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I need some advice on a potential camera purchase

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Rastasean
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DeafeningtheDaisies
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I need some advice on a potential camera purchase Empty I need some advice on a potential camera purchase

Post  DeafeningtheDaisies Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:41 am

Hey Mark!

Love your YouTube videos. I have been watching for a while since you were featured, and I've learned some cool stuff from ya, so I naturally I figured you would be the best person to ask in regards to a video camera purchase. You are the video guru after all!

Long story short, I've been suffering with a $90 web cam, and attempting to make YouTube videos. It just doesn't work for several reasons, including, no "on location" shots (aka boring), and, bad audio(no, scratch that) TERRIBLE, audio. I am a musician and I want to have excellent audio and watchable video on YouTube. I am looking to buy myself a video camera as a Christmas present to myself this year, and I'm thinking of a budget around $400 or so, maybe closer to 300, so lets say $325-400 to be safe.

Now, I could just go searching the net for $350 cameras, but I know there will be accessories and other things to consider as part of the purchase, and I want to be able to start recording and editing immediately.

What I need out of this camera;

1. Ability to record in various light levels, both indoors and out
2. The best possible audio for live recording in the $325-$400 price range.
3. Most efficient transfer to my hard drive for editing. (I would like to avoid as many hoops as possible in regards to encoding between formats, and bundled software. I use Sony Vegas as my primary video editor and Adobe Audition as my primary audio editor, so (if possible) I would like to avoid .mpg recording formats and use something that is easily compatible with Vegas)

I've got about 150-200 video edits under my belt, I have a few different youtube accounts, and I've had reasonable success on anything that was filmed by the computer itself or an edit of existing footage. However, I want to create my own material, and I have no experience with hand held video cameras, and for that I turn to the master, Mark Apsolon, and ask..

Please help me make my YouTube music videos better!!!! Smile


~cheers

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Post  tr3885 Tue Oct 07, 2008 10:46 am

Hey there, DeafeningtheDaisies

I, too, am searching for a new camera. Mark and I have already had a conversation on cameras and as you know, Mark has some very sound advice. Of course, the camera that I'm looking for is a Pro-sumer type but, the basic ideas hold true to what your asking.

First, let me suggest that you pick up Mark's DVD "Basic Camcorder Techniques". That will answer a whole lot of your questions.

Some quick suggestion for the type camera that you are wanting:
MiniDV Tape format
Audio in and out connectors
Long Battery Life or Extra Batteries
A good quality tri-pod


Those are the ones off the top of my head with what I have experienced.

I know that I sound like I'm soliciting for Mark's DVDs but, the education that you will get off of them before you go looking for a camera will be a great investment in yourself. Had I know what the DVDs showed before I bought a camera, I would have upgraded my thoughts a bit more than I did.


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Post  SonicOrbStudios Tue Oct 07, 2008 2:00 pm

Every camera loves light so be sure you get yourself an on cam light if you want to film at night...even still, it wont come out great.
I suggest getting Mark's camera basics DVD, you will learn a lot from it and if you want to know more the Advanced DVD is even better...(and that's coming from someone who has already gone through many college classes for video production.)

You may not be able to get a cam with a mic input around that price, most will have a mini jack but if you want good sound I suggest putting some money aside for an external mic. I own a Azden SGM-1X now and am very happy with it. It is XLR though so you will need to get some adapters for a Mini Plug connection. For the same price theres the Rode Videomic as well which is more of a consumer brand setup with the mini plug connection.

Firewire, IMO is the best way to go when capturing to the computers these days. I use it at home and on high end setups at my school.

If you don't have a budget for the external mic, forget about it for now and focus your main budget on the camera as that's where your quality should be first. Sound isn't all that important right now.

as for specific models and brands, I can't say whats out there right now but stay with good name brands like Panasonic, Canon, and Sony.
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Post  DeafeningtheDaisies Wed Oct 08, 2008 6:13 am

Hey thanks for the responses.

Yea, I did a little digging around, mostly on Cnet, looking at cams, and it looks like there really is not much of a threshold for the price range I had in mind. I suppose I'll have to decide how much I am willing to invest. Most of the (well rated)MiniDv cams were $1000-$2500

I see tons of 200-500 cams, but they all seem like they have crap quality. I'll consider Marks DVDs!

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Post  SonicOrbStudios Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:39 pm

DeafeningtheDaisies wrote:Hey thanks for the responses.

Yea, I did a little digging around, mostly on Cnet, looking at cams, and it looks like there really is not much of a threshold for the price range I had in mind. I suppose I'll have to decide how much I am willing to invest. Most of the (well rated)MiniDv cams were $1000-$2500

I see tons of 200-500 cams, but they all seem like they have crap quality. I'll consider Marks DVDs!

Yea a camera should be viewed as an investment. Most of the low end Pro. grade cameras start right around $1000.
I am saving up for the Panasonic DVX100B which is a great starting cam, something Mark suggested I start with actually...). The 3CCDs is a must have IMO. It really brings out the quality of the image.

Once again, it's an investment. If you are serious about getting into video production a good camera will be well worth the price.

Also something Mark told me...Get that extended coverage on the camera. Most of the time a pixel will go out or something and the coverage will be well worth the price. They start around $500.
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I need some advice on a potential camera purchase Empty Sony

Post  GottaLaunch Sun Oct 12, 2008 1:06 pm

Hi guys,

At your budged for buying a camcorder I would concider a small Sony handycam ,like the DSC-HC17.
The in-camera mic is reasonable, but if you want better audio you could buy a pretty good studio mic for around 100 bucks.

Yours, WVD


Last edited by WVD on Sun Jan 25, 2009 6:02 am; edited 1 time in total
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Post  Rastasean Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:29 pm

Yea a camera should be viewed as an investment. Most of the low end Pro. grade cameras start right around $1000.
I am saving up for the Panasonic DVX100B which is a great starting cam, something Mark suggested I start with actually...). The 3CCDs is a must have IMO. It really brings out the quality of the image.

I would disagree with this. Get something you like and can enjoy. why wait to save a grand and possibly miss so much that you can film? Check out A Rebel Without a Crew its written by Robert Rodriguez.

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I need some advice on a potential camera purchase Empty Ebay Ftw!!!

Post  Risk1710 Sun Oct 26, 2008 4:19 am

if i was you i would research the camera's and then check ebay i kno people who have got JvC Everio's for like 600 dollars Aus sometimes less depends on your luck , so in The Usa thats around 460 -500 dollars just keep searching and ill bet you will find a great cam for your prices

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Post  gap_films Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:48 am

Watch the JVC Everio HD7 camera.
I have around 7 camcorders (teach kids video) ranging from pro cameras down to consumer cameras.
One of the cameras I have is the JVC Everio HD hard drive. It gives out a very nice clear and high color saturated image but is extremely painful to get the footage to edit. Unless your use the edit program that came with the camera, you will have to convert your files. Another thing with the Everio is the CCD's are off set and when you put filters onto the camera the filter will show up in the right hand side of your image.

My 80 year old farther has a diffrent model everio camera and I have spent countless telephone calls to him trying to get is Adobe Elements program to except the files. He now bought a new Panasonic mini DV camcorder and is having no trouble with it at all.
I don't like putting an type of camera down but I would steer well clear of the Everio camcorders.

I run Canon in my fleet of cameras with the exception of 1 Panasonic and have been very happy with all of them.

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Post  David Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:16 am

gap_films wrote:

I run Canon in my fleet of cameras with the exception of 1 Panasonic and have been very happy with all of them.

I too have that type of set up.

AG-DVX100A Panasonic
HV-30 Canon

The AG works great for broadcast projects, and the HV is great because it is small and produces a great HD picture.

David

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I need some advice on a potential camera purchase Empty Info on Cameras

Post  analogdb Mon Feb 01, 2010 6:21 pm

Hey there deaf one....here are some camera tips
1) I have both a Canon XL2 MiniDV and a Sony HVR-HD1000 MiniDV-HI DEF cameras. If I had my choice of only one, that would be hard.

The Canon has a GREAT audion system that can actually track 4 line of audio, as in 2-stereo, or 4 individual. It has a pair of XLR mike inputs on the rear of the shoulder pad, and upt to 4 additional RCA audio inputs on the side. It also has a built in manual audio mix system that works better than any other camera I have owned. This camera shoots and records in the MiniDV tape format, but it also has direct firewire operation so you shouldn't have any trouble using those files directly to your computer software.

My second camera, the Sony, shoots a fantastic HD 1080, and records to the same tape that the Canon does. HOWEVER, it does NOT have the ability to input sound, unless you are good with creating your own audio adapter cables, and understand basic audio/stereo wiring including polarities, etc.

Now if someone would put both of those cameras into one, I would be happy as a clam!

Since I am getting to a point where retirement is looming I have been considering selling one or both of the cameras....if you are interested, feel free to contact me analogdb@yahoo.com

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