If Money Were No Object?
 

If money were on object or you were to happen upon a camera fairy, what would the mini dv of choice be and why? And for the frosting on the cake, lets add in the recording set-up of your dreams and why.

My other half has informed me that I can start doing my x-mas shopping (seems she has a friend who does all of her shopping in Tokyo). I have looked at what Canon and Sony have to offer and it looks like Sony has the best selection hands down.

So I'm asking the experts here for their camera and recording set-up of choice and I would like to know WHY?

Thanks
Vance Van Patten

hmm.. Sony F350's 2 of em..

oh miniDV..

ok..
Canon A1 and a CanonXLH1 BODY ONLY with EF adapter and a canon 70-200 L IS USM 2.8 lens as the main camera. For more reach, id use the Canon 100-400 L IS USM f4.5, and for standard indoor and portraits, id use the 24-105L IS USM.. people say this "level" of camersa dont have sufficient DoF (as in shallow) i say they dont know their cameras very well..

if these lenses are good enough to take 16mp pictures with, imagin what they can do with video... hmmmm...
the a1 would be the B Roll unit of course... but that in itself is a kick ass unit

I also wouldnt mind a HVX200, ONLY for the codec and frame rate options..

Id also get afew more Satchler reporter75 lights, a couple more tripods, another dolly, anotehr 2 g2 kits...

Sadly, i blew my yearly camera budget on a 5d with a pile of lenses and accessories which came to about $10k AUD...
in 6-8 months, when HD delivery is viable, more than likely HD cams will drop in price, i'll be shooting stills and video and maybe then id consider getting a couple of HD cams.. depedning on how peopel take to my style of photography. At the moment, i shoot models and fashin shows etc etc but for now, im not too phased about HD video, as there is no demand for it, let alone demand for native 16:9 which was the predominant reason i bought the Z1's..... total waste of money for weddings if youve already got good gear IMO..

Thanks for the input Peter, but what I am trying to ask about is digital camcorders that are used for weddings and events.

Sorry I wasn't specific enough :-)
Vance Van Patten

I think it's still to early to tell Vance.

Until the reports on the new canon's come out I'd sit tight for another month. The XL-H1 is the best of the current class, but you want to make sure that the A1 can run with it. The Sony offerings are usable. I don't recommend the Pani and JVC. JVC went cheap on their glass and that kills the entire package with that camera when you can't get a focused wide shot. Pani, P2? What are they thinking?

So I'd have to say that I'm leaning towards a canon workflow for the quality glass, same low-light as the others, and the fact that the XL and A1 should match images in post really closely.

Ben

ok then.. for today...

and for a camera only... no other bits and pieces..

Canon A1