Can someone recommend me a decent ccd or 3ccd that shoots similiar to the hv30 as far as image quality goes? I dont want to spend over $800 if I can avoid it. I dont expect it to be pro-sumer or anything. Just something that will allow good matchmoving tracks (CMOS are bad for matchmoving due to shutter speed).

Thanks!

Hairston

If you check around you can find an HV-30 or HV-20 for much less. Try eBay just check out the seller before you buy. The HV-20 and 30 are CMOS however, not CCD.

Shutter speed has nothing to do with anything here, although I think you may be referring to the rolling shutter used by CMOS cameras. Rolling shutter artifacts like "judder" or "jello-cam" can be reduced by knowing how to properly shoot. Matchmoving will be excruciatingly difficult if you have tons of jerky motion and whip pans- on a CMOS sensor or a CMOS sensor. With matchmoving, it's better to plan out your shots beforehand instead of just saying "ah, we'll worry about that in post!"

However, if you absolutely MUST have a CCD camera, I suggest looking for something on Craigslist or the Classified section here. Most new handycams are built with CMOS sensors because they're more sensitive, slightly less expensive, and more efficient with electricity than CCD imagers.

edit: Keep in mind that if CMOS based cameras were really that bad for motion tracking/matchmoving/etc. , the RED camera probably wouldn't be rising through the ranks as fast as it is.