Thanks for the info, guys :)

Dvc30!
 

Get the DVC30 it's a steal at the price right now!

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

And there is a $200 rebate from Panasonic.

I use both the DVC7 and DVC 30 at uni. While the DVC30 is smaller (looks like an oversized palmcorder), I reckon its much nicer both ergonomically and functionally to use than the DVC7. The design of the DVC7 is actually very unergonomic IMO, but thats prob just to do with the shape of my head/shoulders?!

The HC1 is a fun little camera which can take decent HD/SD video and pretty good still photos; other than not looking very imposing it's arguably a good choice in your price range. Otherwise the Canon GL2 might be worth a look, or a used Sony VX2000.

Fishing Show Camera
 

I have a friend who is looking for a smaller camera that has enough capability to capture footage that will be aired nationally. It would also need the ability to have a wireless mic set-up on it.

Any recommendations?

Also, can anyone recommend a wireless mic set-up and brand? What would you need for a camera like this?

Mike how much time do you have? I use both an FX1 and a Z1, a Sony wireless lav(s) only because the batteries last all day, an Audio Technica shotgun with a "dead cat" windscreen. Toss in a tripod, a Kenyon Labs stabilizer, Merlin Steadicam, and a few parts I know I'm missing and you got the gear you need.

Jim

Advice on which camcorder to purchase
 

Hi everyone,
I'm pretty new to this forum, and I have a few questions for you. I work for a glass school doing multiple things, but most relevant, I spent the past winter starting to digitize their immense (over 1000 tapes) video collection into a digital format. All the masters are currently Hi8 tapes. Every year the collection grows by around 36 or so tapes.

I have separated the tapes into separate clips and compressed them to Mpeg-4 format and they are stored on a local server and are searchable through an xml-based database I set wrote in flash.

So now to get to the point, the school is looking to purchase 1 or 2 new camcorders for future use, as their current ones are getting a bit beat up now. They are quite old. So I am writing to ask for advice as you all will know much better than I what would be best. Any direction would be helpful. The budget is likely around $2000 for 2 camcorders, however, I could propose spending more if you think it would be worthwhile.

Things that should effect the decision are ease of use (Not everyone who uses the cameras would necessarily be well-versed in video-camera use), as well as battery life (They would need to be able to go to different parts on campus). Obviously the better the quality of the footage, the better it will be as there is potential for using some footage in promotional materials. I imagine 3-CCD would be the best bet and in the price range. Would it be worthwhile going for HDV?

Also, as the footage will eventually be fully digitized and stored on hard drives, speed of encoding and transfer may be a factor.

Again, any help, advice, direction you can give to me will be much appreciated.

thanks very much,
iLan

Sony A1 is their proline HDV, that can shoot in both HDV and Standard Definition. You can purchase it at B&H Photo for about $2,000 after rebate. That's only for one camera. It is a single chip HDV camera, but has been well accepted, and if your people are still using Hi8, they will be astounded at the quality.

If you are staying in the SD DV level (non HDV), but want to stay in 3 chip, Panasonic GS 400 can be bought for under $1,000 apiece. I don't think Sony is offering anything in 3 chip under $1 k at this point.

The Sony DCRTRV950 is a single chip camera you might want to consider for around $ 1,000.

The Canon GL2's are great 3 chippers but run somewhere around the A1.

The Sony VX2100 is a great 3 chipper, and will handle all the needs you have indicated, but again, this is getting in to the 2k and above price range for each.

These are one I am most familiar with, but I have no doubt others will be recommended by other members.

Thanks for your input.

I will look into those cameras.

I do have another question. Would someone be able to explain the benefits of a 3-chip camera over a 1-chip camera to me? Is the difference very noticeable?

Also, are HDV tapes quite a bit more expensive? Going through 36 or so in a year, that can add up as well.


Thanks very much,
iLan

Three Chippers will give a fuller richer color, and more resolution, over a single chip camera. Essentially, there is more information for the encoder to work with to provide the ultimate picture.

As to tape, Sony HDV uses the same tape as DV cameras, so there isn't much difference. There are those that by the specially labled HDV tapes, for a lot more, and you will find a lot of people swearing by that. So your tapes would run from $4.00 to $20.00 depending on who you want to believe. I have a Sony FX1 HDV, and I have used $4.00 tapes without having drop outs. One important thing that seems to be a common theme on the tapes issues is to try to use the same tape. Different manufacturers have dry or wet lubricants, and combining the two can create dirty heads. There are head cleaning tapes, but the less you use those, the better.

Entry level pro camera setup
 

I've lined up some good paying jobs for videoing seminars for local access tv and some dance recitals and i was thinking of getting a shoulder eng pro camera with 1/2 chip and dvcam capability. I was told that you get far fewer dropouts and better image quality with dvcam and if you want to be taken seriously you have to be at least be using that format.

Can anyone give me advice for a good entry level eng camera in $5,000-8,000 range? Am I making a bad decision putting money into a SD camera with HD entering the market? Right now none of my type of clients want HD but with such a larger purchase I'm thinking of the future (5 yr time frame).

Hi Pete,

There are a couple of shoulder mounted Sony cameras that would fit into that budget and shoot DVCAM format. You DO run less risk of dropout with DVCAM and you do get locked audio with DVCAM. However, you DO NOT get better image quality because DVCAM is the same as mini-DV in that it is compressed 5:1 and has 4:1:1 chroma sampling. The other advantage to DVCAM if the camera supports it would be to use the full size DVCAM tapes.

-gb-

In that price range, you have the Canon XL2, the JVC HD100, and a few other miniDV and HDV cams. Sony also has a few ENG cams in that range, but i really know nothing about them. Check out what B&H has
www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=search&Q=&a=228_1434&mnp=0.0&mxp=0.0&shs=&ci=1881&ac=&Submit.x=9&Submit.y=12&Submit=Go"

I looked on B&H and found a Sony DSR-400L $7,500

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation

Greg: so ur saying the tape wouldn't make a difference but I'd assume with the bigger chip and better lense DVcam tape wouldn't limit image quality

Keith: I don't want mini-DVcam because the length of the tape is too short in that mode, I've also heard that DV full size tapes are better.

Shoot HD, edit HD, then scale to SD. IMHO spending money on SD cams right now is short-sighted. A bit like when people bought new VHS players -even though thier local Blockbuster had 2 newly expanded wall racks of DVDs. Can you see the writing on the wall? Aquisition in SD is almost DEAD.

I'm a wedding videographer and for the first time last week a bride, without any prompting, asked me about high definition. I almost fell off my chair. I meet with 40-50 per year and last week was the first time it ever happened. Times are a changin'.

I think your 5 year time frame is too long. As some other people have mentioned in other threads...

in the 1/2 inch chip arena you have a few choices-JVC5100 (doesn't shoot DVCAM) - I've shot a lot of spot news with it and have never had problem with DV over DVCAM- 1/2" a good Canon 19X7 the VP-F116 viewfinder and you're good to go. Otherwise Sony had the DSR300,370 and 390 series which are no longer in production but can be found used-they're great cameras that shot DVCAM-have no LCD and few auto functions but are as solid as they come. You should be able to find a DSR3XX well within the price range you're thinking about. BTW, the JVC5100 also falls in the price range.

The Canon XLXX, JVC HD100 are 1/3" chips and the DSR400 is 2/3" chips as is the 450.
I disagree that SD is dead yet but that's just my opinion-TV stations still use BetaSP for the majority of their stuff.

HTHs
Don

Alrighty, so I have talked to some of the people in charge and have some more details about the budget and needs.

The budget is actually $3,000.

Also, the reason for 2 cameras is a bit different. They have 2 cameras so one can be in the field recording, while the other one is in the library creating VHS copies. So essentially, the 2nd camera does not necessarily need to be as good. It just needs to be able to create copies so we can keep the masters separate.

So I am pretty new to HD and have a few more questions about that. If the videos are recorded onto a HDV tape, can those be transfered to a regular tape without an HD camera? Or is an HD camera necessary for that transfer? Also, what format should the HD footage be on for viewing? Can you store HD footage on a VHS tape or a DVD? Or does that need something special(other than an HD TV)?

And finally, would you consider a 1 chip HDV camera or a 3-chip DV camera better suited for this purpose? These would be recording generally in less than ideal conditions (Especially where lighting is concerned) by less than ideal videographers.

I was thinking that buying a high quality either 1-chip HD camera or a 3-chip DV camera along with a cheaper camera to keep in the library for transferring to tapes/DVD's would be the most cost effective as opposed to buying two of the same cameras.

Again, any advice/direction is greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much,
iLan

Is the 2nd camera strictly for making copies and will never be used for shooting? If so, why not get one of the JVC combo decks - SR-VS30U - that has both VHS and DV and allows dubbing back and forth between the two. You'll get more flexibility, better quality, and lower overall cost than using a camera and VHS deck. Here's a link ... http://jvc.ca/jvcpro//product-detail...model=SR-VS30U

Ilan,

You didn't comment on how much editing is done. If you really want to take a different route, shoot with Sanyo HD1. It records standard definition or high definition directly to SD card in MP4 (H263 variety). Performance is marginal in low light, and HD performance is barely high definition (it's 720p, but not particilarly good 720p).

If you don't do editing, but simply encode to MP4 for server, this might be a much simpler approach. Use 4GB cards over, but copy MP4 files to DVDs for backup. Transfer of files to server could be done much faster than real time with $20 USB2.0 card reader.

This camera is basically a consumer product, and MSRP is $800, but I was intrigued with the idea that MP4 origination could save you considerable work. At least I may have caused you to think in a different arena. The HD1 is thoroughly discussed under HDV acquisition in this forum. There are quite a few sample clips too.

Good luck!

Thanks for the input David,
As for editing, it's currently pretty minimal. To the extent that all I'm doing is separating if there are multiple clips on one tape.


You bring up a really good point, and I wish I could make use of that very time-saving process. My only reservations with that, is then the footage will always be mp4 at best. And there is a chance this footage may be used later for some sort of promotional materials. I'd hate to limit the quality and editing capabilities by going direct to mp4, even though that would cut MY time down QUITE considerably - Almost in half!

After looking at a lot of different models and reviews, I've been thinking less along the lines of HD and more along the lines of a good CCD DV camera. I think that the HD cameras would need a slightly higher budget to make them worthwhile.

I've been thinking strongly about the VX2100. I especially like it's ability to film well (relatively speaking) under low-light conditions. I was thinking about buying 1 VX2100 and then one cheaper miniDV camera that could stay in the library for transferring the footage onto VHS tapes. However, it would be nice if all the cameras could have interchangeable batteries. However if the one camera never leaves the library, I suppose it would just be plugged in and not use batteries anyways.

Thanks to everyone for the help and ideas thusfar. You have been very helpful for me.

When you said you were making VHS copies I thought you were taking an archive of old VHS tapes and updating it by copying them over to miniDV in order to have the safety of storing in a digital format instead of analog. Copies of copies in an analog format like VHS will always show signifigant generational deterioration that you can avoid by archiving in a digital format such as miniDV.

But here you've said you're making VHS tapes. Is there some reason you have to go to VHS? It's both obsolete and so much lower quality than mniDV that it doesn't seem logical to use it for your archival format unless there is some compelling reason to do so. If you're copying for distribution, again, why VHS when a basic consumer DVD player is less than $50 and you can issue either DVD or VCD at a per disk cost far less than the price of a VHS cassette.

The JVC combo deck I mentioned before can dub miniDV to VHS or the reverse without the need for any external equipment and IMHO is likely to be more resistant to the effects of wear-and-tear over extended use than using a cheap consumer camera for that purpose. It can also ingest DV into your editing computer and record the edited program back to DV as well, plus if you have to distribute on VHS you could then use it to dub the edited DV tape over..

HD would need a considerably higher budget. If you record in HDV you need to playback on an HD capable device, either another HD camera or an HD capable VTR. An SD only playback device would not play the HD tapes, so to use one as your library device you would have to downrez in the camera as you shoot and record the original tapes in SD format. Not that I'm opposed to HD - if you're looking for optimum image quality even while distributing in SD, shooting and editing HD and rendering to SD in the final stage of editing gives lovely images. But it does come with a higher price tag.

I shall clarify. Let me preface this by saying, "No, it doesn't necessarily make the most sense to do it this way." But unfortunately, this is how they want it done for the time being.

First, the VHS tapes are not for archiving purposes. All the master MiniDV tapes will remain as the masters. They will be stored away in a safe place where they will be minimally played. However, the footage should still be accessible to the students. That's where the VHS tapes come in. The footage all gets transferred to a VHS tape and then that VHS copy gets shelved in the library, while the MiniDV master gets put away in the storage area. One of my reasons for reservations about purchasing the MiniDV-to-VHS combo deck is that I'm hoping they will start burning DVD's of the videos instead of copying to VHS tapes. Mostly for space efficiency, as the tapes take up a lot of room in the library.

I've been doing a lot of reading of reviews and the like on some equipment, and I've come up with what I think seems like the best equipment for the job given the budget.

Let me also preface this by saying the people that are in charge are very very pro-sony, so buying sony equipment will save me a lot of headache. They also almost require buying equipment "new" and with a warranty, which is understandable.

I think the VX2100 is the best camera for the job, given its excellent rating under low-light conditions. It seems to be a pretty strong camera in all aspects.

I also can get a DCR-HC32 camera, which is essentially the cheapest miniDV camera that sony makes to act as the transfer deck.

I can get both cameras with 4 year-warranties on each one along with 2 extra batteries for the VX2100 for just under $3000 from B & H. That seems like it would work the best for us to me...


Do you think that is the best combination of equipment?

iLan

So a quick question about using the HC32 as a transfer deck. If I was to shoot footage on a VX2100, and then use the HC32 to transfer that footage to a computer, would I be losing quality in the transfer by using such a low-end model to transfer? As opposed to transferring with the VX2100?

Thanks,
iLan

No quality loss - your approach makes good sense to me. Make DVDs for the students. Loan 'em a $29 DVD player if you have to!

One other thought - make sure you use SP mode on DV tape. Interchange becomes less reliable in LP.

Dv / Hdv
 

DV full size tapes are not inherently better but the camcorders made to shoot with them (DVC200, JVC DV5000 & 5100) were. Now comes the issue of choosing HDV which I do recommend (either than or P2) so you will have high definition contact now and down convert if necessary.

Beta SP?
 

I don't think it's dead but it's headed that way as far as acquisition. Beta SP is used now primarily for distribution as a common standard all broadcasters still have.

What camera for Hunting/Fishing Show?
 

I have been asked to post this question to this forum for a friend. He is getting ready to purchase a camera for use in the filming of a public access hunting and fishing show. Lets, keep in mind that this is a low budget production, with high quality goals:) Now, I know that this is up in the air, because most of it is based on opinion and personal preference. can we get some opnions-pros, cons, etc.

Thanks,

Gene

Gene...

Our show uses two Sony PD170's and a PD150. Occasional shots are also done with a PDX10 (underwater). The DVCam format, with its wider track pitch, tolerates outdoor conditions very well.

I was using a Canon XL1s and really liked the manual controls more than the manual controls of the PD170. But I found the tape drive on the XL1s a bit too sensitive to humidity.

For fishing you'll definitely need a wide lens. For hunting you'll need the ability to reach out.

Get a weather cover for the camera. Something that will cover the camera and whatever accessories you have mounted on it. And shop carefully: A cover that's too inconvenient to put on in the field is likely to not be there when you need it.

Also consider microphones to capture people talking. Without production audio and dialogue, it's all pretty boring. I'm using a pair of ATW-101 diversity wireless units which have performed perfectly so far.

And get good wind protection for the lav mics as well as the on-camera mic.

Hey Mel

Im tempted to sell my DVC30 with XLR adapter..it has less than 50 hrs right now. I have not decided yet. My DVC30 does not match the colors in my DVX100. It is a good camera especially in low light. It has great colors too sometimes even better than my DVX but I would like to shoot my upcoming wedding in 24p so I need the other camera to be capable of shooting 24p as well.

I will send you an email as soon as I decide to sell it.

Hi Mel:

You can easily "dress-up" a small cam to make it look more professional. Here's a pic of my HC1:

http://i4.tinypic.com/103c10z.jpg%20

You should see it with the Sony 2x teleconverter on the front--even more impressive! When most people see "pro attachments" like lights and mics, even on a small cam, they are impressed--you look so much more serious.

Back when I shot weddings with my little Sony digital 8 cam, I dressed it up with accessories that I didn't even use--just to impress...and it worked!

I love my HC1. I think it's a great cam for the money. I use it for a backup to my FX1. It's a lot like an FX1 in a smaller package.

Good luck

Mel - I sent you an e-mail about video production in the Albany area - Hope to hear from you

Inexpensive MiniDV camera
 

I'm looking for an entry level or slightly higher camcorder. Requirements are Mic in, miniDV, and possibly an accessory shoe (hot or cold). What are some good reccomendations?

Camera Recommendations <$1000
 

Hello everyone, I am looking for some recommendations and would really appreciate any advice.

I am really wanting to get into video production/short film making...more as a hobby, not a career.

I currently have an older Sony DCR-TRV20 MiniDV camcorder and its pretty nice and records decent video. But it is getting aged quite a bit and I would like to move up to a newer camera. I would like to stay somewhere in the $500-800 range, and really no more then $1000 if justified. I prefer MiniDV unless there is a better option...

Also, I would like to get a decent light meter to help with setting the white balance...thats what you use them for, right? :) So if anyone could recommend a few of those that are affordable, I would appreciate that also...

I do all my editing on my MacBook Pro with Final Cut Pro if that matters at all...

The Canon Optura 50 is a really good deal right now, you won't find anything new, that's much, much better until the US$1,300 range.

A light meter helps you set the correct exposure, it's related, but distinct, from setting the white balance. I use the Sekonic L-358 light meter.

Thanks Michael for the recommendation...I will look into this camera. Its only around $500 or so...not a bad deal!

Are there no other cameras anyone would recommend between this one and a $1300 camera? Which camera is it around $1300 that you are speaking of...and do you think its worth the extra investment? Thanks again!

I'll second the Optura 50. At only 400 bucks from B&H (free shipping too!) that leaves $600 for a good shotgun mic, a decent tripod and maybe even an extra lens and/or filters.

Not sure which $1300 cam Michael is referring to there, but it might be the Sony HC3 HDV camcorder. The only drawback on that cam is the lack of external mic input (and I don't count proprietary shoe interfaces).

Another option - if you can find one for under 1K - is a used Sony HC1. Very nice and lots of manual controls and a mic input.

www.philipwilliams.com

Sub $1500, Naitive 16:9 non HD Camera??
 

Does anything like this exist? Is the XL2 at double this budget my only option?

thanks.

-ptfigg. ny.

Since you're in New York, pay a visit to B&H Photo and see what you think of the PDX-10 which was recently discontinued but still in stock. It's a great little camera for the price, which is about $200 over your budget. But it looks like they have a demo or two in stock so maybe they'll make you a deal?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

Also visit our forum: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?f=43

If you're willing to give up some manual control and pro audio features then maybe the Sony HC1 or HC3 would be worth looking at, I think they're in your price range and you'd get HDV as a bonus. The A1 would give you some pro features but it costs around $2,000.

If you can get hold of one, Sony DSR-PDX10. 3-CCD, can record true 16:9 or 4:3.

There's a whole forum here dedicated to it...

I have one :-)

They show up new and used on ebay quite often for $1200 or so.

Thanks Guys,

I have a mint, and I mean hardly used XL1, which I will probably unload.

The PDX 10 is exactly what I am looking for.

-ptfigg. ny.