Camera purchase help... £4,000 - £5,000 at DVinfo.net
DV Info Net

Go Back   DV Info Net > High Definition Video Acquisition > General HD (720 / 1080) Acquisition
Register FAQ Today's Posts Buyer's Guides

General HD (720 / 1080) Acquisition
Topics about HD production.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old April 5th, 2011, 09:26 AM   #1
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Wales, UK
Posts: 25
Camera purchase help... £4,000 - £5,000

I'm in the market to buy a full HD camera. I work as a trainee camera operator for a TV production company. I use a Panasonic P2 HPX500.

I'm interested in taking on more freelance work.

The work I aim to produce on this is camera would be web based, exhibition and gallery content and corporate.

My budget is around £4,000 - £5,000, although I have been reading about the Canon XF105 (thoughts?)

My post workflow is in Final Cut Studio 3, using mostly FCP, Motion, Colour, Compressor and DVD Studio Pro.

I have a Canon 7D as a B camera, for the pretty/shallow stuff.

I'm looking at the Vinten Vision Blue sticks too...

Thanks in advance,
Richard Collins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 10th, 2011, 12:53 PM   #2
Major Player
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Madrid, Spain
Posts: 238
Re: Camera purchase help... £4,000 - £5,000

Think about fitting some mics, tripod and other accessories on you budget. AFAIK, the XF105 only makes sense if you expect to get another cam later, if not just get the XF100.

BR, Erik
Erik Norgaard is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 11th, 2011, 04:14 AM   #3
Trustee
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Cornsay Durham UK
Posts: 1,992
Re: Camera purchase help... £4,000 - £5,000

Check out the new panasonic HPX250 it is a full AVC Intra P2 camera in compact form factor.
__________________
Over 15 minutes in Broadcast Film and TV production: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1044352/
Gary Nattrass is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 12th, 2011, 03:03 AM   #4
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Wales, UK
Posts: 25
Re: Camera purchase help... £4,000 - £5,000

Gary, I have literally just been reading about this!

Seems like a great product.
Richard Collins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 12th, 2011, 03:05 AM   #5
Regular Crew
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Wales, UK
Posts: 25
Re: Camera purchase help... £4,000 - £5,000

Quote:
Originally Posted by Erik Norgaard View Post
Think about fitting some mics, tripod and other accessories on you budget. AFAIK, the XF105 only makes sense if you expect to get another cam later, if not just get the XF100.

BR, Erik
Good advice.

Could you recommend any tripods for the XF100 or Panasonic HPX250 size?
Richard Collins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old April 15th, 2011, 09:40 PM   #6
Major Player
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Madrid, Spain
Posts: 238
Re: Camera purchase help... £4,000 - £5,000

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Collins View Post
Could you recommend any tripods for the XF100 or Panasonic HPX250 size?
The XF100 is so light that almost any tripod will do. Manfrotto is a good brand and on their page you can see weight and max load of the different tripods. You buy tripod and head separately.

Even if the camera weighs only 1kg, you should get a tripod that suports 6-8kg: First, you have to add the weight of the head, second, a good trick is to stabilize the tripod further hanging your gear bag or some other dead weight on the tripod - there's actually a hook for that on many tripods.

The tripod needs to be more stable for video than for photography, I suppose that's why they use the double tube design for video tripods. I use a regular photo tripod. For height, you need to be able to film in eye height of the subject for head shots. remember that the head adds another 10cm.

As for the head, get a fluid head, the best you can get, the problem with the head is to get smooth pan and tilt. A bad head doesn't start to move smoothly but rather starts with a sudden shift and then goes into smooth motion.

If you do run'n'gun a monopod may be a good idea, weighs less, faster to set up than a tripod. Not as stable but allows a smother or faster movement and much more freedom. I discovered I needed a monopod when I tried to track monkeys in the canopy in Costa Rica, and later took a long hike with my tripod.

However, no need to get everything now, as you explore and learn you will discover things you need rather than stock up stuff you don't.

BR, Erik
Erik Norgaard is offline   Reply
Reply

DV Info Net refers all where-to-buy and where-to-rent questions exclusively to these trusted full line dealers and rental houses...

B&H Photo Video
(866) 521-7381
New York, NY USA

Scan Computers Int. Ltd.
+44 0871-472-4747
Bolton, Lancashire UK


DV Info Net also encourages you to support local businesses and buy from an authorized dealer in your neighborhood.
  You are here: DV Info Net > High Definition Video Acquisition > General HD (720 / 1080) Acquisition


 



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:35 AM.


DV Info Net -- Real Names, Real People, Real Info!
1998-2024 The Digital Video Information Network