What camera .... with a twist
 

I desperatly need some advice on buying a used good 3ccd camera. I am very new to the dv world as I have taken the jump from photography in the last year and intend on pursuing a career. I have been gifted a chance to shoot a mockumentary in Africa for my portfolio. I have been looking at sony vx1000, 2000 pd 150 or 170 (I wish) but my budget for a camera is only $1,000 bucks so it is tough ebaying 24hrs a day. I am based in Italy and will be passing London on my way down. Are there any good secondhand semi pro cam shops in London? Any suggestions of other reliable models (doesn't have to be Sony. Bear in mind I have never used a pro cam(I learn fast) so it doesn't have to be that heavy duty, just with manual settings and xlr input. Thanks

Manual settings and xlr under 1000dollar?? Well I wish you good luck in your search, you will need it. You might find a vx1000 for that amount but in what condition will it be? Your camera also has to be reliable and if it breaks down in Africa, do you have a backup cam?
Have you ever worked with a videocamera before?? It seems a very big risk taking an assignment like this, getting your cam on the way to it and learning to use it as you move along.

Welcome to DVinfo Amos. You might look for a used Sony PDX-10. It has XLR mike inputs, manual controls and also shoots high quality 16:9 (which the cameras you mentioned don't do very well). It has been discontinued, but was sort of like the "little brother" of the Sony PD-170. Recently I saw one sell here for $1,100.

You can visit our forum to learn more about the camera: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?f=43

I got an xl1s off ebay for $1200 about 7 months ago in great shape.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CANON-XL1S-XL1-S...QQcmdZViewItem

The PDX-10 continues to be a great little camera where light isn't a problem. I'm still using mine and won't sell it. In a few years, the secondhand A1 market will eclipse it, but right now the PDX-10 is a bargain.

The main thing is that it shoots great SD 16:9 - and widescreen is a "sine qua non" in Europe - and, I guess, beyond if upscaling to HD is allowed.*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sine_qua_non

XL1s and VX2100s are all 4:3 and for any footage that needs to live on for a few years, 4:3 is a bit of a blot.


* I did an HDV/AIC shoot a while back, with B-roll vox pops from a PDX-10. The vox pops were scaled up to HD with some grading and a little sharpening and secret sauce treatment. To my frustration, most viewers didn't notice the drop in quality of the PDX-10 footage at SD. A lot didn't at 720p.