I am about to start shooting a feature length documentary in October, and I have a budget of around $3500 for the camera. I need a camera that I can shoot hundreds of hours of footage on. I was thinking of the HVX200a (w/ 2 x 64gb P2 cards), the HX-A1, or maybe even the 5D Mark III, but I worry about separate audio, overheating, recording time limit, aliasing / moiré, as well as not having some of the automatic features the other cameras have (auto focus, exposure, etc).

The doc will be shot 100% verite with no formal interviews, so auto focus and auto white balance is important (going from outdoors to indoors etc). I will be shooting in every lighting situation (indoors, outdoors, low light, full daylight, etc) and I need a good run and gun camera with nice resolution, and a flat image that responds well to color correction.

Any suggestions?

What about this?

Panasonic AG-HPX170 P2HD Solid-State Camcorder AGHPX170PJ B&H

Or this?
Panasonic AG-AC130A AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder AG-AC130APJ B&H

Too many options!
Panasonic AG-AC160 AVCCAM HD Handheld Camcorder AGAC160PJ B&H

Oliver -
I'm currently using the Panasonic AC130 (bought it at a lower price before the 'A' model came out) for much the same purpose - and I think it's decent for that. Not great, but decent. I tend to use manual focus (occasionally using the momentary push to autofocus button) so I really cannot comment on the effectiveness of full auto focus on this camera - but many users have complained about it being slow and often 'searching' for focus.

I do not find the AVCHD codec well-suited to color correction/grading, but I have been able to dial in the in-camera settings (which are pretty extensive) to give me the overall look I want straight out of the camera. For me, the price point & SD card recording are worth the trade-offs.

The biggest problem this camera presents for me in true run & gun situations, is the ergonomics... mainly tied to the viewfinder placement at the back of the camera. I have ended up adding a Zacuto EVF to the rig (though I'm still trying to find just the 'right' mount for it). And while the weight balance is not going to be a nice 50/50 without adding a real shoulder mount with counterweight, I find the camera pretty comfortably rest on my shoulder and brings the external EVF in a good spot. This of course added $1300 or so to the total price, but again I'm OK with the trade-offs considering the overall performance & feature set at this price point.

The camera makes nice images and for run & gun the 22x zoom lens really fits the bill. That in combination with the OIS generally makes very steady hand-held shooting possible & the camera overall really flexible. It excels in low-light for a smaller sensor camera too.

It is a much larger camera than most 'palmcorder' designs - and that may not be evident in photos of it. This can either be a benefit or liability depending on what type of documentary material you're capturing.

I am about to start shooting a feature length documentary in October, and I have a budget of around $3500 for the camera.

How about 2 cameras: a Panasonic GH2 for artistic and indoor low light along with a Panasonic HMC80 for shoulder mount run and gun?

Hi Dave

I think auto was mentioned here at the beginning and the AC-160 and AC-130 are really hopeless in full auto!! The AF hunts and drifts and the autoiris has such a tiny range it's unusable in auto. I bought two and sold them after 100 hours use and went back to HMC82's (PAL version over here) I previously had them and they are a brilliant (and cheap) run 'n gun camera!! Full auto works in almost every situation..It just needs a Rode Videmic on the coldshoe (I have one on each camera) and a decent on-camera light and you have every situation covered!!!

I do have a hacked GH1 for low light but, really, I'm not thrilled about using it, I'm happier using a proper camera and a light. If you need less physical size and weight then get an HMC40 and grab an XLR module to bring the audio up to spec!!

Chris

Thanks for the help guys. I'm going to mount whatever I get on a red rock shoulder rig with a follow focus.

I have been doing a ton of research and actually am now seriously considering spending the extra money and getting the Sony EX1R -
Sony PMW-EX1R XDCAM EX Full HD Camcorder PMW-EX1R/3 B&H Photo


Thoughts?