The gigantic "which camera should I buy" thread!

[Peter Koruga]

I see a lot of good reasons that the FX-7 may fit my purpose. I am asking if you pro agree.

I know little to nothing about this stuff, I know business well and am interested in making videos. So I figure if I can make some money doing something fun then I will never have to "work" another day in my life.

What I am looking to do is start out by making videos, video ads, and short news segments for the internet. I would like to also if no immediate need graduate to doing these type of things for local TV. Filming both in a small studio (will be addressed later) and outdoors.

As for the small studio, I realize this is off topic but.... What is the smallest studio one could use to achieve some of the things mentioned above? I am going to be building a new building to house some of my other businesses this spring and would like to try and build a very small studio into it.

I currently have the Adobe CS3 Master Suite as I develop websites, this kit include all the video and audio software. Is this all of the software one would need to record a little news segment and edit it for both internet and TV?

I guess as I am sort of going in blind is there any other equipment that you guys would recommend to get rolling right away.

So I guess my questions are:

1.) Would the FX-7 be a good starter camera for my needs (fits my price range)?
2.) Is there a minimum size that one should think about for a small studio?
3.) Is the Adobe software CS3 Master Suite all I will need to edit and produce my videos?
4.) Is there any other equipment you would recommend to get going right away?

Again I apologize for my video ignorance but any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Ervin Farkas]

Peter,

no one will be able to make these decisions for you. Yes, the FX7 is good, and CS3 will edit all your video. Unfortunately though, there is a ton more that goes into a video business. Lighting, backgrounds, tripod, microphones, editing computer with adequate storage, etc, etc.

But most of all: KNOWLEDGE. Keep browsing, searching, reading on this forum and make sure you understand what you're getting into first! Providing video for a television station might prove to demand a lot of experience I am sure you will soon acquire.

Good luck,

[Gregory Scarcell]

I currently use an old (2003) Sony "Handycam" DCR-HC20 ($500 time of purchase). I want to move up to a "Pro-consumer Professional" HD camcorder and have been looking at the Canon line (+$2,500). I have read all of the specifications from the Canon web site.

I will be making film shorts (5-10 mins) indoor and out in all types of lighting and sound conditions. For now, interchangeable lens is not important to me, mostly because of cost AND I am just getting my feet wet.

Can you shed some of light on the MOST important features/things that I should consider/look for before making an expensive purchase? Any helpful suggestions are MUCH appreciated.

[Pavel Sedlak]

XH-A1s /HDV, HMC151E/AVCHD on SDHC, FX1000 / HDV (has no XLR), JVC GY-HM100U / QT with mpeg2 with long GOP like HDV (or older Z1, FX1 and XH-A1 or more expensive Z5 or HPX200 with P2).

What a nice group .-) .

[Peter Koruga]

Ervin

Thank you for the response. I agree that my biggest hurdle is learning more of the business. And as far as for television is concerned that is for way in the future I am sure. And I am talking about a tiny little area type station not a major one. I am more or less just looking to get a nice starter pack together so that I can start shooting which is what seems to be rule number one in learning SHOOT LOTS.

But anyways thanks again, and I will definatly continue to look around this forum, it has a wealth of information on this topic.

Thanks,

Peter

[Don Palomaki]

Important issues to consider:

The content of your business case/business plan.
Your budget!
What video formats do you need to deliver?
What capture and storage formats do you need?
The ability of the gear you are considering to perform adequately in your anticipated shooting situations.
What other video gear do you have or need to match.
The ergonomics of the gear (does it fit you and do you feel you will learn to use it effectively in an acceptable period of time).

Keep in mind that what works for someone else may not be a good match for your needs, and buying a capability or feature you never use may be a waste.

Read a lot, take all things you read with a grain of salt, and if you can, try before you buy.

[Rob Cook]

Gregory,
I agree with Don. Maybe Scott can help you out with a test drive. He is in your area and a DVinfo Supporter, give him a call.

Scott Cantrell
Sales Manager
Tapeworks Texas, Inc.
4930-B Dacoma
Houston, TX 77092
866.827.3489 Toll Free
713.688.3830 Direct Line
713.688.2509 Fax
tapeworksscott@sbcglobal.net
TapeWorks Texas

[Pete Bauer]

No need to point people to other web sites or rehash the common questions. Here's your starting point:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/open-dv-d...uy-thread.html
Lots of reading there.

[Gregory Scarcell]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Each reply was helpful.

[Philip Younger]

Are you set on a Canon?
We use a Canon XHG1 which I have always considered fine for what we do until last week! a colleague of mine and I were doing some 'messing about' shots - mainly because he wanted to play with his new toy the Panasonic AGHMC151 - wow! what a camera! it is way superior in just about everything as far as I could see from what we shot which was indoor/outdoor low/high light moving objects mixed lighting etc etc.

The clarity and sharpness and colour was superb with just the right amount of contrast (all tweakable in an easy menu system). We had to tweak the settings a little to improve on certain aspects but nothing more than we do on the XHG1.

It uses MPEG4 AVC/H.264 codec and completely tapeless recording onto SD card - a 16gbHD card will give about 90min on full HD progressive mode.

It sems to have everything the G1 has (including time code stamping) and a much smaller price and no tempramental transfer connections to your PC and you can burn direct to Blu-ray - I'm crying into my wallet :-)

[Ian Wood]

This is probably a very strange question. Should I be looking at a mkII or an XL2? I know nearly nothing at this point. I intend this to be a sole camera, specifically for the purpose of learning (and shooting shorts/features as a side effect). I have a nearly zero experience (at the moment I just point and shoot (it's not mine, and my friend wouldn't be happy with tinkering around in the menu to get manual controls) with a consumer HD camera, and I want something that I can use to learn about shooting. Workflow is insignificant to me at the moment since I'd have to adapt to either one. What i can see so far is:

mkII:
sexy DOF
no 24p, no full manual
stills would only be a bonus to me, so maybe this is a waste of resources?
I can borrow good SLR lenses for this.
I don't intend to do documentary or guerilla work so the discreteness doesn't yet seem to be an advantage to me.

XL2:
SD
I don't see myself getting a 35mm adapter for this anytime soon
more manual controls (I think)
Potentially cheaper because I can get it used, though I haven't seen any recently around here and they still go for 3K retail.
XLR
Looks big like a camera -> better impression on people I have to work with.

I'm not really sure about the big drawbacks to either system, though, and how easy it would be to deal with. Obviously for the sake of image quality and DOF the mkII wins but I'm not sure how great it would be as my only camera, given the limitations. The potential to get the XL2 used is appealing too.

I think the most important thing is that at this point I know nothing, and intend to begin my quest for knowledge with one of these cameras (technically I'm open to other suggestions too).

Many thanks.

[Daniel Browning]

Originally Posted by Ian Wood

Should I be looking at a mkII or an XL2?

I haven't shot an XL2, but I've been shooting similar Canon video cameras (e.g. XH-A1) for years, and I've been shooting video with the Canon 5D2 as soon as it came out.

Here are my thoughts on the matter:

Imagine a video camera where the manufacturer came up with every possible thing they could to design it wrong:

• Reads only one third of the sensor and ignores the rest.
• Worst ergonomics known to man
• No manual controls
• Applies heavy noise reduction if when NR is "disabled".
• Compression engine adds many artifacts despite a high bitrate.
• Worst aliasing artifacts (including moire) ever known to mankind.
• Moderately bad skew
• No control over the audio gain (noise pumping up and down).
• Shutter speed that changes when you zoom even if exposure is locked.
• Recording stops at 12 minutes for no good reason.
• Zero live video outputs (instead of the normal 2 or 3 simultaneous).
• Available lenses have poor focus ring throw, breathing, zoom rings, etc.
• No useful information during shooting (zebra, histogram, you name it).
• What little information is provided is false (indicated shutter is a lie).

Now, imagine that they did only *one* thing right: a large sensor.

Now, imagine another camera that is the exact opposite: all the mistakes that were made above are instead done correctly, but it has one flaw: a small sensor. That describes almost any other video camera, including the XL2.

That's what it comes down to. If you're willing to sacrifice *everything*, and I mean everything, for the big sensor, then the 5D2 is a good choice.

But if you care at all about the entire universe of other features (some would call them requirements), then the XL2 is better.

Sticking a beginner with the 5D2 would be cruel and unusual punishment, IMHO.

[Tom Hardwick]

Originally Posted by Ian Wood

Should I be looking at a mkII or an XL2?

Talk about chalk and cheese Daniel - you might as well ask us if you should buy a deTomaso Pantera or a Landrover Discovery. They'll both 'get you there' but in wildly different styles.

Daniel seals the coffin on the 5D2 for any aspiring filmmaker (though I thought the 5D2 only jettisons ¼ of the sensor area) mainly because of the fact that most of us here would say that the audio side makes up far more than half of the finished film.

Now if you'd said XL2 or XH-A1 we might be able to contrast and compare.

tom.

[Ian Wood]

So I suppose that seals it. But Tom, since you raised the question of the XL2 versus the XH-A1, I'm interested.

[Tom Hardwick]

I've just thought of another nail for the 5D2's coffin - you can't get a 20x f/1.6 zoom for it. Finding a 6x zoom is hard enough.

XL2 versus the XH-A1 Ian? Can I change that to XH-A1s vs the Sony Z5?