Hello, ya'll...I'm the 'newbie' looking for advice
 

For the past year, I've been working with a pretty cool and simple to use 'streaming video' service that, I believe, has an enormous potential. (please tell me what you think) My paradigm as to what one could do with this suddenly expanded and I realized I was going to need a DV Camcorder to step up to the net level and beyond. I found myself overwhelmed by the number of choices out there. I ended up on this forum during my research (happily). I am seeking professional guidance in the selection of the equipment required to do 'on-location' video shoots. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am also open to doing Joint Ventures with the right individuals.
Best Regards and Thanks in advance.....

Jim,

It really depends on your needs. Every cam has a different advantage. I couldnt get the link to work, but this is what ive come up with. Best cameras for live events/weddings/low light needs is the pd 170/vx2100. Best cameras for tv spots/commercails/low budget film making is the XL2/DVX100a(GL2 if on a budget). I would wait on the whole HDV trend, it sounds to good to be true at this point, we need more footage and feed back before we can determine if it can be used for pro applications. If your shooting tv spots/commercails/low budget film making your basic items would include- dv camcorder, soft light kit, mixer, mics, tripod/head, uv filter, editing software, computer, headphones. For live events/weddings/low light needs your basic items include- dv camcorder, tripod/head, uv filter, lanc controler, computer, editing software, wireless mics, onboard light, headphones. It really depends on your budget, but if you go to "saferseas" they have rigs pre configured to give you an idea of what to get.


John

Budget?

Thanks for your response, now there's an interesting question...what kind of budget would you recommend one have to 'get started' ? I'd like to be able to shoot and edit (I imagine) footage for infomercials to be used on the web. I've gotten conflicting info regarding required quality and how that affects streaming speeds. I imagine it's not as simple as picking up a $349 sale unit @ Fry's. Please pardon my ignorance on this.

A good 3ccd cam should be fine for your needs, and almost ANY cam is good to start out with, in terms of usability, but please give a definite and realistic budget range (numbers) so we aren't wasting our breath.
3CCD cams range from about a grand to....many thousands of dollars, of course.
Considering some of your comments, the range is going to be $1k-$3k.
Several models:

Panasonic GS400 (less than $1.8k)
Sony DSR PDX10 ($1.8K)
Panasonic AG DVC30 ($2.2K)
Sony DCR VX2100 ($2.3K)
Sony DSR PD170 ($2.9K)

I would think the the PDX10 would give you everything you need (image quality, audio capabilities, price, point-and-click simplicity).

Please remember that the cost on the actual camera is just the beginning.. you will need alot of more or less expensive acessories.. you'll probably have to spend more than you think..

Thanks, It usually seems to work out that way for most things.