What camera would you take to Iraq? at DVinfo.net

Marco Leavitt · August 3rd, 2006, 10:00 AM

I have a good friend in the Army National Guard who is about to get deployed to Baghdad. He asked me advice on what camcorder he should get. He doesn't want to spend a whole lot, because he assumes it will be completely trashed by the time he gets home anyway. His top concern is reliability, and has been considering a solid state or hard drive based camcorder of some kind. I guess the sand just gets in everything over there. Any suggestions?

Saturnin Kondratiew · August 3rd, 2006, 10:14 AM

hmmm.... i'd opt for DVX100a/b/rain housing.

Marco Leavitt · August 3rd, 2006, 10:30 AM

Well, he really needs something close to pocket sized. Also, price is a big deal. I don't think he wants to spend over $400. Image quality is not a big factor here. He needs something very portable, cheap, and rugged.

Saturnin Kondratiew · August 3rd, 2006, 10:58 AM

ah, gocha... i'm not sure how DVD camreas are, but u can get a basic hand held minidv unit at best buy for 400-500bux. How they are in dusty situations, well, i'm sure they'd do their job, everything is made pretty well nowadays.

Tony Tibbetts · August 3rd, 2006, 11:17 AM

one of the small 1 chip miniDV Canon's would probably work. Although I'd imagine it could get pretty hot over there. I'm not sure which media handles heat better. The Panasonic GS300 or GS500 might be a good option.

Amit Sitapara · August 3rd, 2006, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Tibbetts

The Panasonic GS300 or GS500 might be a good option.

Deffinetly. Maybe even look in the lower range (Gs 300/500 are bigger than the ones im going to mention) such as the GS65, GS70 and GS120. You can pick those up off eBay for no more than $300. Excellent quality (I know you said quality doesn't matter), very easy to use and if he wants he could just get a couple 1gig SD cards and record onto those. These cameras easily fit into coat pockets as well.

Keith Loh · August 3rd, 2006, 03:51 PM

Marco, what is his purpose for the camera?

If he just wants to send home hi momma clips maybe a digital still camera with movie capability?

Marco Leavitt · August 4th, 2006, 02:13 PM

It's more than that. I think he's interested in documenting a pretty significant experience in his life. He's not making a documentary or anything. For better or for worse, this is going to be a once in a lifetime experience.

Chris Barcellos · August 6th, 2006, 03:54 PM

I have a Panny GS120. Its a three chipper, simple to use, and rugged.

Jeff Phelps · August 6th, 2006, 05:21 PM

I have a GS250. It's a very good camera IMO. But it's not as easy to carry in a pocket as some others around. The flash memory based cameras actually take pretty decent video and they will fit in a pocket easily. With the price of memory down as much as it is they could be a good choice for someone looking for a camera they can hide easily. I have some experience with a Panasonic D-SNAP. It shoots better video than a person might expect for a camera that is so small.

Mark Sasahara · August 7th, 2006, 08:33 AM

Whatever he gets, he'll want to get two, or three.

God bless him and protect him.

Bob Hart · August 7th, 2006, 08:59 AM

A camera which looks like a home enthusiast's handycam and does not look like a shoulder launched missile in silhouette on a dark night or in a split-second daytime glimpse during high intensity events is likely safest.

He will need to remember to deselect or black out the telltale lamps if using the thing at night and use the eyepiece not LCD screen at night which no doubt as a military serviceman he already knows.

An added bonus with a small cam, some of the passive intensified night-vision monoculars (Pyser SGI) can be ordered with a 37mm diam camcorder adaptor and relay optic which goes straight on. So he may be able to buy in a similar relay optic to match the in-field IR devices in use with the money he saves by buying the smaller cheaper camera. If it is available it will likely be in the US$400 ballpark.

The bigger cams need much more expensive and camera specific intensified IR hardware.

As much as I like my MiniDV tapes, I would favour the memory type recording media versus tapes or DVD disks, both of which are going to be vulnerable to physical damage excessive heat and dust after removal from their cameras.

Hard drives are good for dust because they are sealed but I am not to sure how much shock loading or heat they will take before failure. He may also not find handy facility in the field to offload the images to permanent storage from the hard drive when it is full.

I know very little about memory type recording media. If it has an internal battery memory, then the working life of this battery needs to be regarded as degraded to about 65% if operating in hot climate.

The cam is likely to need to be discreet, therefore very small because military authorities traditionally have not favoured happy snaps or home movies by the troops. It needs to be absolutely simple to operate in order it does not become a distraction to vigilence.

Last but not least, two clear or UV filters, one for spare, both to protect the lens.

Wish the guy good luck. He is going to a place I would not care to be.

Tony Macasaet · August 7th, 2006, 10:48 AM

We filmed a micro-budget documentary film on the Sony PC-1000. It performed quite well, holding up under moist, dirty conditions... slung around my neck exploring mountains, jungles and crowded markets. It's Mini-DV based, and very diminutive in size. Street price < $1000.

August 3rd, 2006, 10:00 AM	#1
Marco Leavitt Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Albany, NY 12210 Posts: 2,652	What camera would you take to Iraq? I have a good friend in the Army National Guard who is about to get deployed to Baghdad. He asked me advice on what camcorder he should get. He doesn't want to spend a whole lot, because he assumes it will be completely trashed by the time he gets home anyway. His top concern is reliability, and has been considering a solid state or hard drive based camcorder of some kind. I guess the sand just gets in everything over there. Any suggestions?

August 3rd, 2006, 10:14 AM	#2
Saturnin Kondratiew Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: vancouver Posts: 310	hmmm.... i'd opt for DVX100a/b/rain housing. __________________ My documentaries - http://www.asphaltjunkiez.com

August 3rd, 2006, 10:58 AM	#4
Saturnin Kondratiew Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: vancouver Posts: 310	ah, gocha... i'm not sure how DVD camreas are, but u can get a basic hand held minidv unit at best buy for 400-500bux. How they are in dusty situations, well, i'm sure they'd do their job, everything is made pretty well nowadays. __________________ My documentaries - http://www.asphaltjunkiez.com

August 3rd, 2006, 03:51 PM	#7
Keith Loh Air China Pilot Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 2,389	Marco, what is his purpose for the camera? If he just wants to send home hi momma clips maybe a digital still camera with movie capability? __________________ -- Visit http://www.KeithLoh.com \| stuff about living in Vancouver \| My Flickr photo gallery

August 6th, 2006, 03:54 PM	#9
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	I have a Panny GS120. Its a three chipper, simple to use, and rugged. __________________ Chris J. Barcellos

August 3rd, 2006, 10:30 AM	#3
Marco Leavitt Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Albany, NY 12210 Posts: 2,652	Well, he really needs something close to pocket sized. Also, price is a big deal. I don't think he wants to spend over $400. Image quality is not a big factor here. He needs something very portable, cheap, and rugged.

August 3rd, 2006, 11:17 AM	#5
Tony Tibbetts Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 385	one of the small 1 chip miniDV Canon's would probably work. Although I'd imagine it could get pretty hot over there. I'm not sure which media handles heat better. The Panasonic GS300 or GS500 might be a good option.

August 4th, 2006, 02:13 PM	#8
Marco Leavitt Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Albany, NY 12210 Posts: 2,652	It's more than that. I think he's interested in documenting a pretty significant experience in his life. He's not making a documentary or anything. For better or for worse, this is going to be a once in a lifetime experience.

August 6th, 2006, 05:21 PM	#10
Jeff Phelps Regular Crew Join Date: May 2006 Location: Franklin Furnace, Ohio Posts: 74	I have a GS250. It's a very good camera IMO. But it's not as easy to carry in a pocket as some others around. The flash memory based cameras actually take pretty decent video and they will fit in a pocket easily. With the price of memory down as much as it is they could be a good choice for someone looking for a camera they can hide easily. I have some experience with a Panasonic D-SNAP. It shoots better video than a person might expect for a camera that is so small.

August 7th, 2006, 08:33 AM	#11
Mark Sasahara Major Player Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: NYC Posts: 649	Whatever he gets, he'll want to get two, or three. God bless him and protect him. __________________ Mark Sasahara Director of Photography

August 7th, 2006, 08:59 AM	#12
Bob Hart Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PERTH. W.A. AUSTRALIA. Posts: 4,476	A camera which looks like a home enthusiast's handycam and does not look like a shoulder launched missile in silhouette on a dark night or in a split-second daytime glimpse during high intensity events is likely safest. He will need to remember to deselect or black out the telltale lamps if using the thing at night and use the eyepiece not LCD screen at night which no doubt as a military serviceman he already knows. An added bonus with a small cam, some of the passive intensified night-vision monoculars (Pyser SGI) can be ordered with a 37mm diam camcorder adaptor and relay optic which goes straight on. So he may be able to buy in a similar relay optic to match the in-field IR devices in use with the money he saves by buying the smaller cheaper camera. If it is available it will likely be in the US$400 ballpark. The bigger cams need much more expensive and camera specific intensified IR hardware. As much as I like my MiniDV tapes, I would favour the memory type recording media versus tapes or DVD disks, both of which are going to be vulnerable to physical damage excessive heat and dust after removal from their cameras. Hard drives are good for dust because they are sealed but I am not to sure how much shock loading or heat they will take before failure. He may also not find handy facility in the field to offload the images to permanent storage from the hard drive when it is full. I know very little about memory type recording media. If it has an internal battery memory, then the working life of this battery needs to be regarded as degraded to about 65% if operating in hot climate. The cam is likely to need to be discreet, therefore very small because military authorities traditionally have not favoured happy snaps or home movies by the troops. It needs to be absolutely simple to operate in order it does not become a distraction to vigilence. Last but not least, two clear or UV filters, one for spare, both to protect the lens. Wish the guy good luck. He is going to a place I would not care to be.

August 7th, 2006, 10:48 AM	#13
Tony Macasaet Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Viroqua, WI Posts: 49	We filmed a micro-budget documentary film on the Sony PC-1000. It performed quite well, holding up under moist, dirty conditions... slung around my neck exploring mountains, jungles and crowded markets. It's Mini-DV based, and very diminutive in size. Street price < $1000. __________________ ~Dr. Tony Macasaet http://www.macastat.com