Derek Craig
May 17th, 2013, 08:22 AM
Here is my situation. I video for the outdoor (i.e. hunting) industry. I do a lot of self film work or filming for youth hunting conditions. So there are a lot of times that I need to rely on a camera's auto controls as much as that pains me. But I am considering making the move to tapeless yet I need professional features like XLR, HDMI out, LAN-C, and manual control access. My video conditions are rarely controlled in terms of lighting and the subjects. My video conditions take into account dirt, dust, moisture, and extremely cold temperatures. I don't shoot weddings or staged scenes. At times I shoot my kid's events or do some volunteer video production work for my church, but I make due in those situations.
Most of my video production work ends up for myself and clients on the web. Some goes to DVD production as well. No broadcast TV major network stuff.
Here is my current equipment and how I utilize it. I mix footage from all which can be a color challenge, but I manage using the Adobe Production Premium Suite programs.
Canon XH-A1 (my primary camera) with XLR shotgun and wireless mics. The lack of HDMI out is killer though as I now like using my SmallHD AC7 monitor.
Canon HV30 (mainly a capture tape deck anymore)
Canon 7D DSLR with many lenses including L glass. I am running this more and more when filming for others but the lack of AF is a deal breaker for self film or youth situations where I cannot dedicate 100% of my time to the camera. Also hate the lack of XLR and LAN-C.
Canon G15. A GREAT 2nd angle and b-roll camera. This thing shoots incredible video considering this is a pocket sized photo camera.
GoPro Hero 2 with wifi ... 3rd and 4th angle stuff.
Kodak PlaySport ... 3rd and 4th angle stuff.
So I am considering ditching the XH-A1 and HV30 to go tapeless. I like the looks of the XA10 and soon to be XA20 even more. I like the XLR, LAN-C, and tapeless factors. I like the low light tests that I have seen. I think I like the in between form factor that falls between the tiny HV30 and the large (sometimes cumbersome XH-A1. I'm not sure I like the manual controls being menu based though. I've looked at the XF100 as well and it looks like a nice fit for me, but in looking at low light tests it looks like my XH-A1 will perform better.
Am I nuts for wanting to make such a move? I really like shooting on my DSLR and have considered the SL1 with the 2nd generation of Canon's AF, but it still has a long way to go, IMO. Plus my microphone set ups would have to change entirely. Not sure that I want to entirely ditch the video camera format either as my main unit.
I know everyone has to figure out what best fits their situation. But just looking for opinions. I wish I could get my hands on cameras to test and have thought about buying used ones on ebay just to mess with for a few weeks and re-sell if I don't like them. It is tough living in an area where Walmart has the best photo/video equipment at your disposal.
Thoughts?
Most of my video production work ends up for myself and clients on the web. Some goes to DVD production as well. No broadcast TV major network stuff.
Here is my current equipment and how I utilize it. I mix footage from all which can be a color challenge, but I manage using the Adobe Production Premium Suite programs.
Canon XH-A1 (my primary camera) with XLR shotgun and wireless mics. The lack of HDMI out is killer though as I now like using my SmallHD AC7 monitor.
Canon HV30 (mainly a capture tape deck anymore)
Canon 7D DSLR with many lenses including L glass. I am running this more and more when filming for others but the lack of AF is a deal breaker for self film or youth situations where I cannot dedicate 100% of my time to the camera. Also hate the lack of XLR and LAN-C.
Canon G15. A GREAT 2nd angle and b-roll camera. This thing shoots incredible video considering this is a pocket sized photo camera.
GoPro Hero 2 with wifi ... 3rd and 4th angle stuff.
Kodak PlaySport ... 3rd and 4th angle stuff.
So I am considering ditching the XH-A1 and HV30 to go tapeless. I like the looks of the XA10 and soon to be XA20 even more. I like the XLR, LAN-C, and tapeless factors. I like the low light tests that I have seen. I think I like the in between form factor that falls between the tiny HV30 and the large (sometimes cumbersome XH-A1. I'm not sure I like the manual controls being menu based though. I've looked at the XF100 as well and it looks like a nice fit for me, but in looking at low light tests it looks like my XH-A1 will perform better.
Am I nuts for wanting to make such a move? I really like shooting on my DSLR and have considered the SL1 with the 2nd generation of Canon's AF, but it still has a long way to go, IMO. Plus my microphone set ups would have to change entirely. Not sure that I want to entirely ditch the video camera format either as my main unit.
I know everyone has to figure out what best fits their situation. But just looking for opinions. I wish I could get my hands on cameras to test and have thought about buying used ones on ebay just to mess with for a few weeks and re-sell if I don't like them. It is tough living in an area where Walmart has the best photo/video equipment at your disposal.
Thoughts?