip ccd Sony or the $1000 camera. The footage blends in that well. Of course it was out doors day time footage.
If you want a 3 ccd chip minidv you can find used Sony and Cannons for between $800-$2000.
Re: camera suggestions?
It's hard for me to suggest any specific model. I guess if you can find a cannon XL-1 for $1500 thats your best bet. Trouble is your gonna have to spend $2500+ to get a camera that shoots progressive footage at 24p (this is the most important for getting a 'film look'). I would suggest saving another grand and trying to get a used Panasonic DVX 100.
If you can't do that or can't find a used Cannon XL1 for cheap it's hard to recommend any one camera. I can tell you what features to look for in a camera.
1) make sure it has three ccd chips. the bigger the chip the better i.e. 1/3 inch chips are better than 1/4 inch chips are better than 1/6 inch chips. But make sure it has three chips as you will get much better resolution.
2) Get a mini dv camera, Don't get a hi-8 or DVD camera.
3) Manual controls. You want a camera that has manual focus with a focus ring prefered. Never use auto Iris or auto focus when shooting a movie or short. The more manual controls the camera had the better.
4) Audio in jack. Never record sound with the camera built in mikes. Get a cheap boom mike and hook it up to the camera to record sound. The best connectors are XLR jacks but for cameras in your price range look for any type of audio input, it'll probably be 1/8 inch inputs. Mini DV cameras record very good DAT quality audio.
As far as new camera's Panasonic has a 3 chip 1/6 inch ccd model for around a $1000. The Sony VX2000, Canon Gl-1, and the Panasonic AG-DVC30 (my recomendation for it's film like gamma and ability to shoot 30p) will run you $1500-1800 new and are as pro as your going to get with out forking out the extra money for a DVX-100 (true 24p).
you might find a decent used camera in your price range but be careful buying any camera used.
Make sure you have enough money to spend on a good tripod (at least $300) and a decent shotgun mike and pole (another couple hundred). Good sound is every bit as important as image quality.
And Deadguy before you ask any more questions do some research on your own and maybe ask about specific cameras.
Re: camera suggestions?
I'm going to say that you need to save up some more and get the panasonic DVX-100. I own one and it's a great camera. The only thing that sucks about it as there is not that many different lenses available for it.
Quote:hey gay isn't there a multiadapter for this type of camera?
Not sure. I know the Cannon 24p camera has an assortment of lenses you can buy. The Panasonic, not so many. I do believe that the Panasonic is a better camera than the Canon as I think the Panasonic has a better picture.
Re: camera suggestions?
Deadguy I took the time to write you a good reply and come back talking about GX500? What the fuck is that? There's no such camera. Don't you have enough respect for us to at least google the camera you ask about and look at it before even bringing it up?
And the multi adapter question? What the fuck are you talking about? A 35mm lens adapter? That would cost at least 1000 dollars before you by the lens($400 to $40,000) to stick on the $3400 dollar camera. Besides I doubt you know the diffence between a zoom lens and widescreen lens.
This why I get this frusterated trying to help you. It took me 20 minutes of looking up prices and shit to be helpful then you bring up something like a GX500?
Re: camera suggestions?
Deadguy before you post again.....do this for me. Post links to THREE cameras that are within your price range and have at least 3 of the 4 features I recommended.
Do that and I'll tell you the pro's and con's and help you pick the right cameras. OK?
Re: camera suggestions?
it was the gs500 sorry josh. oh and josh were the camera's you recommended in cad pricing? canadian funds? would you reccomend a dv cam with a harddrive, they seem to be the thing now.
Re: camera suggestions?
GOOD JOB!!!! Thanks now we're getting somewhere. I'm talking American dollars here.
The harddrive cameras in your price range all record Shitty looking MPEG 2 not mini-DV(better quality). You don't want those because they have bad pictures.
Out of those cameras I'd say the 2nd one, the HDV one would be best. But it costs as TWICE as much as the other two cameras.
The other two links are too camera that are just under a $1000. They both have 3 chips (although they are 1/6 inch, lower quality) and this is the best cam your gonna get for under a grand. If that's all your going to spend go for those.
If you have $1500-$1800 US to spend you can get A better camera than the Sony HDV camera (2nd link). You'll get a good picture with it with a lot of resolution but it is going to look very much like video. If your gonna spend $1500+ there are few other camera you might want to consider.
Josh, I have a quick question. Let's say you make a movie and you shoot it on a 3 chip camera but 1/6 of an inch chips. When you put that movie on DVD and you play it on a bigger screen TV, will the image be more likely to look "digitized" as in the image becomes blocky?
Re: camera suggestions?
hey josh when i was around 24 i actually saw the sony VX2000 i think it was, it was 2599.99 canadian at the time and almost got it since the,sales guy said that all inde users loved it. and that's like 2yrs ago.it had hdr on it also, 3 chips 24p. you must of read my mind back then. why is dvd cam bad? do they have some clarity issues? i was thinking couple months ago about getting one since they were the new thing and also, since mini dv is very hard to come by in most tech shops i frequent.
If you ever see me getting beaten by the police, put down the video camera and come help me!
Re: camera suggestions?
GSK - The size of the chips doesn't have anything to do with actual video compression (those blocky things). That most likely came from a low bit rate DVD. Mpeg 2 compression (DVD compression) is most likely the culprit. Set the bit rate higher when making DVD's. If the camera is shooting to mini dv it won't be blocky no matter what because mini DV compression doesn't work in blocks. It samples every 4 pixels in a row the same color.(this is 4:1:1 color space). Dvd's as well as the HDV cameras that record onto mini dv tapes records 4 pixels with the same color, but the pixel are two on the top and two on the bottom (4:2:0 color space). This leads to blockiness.
mini dv color compression 4:1:1-
rrrrggggbbbb
dvd and HDV compression 4:2:0 -
rrggbb
rrggbb
DVCPROHD compression 4:2:2 -
rrggbb
uncompressed 4:4:4 -
rgb
The smaller the chips, the less light a camera has to resolve pictures, meaning low resolution pictures, more gain ect.
Deadguy - The Sony camera doesn't shoot 24p but it is a pretty good camera. DVD camera's pictures are gonna look like shit. Get a mini dv camera. Just trust me. A dvd camera sucks for making movies I don't care what model it is.
Re: camera suggestions?
What ever boom mike you can afford is gonna be good. I'd say the azden mike is the cheapest with good quality. I'm using the audio technick mike now. it's under $400. The sienheser mikes are the best.
That remote tripod it Bullshit. Get a tripod with a fluid head no matter what. The last link wasn't even a whole tripod it's just the sticks. You need a head ans sticks. Remember a fliud head on the tripod is a must.
Glad your looking at mics and tripods though. They are very needed.
Morbid - Don't bother with the sony HDV crap. It doesn't shoot real 24p so it's won't look very filmlike at all even though it might have better resolution. If your gonna spend under 4 grand get a Panasonic DVX or at least the JVC HDV model that has a real lens and real 24p. THat Son't looks like crap if you move the camera or have a fast moving subject in frame. Also it has that video-ish look.
If can pull together 8 grand get the Panasonic HVX 200 with a couple of P2 cards, some hard drives and a laptop. You'll get REAL HD not that Sony HDV crap. Trust me and free to email or call if you want to talk about it.
Getaugie Decaying Corpse
Posts: 135
(9/11/06 11:50 am) Reply
Re: camera suggestions?
The Sony is fine. I have used it on jobs and the results are spectacular, however there are some considerations to take into account before purchasing. First and foremost the camera is not progressive. So you have to deal with interlacing issues which can make your footage havea "video" feel. To get rid of that you will need to use a "smart" deinterlacing program like Magic Bullet or DVFilmmaker - both have large render times, but garner very very good progressive images. Magic Bullet is my pick of the interlace to progressive litter.
The thing about HDV is that it is compressing the image within an inch of it's life. you know, a 1080i pic onto a miniDV tape is hard to do. But, it has been my experience that the image is still pretty amazing. I used my Sony in conjunction with a Redrock adapter and 35mm lenses and I fooled a hollywood DP into thinking I shot 35. And that was with fast motion and panning - both things that in theory should not be good with HDV. Sony has also just announced a 1080p version of this camera to be released in the near future.
The Panasonic is also a fuggin kickass camera that is not HDV, which is a good thing. The caveat with that one is that the ccd's are small, only 960x540 and they use pixel doubling to get you into the HD image size which results in softer images with more noise than the other cams.
So, pick you poison. none of these cams are perfect. You ahve to decide which compromise you are willing to make.
I just upgraded to the JVC.
The only real solution seems to be the new Red cam from the guys at Oakley, but that is 17k without a lens. However it shoots over 4k - which is film res. The caveat there...you better have some GIGANTIC hard drives to store that info.
camera suggestions
how is the jvc hd100? that camera peaks my interest, as it's 24p and gives the options of interchangable lenses and lets you record simultaneously to tape and to an add-on hard drive, but everyone i've tried talking to about that camera knows very little or nothing about it.
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