Second Video Camera?

[Denny Kyser]

Second camera for the EX1r
After giving the Canon 1D IV and 5D II's a try as B cams I am now in the market for a second video camera. I will keep the 1D IV to take advantage of all the nice glass I have, and use for specialty shots but need a good solid second camera.

Was thinking the Sony NX5U but there are some sharpness and focus issues. I guess you never know how much of it is user error but at that price would need it to give you sharp images.

I then looked at used EX1's but then your not that far from a new EX1r, which I love.

What do you guys use as a second camera (besides an EX3 which is out of my range) heck the ex1r is about out of my range but may be worth saving for.

I do weddings mainly but starting to add some pageants and events.

I feel I need to save $1000.00 to go used and ex1 vs ex1r, and do not need any extras like batteries.

[Marcus Durham]

For a B camera it depends on what you are trying to do with it.

If you are doing a full 2 camera shoot and need the cameras to match perfectly you'll need another EX1 with the same picture profile. Although some people do say you can't match 2 EX1's perfectly.

If you are like me then you still have your Z1 hanging around which acts as a good B camera, although with the best will in the world it won't quite match. Yeah it uses tape but since tape is desperately unfashionable there might be bargains to be had.

Or perhaps your B camera needs to be small and cheap? After putting the EX1 in the firing line once to often for comfort I recently purchased a small Canon HFS11 which I've reviewed here:

The Canon Legria HFS11 | Media2u Video Production Blog

Great little camera and small enough to slip into the same bag as the EX1 which opens up a whole world of possibilities. I quite often find myself in weird and wonderful places where the EX1's size can be a pain so to have a second camera in the same bag that can be used for one or two drop in shots is a real bonus. But there is a image quality payoff for the tiny size, but given the situations its to be used in its one I am willing to take.

Remember though that Joe Punter will never notice if 2 cameras don't quite match. We professionals fret awfully about producing stunning pictures that are perfect in every way, but the chances are the end user won't notice. A good case in point is that I shot a timelapse on my Canon stills camera a few months back. I basically just left the camera running in video mode on a tripod and speeded the shot up. A nice extra for the client. To me the shot looked soft and very compressed but I worked it in anyway. Client *loved* it. Really loved it. Sometimes the shot itself is worth more than the image quality. Unless you paused the image and started analysing it, I doubt most people would even notice.

[Craig Seeman]

Don't forget the JVC HM100 which uses the same XDCAM EX codec and records to SDHC. Of course for various reasons that won't match perfectly either but managing the timeline codecs won't be an issue though.

[Denny Kyser]

Thanks guys, I make my living with photography and video gives me some extra spending money.

In the every day grind its important to have all pro bodies, bodies that write to dual cards, and every control is in the exact same place regardless of which body I pick up.

I am starting to think the video world is no different and having two identical cameras is the ticket, and for the odd stuff use my 1D IV with some great glass.