Rookie needs camera advice
 

I have been contemplating purchasing a Panasonic AJ-D200 from a friend who lives in another State. I've never used the AJ-D200 so I keep wondering if I should instead spend a little more and get one of the newer, smaller digital cameras like the ones featured in the "Spotlight on DV Cameras" section of this forum.

I change my mind every day on this subject and have this nagging feeling that I'll be buying older technology and I'm going to regret it. Plus, I use Vegas Video and since the camera doesn't have firewire, it may be a drawback when I capture video because I don't think it can do scene detection with analog input. Another drawback is the price of a tripod for this camera is going to be expensive because of it's weight.

On the plus side, It seems like the AJ-200 is a pretty solid camera and in excellent condition at a fairly reasonable price of $2,000.

I plan on using whatever camera I get a lot and have many projects already lined up through the next year. My current camera is an el cheapo Sony DV $400.00 camera which has served me well on a few projects but just doesn't cut it. Yes, I'm a rookie but since I started playing with video, I'm like totally obsessed and absolutely love it. If anyone's interested, my first project/corporate event is at http://www.magoomedia.com/media/SportsFest.wmv . It's 10 minutes long and about 38 mb. In retrospect I realize it's too long. Plus my camera didn't do well in the dimly lit night club part.

I'm new to this forum and hoping for any advice from those who are experienced in this camera purchase. Thanks !

Jim Quinlan
Clearwater, Florida

>a fairly reasonable price of $2,0000.<

You mean, $2,000.00?

Weeell....
Consider that the tripod isn't the only expensive accessory for it. Basicaly anything else you need to buy will cost your 3x-5x what a "normal" item would cost. Like for example, if it doesn't come with batteries, expect to pay an extra $1000 for a couple batteries and charger. Not kidding.

If it doesn't have firewire, you'll need a DVCPRO deck for digital transfer. I think they are around $2000. For the price you are spending, not having analogue capture is pointless.
Plus, if I'm correct, it has 1/3" CCD chips, the same as an XL1, PD150 and others, so it doesn't even have that as an advantage over newer prosumer cams.

If it was me, I would pass without any regrets.
You can get a brand new GL2 for a couple hundred bucks more.

You reinforced my gut feeling that I needed to change directions. The Panasonic DVX100 sounds like it may be a good choice.

Another reason is I really need a smaller camera. I've taken my current small Sony DV camera with me on backpacking trips and wading in the swamps (Everglades) where weight and battery life is a big factor. Unfortunately, humidity zapped my Sony just when I was about to get my best shot ever in the black lagoon in the Big Cypress Preserve.

Thanks for the reply ...

What $1K cam to get?
 

Hello,
I have read lots of threads on cams and I am still lost. I have one thousand to spend on a cam. Do I get the panny 3 chip, or is there a one chipper that does a better job? Thanks in advance.

If it were me, I'd find a used very good, low-hour Sony 900 and buy that.

Used is one way to go, like with a TRV900. or maybe a EX50U or older EX30U (comes with a docking station). For new in that price range there isn't anything really with good manual controls. Your cheapest option would be the PV-DV953, in way of a new prosumer cam.

There is a used GL1 for sale on this board for $1200. I like mine enough to recommend it.

I would suggest Canon Optura-20. I own this cam and I like it (except motor noice, little louder than other brand cams). It comes under $700. You can buy extra batt, SD card and wide angle lens for the remaining money. Try it in a store first.
If you use it to do real video work, consider a good mic for it.

Got to be an ELURA, I can't recommend this camera enough. it's got progressive scan the ability to hold a memory card still takes great video after using it to load lots of tapes. Canon Elura.

If you have the money, skip the 1-chip cameras. They just don't deliver, except in the most ideal situations, the image quality of the 3-chippers.

"If you have the money, skip the 1-chip cameras. They just don't deliver, except in the most ideal situations, the image quality of the 3-chippers."

Even the cheap Panasonic 3 chipper?

Well, as compared to their cheap 1-chipers, I suppose so.

If you go onto rec.video or rec.video.desktop, you will probably find someone there that has one and can report on the performance.

That said, I'm not certain that 'cheap' anything is much of a bargain but it does depend on what you want to do with the camera.

I use 3-chip cameras for work but carry a PC110 for vacation and as a backup camera. Cause in good light, it's pretty good. And certainly smaller than a PD150!

I have a SONY PC100 (same as 110 but without flash) and its a brilliant little camera. Its nice and small, and if you add on a High Grade wide angle and external mic - Sennheiser MKE300, its a great little camera. It produces great little results.

Sure, its not a 3chip, but you after cheap...so this is cheap, but not cheap and nasty...you cannot go worng with this camera. I even did a wedding using this camera and the set-up I said above and they were happy (not used for a Pro job) but they loved it to bits)

Its an excellent holiday cam as already mentioned...I have hiked it up on top of mountains and across deserts and alsorts...Great camera and has always came through for me!!!

And another thing, they have been used for broadcast. I know amongst others, MTV gave the stars some for backstage and road-trip footage. and the British version on Jackass (started before days of Jackass) have used the PC100 with MKE300 mic.

So It cannot be that bad!

I do use it for commercial work in five places:

1. When I'm out running with the police. A PD150 is way too big for these old bones to carry.

2. I use it as an camera behind and over the shoulder of the officant at weddings. Sometimes hidden in flowers, sometimes out in plain sight. I tell the bride to look at the LCD screen which is flipped forward and to center herself and the groom if they want some good pictures. For really close quarters, I have a Century wide angle (which is much better than the same brand on my PD150).

I find that frequently, in spite of wiring the groom and the officiant and sometimes a house sound feed, I go to the PC110 for some bit of the audio. I've also recorded a string quartet to it and the quartet said the sound was the best they'd ever recorded including some pro CDs in a studio. Guess it was the wedding occasion that influences them.

3. I do Model Engineering Exhibitions (you have a big one in London every year). I use a PD150 or DSR-300 as the main camera but then use the PC110 handheld to look into the nooks and crannies of the models. Upside down, sideways, it doesn't matter. I flip it in post.

4. At long events, like a Grad Night or other party, I'll put the camera on the monopod and hold it way up over the events or way low, upside down at ankle level.

5. When taping a band, I can get much more appealing shots than the tradional walk through the band when it's playing. Over the drummer, down at his feet, looking through the kick drum (clear drum heads) right over the keyboard, right at the level of the keyboard but between it and the musician. Well, you get the picture. I'm bored after 4-5 hours and start experimenting.

On top of it all, the megapixel still camera is just right to capture shots for the slipcover and labels.

Oh yeah, it was great on the cruise to Alaska last month.

Thanks everyone,

Would the PC100 have the same image quality as the TRV-38? Does the TRV-22 have the same image quality as the TRV-38? How about the Optura's? I think the effective video pixels are different. Thanks for all your help.

I look up both the PC110 and the TRV38, they both appear to use the same "engine" lens, CCD, etc. I used the TRV30, as a backup camera. The replacemtn model is the TRV50 I think one of these babies can be haad for less than $1000.

Camera choices choices choices!
 

I'm sorry if this question is brought up a lot but I'm really stuck here. I absolutely cannot decide between the Canon XL1s, Sony VX2000, and the Panasonic DVX-100. I am an amateur film student seeking a dependable camera for shooting movie after movie. Here are my arguments for each camera:

XL1s: I love the fact that this camera has been around a while and has so many Canon original and 3rd party accessories. I do not like the fact that these accessories are very expensive. I also like the fact that this camera sounds very sturdy and reliable. However I do not like that it has no LCD/and BW viewfinder. Also another minus is if i plan to transfer to film, it doesnt have 24P support.

VX2000: I have heard that this camera offers razor sharp images at a relatively inexpensive price. I have heard great things about this camera however I dont know if i'll need to swap lenses for any reason and i dont know of much 3rd party support. No 24p either...

DVX100: I have heard this camera also offers excellent quality and can be transferred to film easily, however i heard about some manual control flaws and zoom flaws as well.

I have researched these cameras to no end and cannot come to a conclusion. I do not have much hands on experience with cameras, so I'll need your advice on what kind of camera an amateur film-maker really needs. Renting is not an option at the moment unfortunately. I'd appreciate your input.

Welcome to the forum.

If your main thing to do is to do movie type productions, then out of them 3, the DVX100 is the camera to get. I guess it's 24p is a big selling point, but it also has built in color curves (cine gamma) and all that other stuff. The others are great cameras too, but are better for things like documentaries and news, etc etc...

About transfering to film, ask yourself if thats really a option in the near future?

Good luck.

transferring to film is probably not a likely option in the near future... I need a prosumer camera to learn on first.

Oh sorry, I misinterpreted what you said.

Anyway, it's probably the camera for you, but i'd suggest finding a place where you can try them all out first before you buy.

The good news is that you have a lot of choices. Just decide what your needs are, then decide which camera suits these needs best.

Personally I'd have to go with the pd150 before the vx2000. So if you decide on Sony you might be tempted to take a serious look at the differences in those two cameras vs. the real-world price difference in those two cams. With the introduction of the dvx100 Sony has been continually pressured to lower the price points on the vx2000 and the pd150 and I believe the street cost difference in those cams is becoming what I would call "negligible"... figure the cost of a Beachtek dxa6 to the price of the vx2000 before you calculate the actual price difference.

But that brings me to the real point here, and that is the reason that the dvx100 HAS put the squeeze on Sony and Canon's cams in that range. It's because the dvx100 is a darn good camera. Panny pulled out all the stops on this cam... as far as the zoom issue it won't be long before you can get a vz-rock or a manfrotto 522p to turn your zooms into magic... or if you have the cash you can get a dvx100 with a Zoe right now.

The Canon is appealing for a lot of reasons. I love almost everything about that camera... except the fact that the dvx100 is tormenting it right now... hence I personally went with the dvx.

Well you can save money by getting the VX2000 and spend money on things like feeding your crew, lights, a computer to edit on, paying off debts, etc. In my opinion, it gives pretty good images. Check out image grabs at http://tinyurl.com/hpio

Cameras even cheaper than the VX2000 have been used to make movies shown in theatres so you may not be missing out on that much. A lot of your success will depend on your stories, and you need a little bit of money to turn those into films so if you save some money you can make more films. Your production values should be good enough that they don't detract from the film, which the VX2000 doesn't do. The Panasonic of course has wider latitude, has cinegamma, and is better for film and DVD transfers. From what I hear, the Canon has a really sensitive auto-focus.

In terms of audio, you should get a beachtek adapter ($250canadian), a shotgun mic like the Sennheiser ME66/K6 ($380USD + shipping from B&H), a windshield if necessary (rycote softie is good), and a camera mount or a boom (which you can build). Being able to hear your actors clearly is a good thing. If you're adventurous, you could ADR everything but that uses up a lot of time. It's definitely possible nowadays, but it is time intensive and possibly not worth the money you save.

Need a new cheap camera canon dv
 

I have a ultura but would like to get one very similiar to it.That has mic input and headphone out, hotshoe for light ,at least 16 x zoom and firewire .Any close outs any where or anyone needing to get rid of one please give me a shout.

Contact me at sundogstudios@hotmail.com

Tony

What about the zr series any luck with those?

Perhaps look for a used Optura PI and settle with 12X zoom. The Optura 100MC is even a better cam.

I think your best bet is the Canon Optura 20. It has a 16x optical zoom, a large 3.5" flip-out LCD, the hotshoe, and it's well under $1000. Most all DV camcorders have FireWire. Hope this helps,

Maybe the same one will do ?

http://www.ezsystems.com/dcat.cgi?i=D173812251
(found this by googling)
O.

Thanks for the info.I do have an ultura but the power supply is dead .Canon wants $120 but might as well put it towards a new cam.
I would like to stay with the 1/3 or 1/4 chip cams with mic in /headphone and lcd and hotshoe and 16x . I'm checking the Opturas now thanks guys!!!!

Tony B

Chris anyway to go back a couple of threads and take my email address off...forgot about those bots !!!!

What is a good camera for indie film making?
 

I want to record a movie, and before i make it i would like to buy a new camera. Now i don't know a whole lot about camera shopping and i don't really know which cameras are meant for Photo Journalism and which are more for Filmmaking and things like that, so any suggestions would be good. I just want to film the movie, edit it in Adobe Premier, and then burn it onto a CD to play in my DVD player. Of course i want the best quality film possible.


the cameras i'm currently most interested in right now are:

JVC GY-DV500
DSR-PD150
AG-DVC80
JVC GR-HD1

I'd prefer to spend in between 1500 and 2500, but if going above and beyond would make a big difference, i'd be willing to put in the extra hours.

Those cams you have listed are well above $1500 US. I suggest a Panasonic PV-DV953, or the slightly higher priced Canon GL2---both with their pro's and con's.

Get a Panasonic DVX100. Great film look. Cost you $3500ish though. Otherwise a Canon GL2 is great for about $2300.

Of course, you'll need a tripod and mic, and boatteries, and.... add another $500 for extra gear minimum for whatever you buy.

If you are going to burn it onto a CD in VCD or SVCD format then your quality will take a huge hit (especially VCD, which is blurrier than VHS but about the same quality). The Canon's frame mode (quasi-progressive; i.e. not interlaced) might be useful if you are encoding DVD/VCD/SVCD since it de-interlaces the footage for you (with better vertical resolution and less sensitivity and some other differences). De-interlacing allows for better compression and takes encoding time if you are working with interlaced footage.

Having a camera with accurate color reproduction would probably improve the quality of your videos. I think the VX2000 has the edge over the Canon GL2 (not sure). The VX2000 has better resolution and is more expensive. The Panasonic PV-DV953 has some gorgeous images, it just stinks in low light.

<<<-- Originally posted by Dylan Couper : Get a Panasonic DVX100. Great film look. Cost you $3500ish though. Otherwise a Canon GL2 is great for about $2300.

Of course, you'll need a tripod and mic, and boatteries, and.... add another $500 for extra gear minimum for whatever you buy. -->>>

While I agree that the DVX100 is a great camera for indie films (I own one myself), it needs a very careful hand and a lot of manual tweaking to produce a good image. I'm not sure what your experience level is with video equipment, Rob, but the DVX is certainly not beginner-friendly. The GL2 is, in this respect, much faster at producing a good image for the novice.

My advice is to visit the websites of the cameras you plan to purchase and see if they have the camera's manual available for download. Read them, and pick the one you think will be most comfortable for you in terms of using the controls on the camera. In any event, with good composition and lighting, you'll be impressed with the image of ANY of the cameras mentioned here.

Hope this helps!

I really like the DVC80 because it seems very durable and will work well in low light situations and things like that. I don't really care a ton about progressive and 24p, I just want a 3CCD camera that will get high quality images and that will upload through firewire to Premier or Vegas, and eventually burn onto DVD.

So please warn me if i won't be able to do this with the DVC80 or if their is any reason i should not buy it, or give me some sort of positive/negative feedback if this is a good choice.

Rob, the DVC80 is a great cam, but there's nothing wrong with the GL2 and DV953. Certainly the bigger CCDs of the DVC80 is a bonus, giving you more "realistic footage," in my opinion. I say this because no matter how sharp footage can be, the footage from larger CCDs always look more real and fuller to me. But then again, this is only my 2 cents.

Cheapest Mini Dv Camera?
 

IM looking for the cheapest minidv camera...period. I dont want to ruin my VX200 by using it as a deck, so i'd like to get a horrible, cheap, POS. Anyone have any ideas? sub $200 would be great...thanks
Chris

I'm not aware of any DV camcorder available for less than $400 new. Unless you're planning on winding tapes ten hours per day, seven days per week, you're NOT going to hurt your VX2000 in my opinion. Hope this helps,

I mean, playing, and rewinding and all that has got to wear on the tape heads, right? I'd rather pay $300 for a cheap camera, than spend $500 fixing my vx-2000.....