Near Broadcast quality prosumer Camera

Bill Pryor · August 25th, 2004, 02:36 PM

I didn't realize you just had $5K to spend. Regardless of what camera you get, you ought to get a deck for loading footage. That's a lot of wear and tear on the camera. Just because you can do something with a camera doesn't mean you should. I think it's fine for the casual user, but if you're doing serious work on a daily basis, I personally would get a deck.

And it is true that you can make good stuff with whatever you have to work with. Look at "The Celebration" that Vinterberg did with single chip TRV7s. But broadcast TV is a different animal.

And...I just re-read the original post and see that it's all about high school football for local sports. I guess when I first skimmed over the message, "broadcast" registered with me and not "high school sports." Local sports guys get all sorts of footage in from lots of different sources, so I'd say the XL1 (soon to be the XL2) would be very adequate, as would any of the other cameras mentioned. For shooting football, I think I'd go for the XL2, which will be out in a week or so, mainly because of the 20X lens. Shooting sports is one of those situations in which a longer lens is good. And, it's still wide enough for most things you would do.

Cory Moorehead · August 25th, 2004, 02:38 PM

Bill, can you link me to "The Celebration" video that was made with the TRV7's ?

Bill Pryor · August 25th, 2004, 02:48 PM

I don't have any specific links, but the film is available in VHS (not sure about DVD) from most artsy-craftsy video rental stores. You might check Amazon and imdb.com. Thomas Vinterberg is one of the Dogme95 guys, so you might check their web site too. It won awards all over the world when it was done. Keep in mind that they had a million dollar budget and a world class cinematographer and actors, as well as a totally cool script.

Cory Moorehead · August 25th, 2004, 02:53 PM

Thanks for the info, its appreciated. Ill be sure to check it out.

Mike Rehmus · August 25th, 2004, 06:24 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Bill Pryor : For broadcast work I wouldn't want to go with anything less than a 1/2" chip camera. The Panasonic DVC200 is a nice one and so is the JVC GY5000. They're both significantly cheaper than the Sony DSR300 (now the 370). Although the 370 is the best 1/2" chip camera made, in my opinion, it's also the most expensive.
-->>>

The 390 is the latest 300 series camera. Nice thing about it is it comes ready to hook into a studio setup with the CCU (optional of course). The 370 could also feed into a CCU but the 390 can see in the dark better than the PD 170 or VX-2100.

If you wanted an affordable JVC, the GY- DV550 (1/2" CCDs) has a miniDV transport and also has a port for a CCU. Good little camera, I bought one for the local college when we could no longer get the jvc KY27 cameras. It has a very nice DSP.

It is a significant advantage to have a camera control person running the aperature of the camera while the cameraperson only has to be concerned with zoom, focus and camera placement.

But even with the JVC, you are still talking about $12K by the time you cable it up and pay for the lens and CCU.

Guy over on the Canopus board just posted a 150 hour Sony DSR-300A with lens, batteries and charger for $5300. That unit has a firewire port.

I'd still rather go used pro 1/2" than new 1/3" for studio work.

August 25th, 2004, 06:24 PM	#35
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	<<<-- Originally posted by Bill Pryor : For broadcast work I wouldn't want to go with anything less than a 1/2" chip camera. The Panasonic DVC200 is a nice one and so is the JVC GY5000. They're both significantly cheaper than the Sony DSR300 (now the 370). Although the 370 is the best 1/2" chip camera made, in my opinion, it's also the most expensive. -->>> The 390 is the latest 300 series camera. Nice thing about it is it comes ready to hook into a studio setup with the CCU (optional of course). The 370 could also feed into a CCU but the 390 can see in the dark better than the PD 170 or VX-2100. If you wanted an affordable JVC, the GY- DV550 (1/2" CCDs) has a miniDV transport and also has a port for a CCU. Good little camera, I bought one for the local college when we could no longer get the jvc KY27 cameras. It has a very nice DSP. It is a significant advantage to have a camera control person running the aperature of the camera while the cameraperson only has to be concerned with zoom, focus and camera placement. But even with the JVC, you are still talking about $12K by the time you cable it up and pay for the lens and CCU. Guy over on the Canopus board just posted a 150 hour Sony DSR-300A with lens, batteries and charger for $5300. That unit has a firewire port. I'd still rather go used pro 1/2" than new 1/3" for studio work. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

August 25th, 2004, 02:36 PM	#31
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	I didn't realize you just had $5K to spend. Regardless of what camera you get, you ought to get a deck for loading footage. That's a lot of wear and tear on the camera. Just because you can do something with a camera doesn't mean you should. I think it's fine for the casual user, but if you're doing serious work on a daily basis, I personally would get a deck. And it is true that you can make good stuff with whatever you have to work with. Look at "The Celebration" that Vinterberg did with single chip TRV7s. But broadcast TV is a different animal. And...I just re-read the original post and see that it's all about high school football for local sports. I guess when I first skimmed over the message, "broadcast" registered with me and not "high school sports." Local sports guys get all sorts of footage in from lots of different sources, so I'd say the XL1 (soon to be the XL2) would be very adequate, as would any of the other cameras mentioned. For shooting football, I think I'd go for the XL2, which will be out in a week or so, mainly because of the 20X lens. Shooting sports is one of those situations in which a longer lens is good. And, it's still wide enough for most things you would do.

August 25th, 2004, 02:38 PM	#32
Cory Moorehead Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 148	Bill, can you link me to "The Celebration" video that was made with the TRV7's ?

August 25th, 2004, 02:48 PM	#33
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	I don't have any specific links, but the film is available in VHS (not sure about DVD) from most artsy-craftsy video rental stores. You might check Amazon and imdb.com. Thomas Vinterberg is one of the Dogme95 guys, so you might check their web site too. It won awards all over the world when it was done. Keep in mind that they had a million dollar budget and a world class cinematographer and actors, as well as a totally cool script.

August 25th, 2004, 02:53 PM	#34
Cory Moorehead Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 148	Thanks for the info, its appreciated. Ill be sure to check it out.