First Camcorder?

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In order to pre-empt what everyone else is going to say, you should answer the following questions:

a.) What are you going to use it for? Making short films or filming family vacations?
b.) What sort of budget are we talking about?

But if I was to guess what most people's answer is going to be i'd go with
Canon T2i
 
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i have a kodak zi8. it cost 99 dollars used off amazon. it takes nice 1080p video. Its ok if you dont mind having absolutly no control over your video. another thing to think about is if your computer can handle editing HD video. if i was you i would save your 200 dollars and get a T2i or an HV20.
 
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NickClapper said:
But if I was to guess what most people's answer is going to be i'd go with
Canon T2i
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Your assumed suggestion ain't a camcorder, but
a camera primarily designed for photography, that just so happens to work really nicely for video.

Anyway, it seems I've been christened the resident salesman of that particular camera, but if I can do so, I'd like to also christen myself the resident salesman for the much less expensive option.

filmmakingrunner, I'm with you, man. And, actually, I think most people on this forum would agree that you don't need the best equipment to learn the craft. You just need something to learn the craft.

It is my strong opinion that it is best for you to learn this craft using a piece of equipment that will more closely model the functions of the more expensive equipment that you will eventually graduate to. For that reason, I highly implore you not to buy a fucking flip-cam, just because it's HD, and within your $200 budget (no disrespect, goobs, I just feel really strongly that someone should have control over their video).

Here's what I think you should practice your skills with:

Manual exposure (and it should be easily accessible, like a little dial, or incremental button)
Manual white-balance
Manual focus, WITH A FOCUS RING
External audio input

You can get all of those features, if you shop diligently, on a really inexpensive used mini-DV camcorder. Ebay is your friend.
 
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Cracker Funk said:
Your assumed suggestion ain't a camcorder, but
a camera primarily designed for photography, that just so happens to work really nicely for video.

Anyway, it seems I've been christened the resident salesman of that particular camera, but if I can do so, I'd like to also christen myself the resident salesman for the much less expensive option.

filmmakingrunner, I'm with you, man. And, actually, I think most people on this forum would agree that you don't need the best equipment to learn the craft. You just need something to learn the craft.

It is my strong opinion that it is best for you to learn this craft using a piece of equipment that will more closely model the functions of the more expensive equipment that you will eventually graduate to. For that reason, I highly implore you not to buy a fucking flip-cam, just because it's HD, and within your $200 budget (no disrespect, goobs, I just feel really strongly that someone should have control over their video).

Here's what I think you should practice your skills with:

Manual exposure (and it should be easily accessible, like a little dial, or incremental button)
Manual white-balance
Manual focus, WITH A FOCUS RING
External audio input

You can get all of those features, if you shop diligently, on a really inexpensive used mini-DV camcorder. Ebay is your friend.
Click to expand...

That's some good advice right there, I was actually considering getting a DLSR for my first camera (main purpose: Short films) But what you've said just makes so much sense.

Without pushing too hard or hijacking the thread (I'm sure OP won't mind) Can you suggest some cameras with the above features?

Thanks

P.S. I may be imagining things, but of the test/raw footage i've seen on youtube and what not, the dslr cameras tend to have a curved edge on the picture, like straight horizontal lines tend to curve when they are filmed closer to the edge. (poles, building etc)
 
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gibbo said:
P.S. I may be imagining things, but of the test/raw footage i've seen on youtube and what not, the dslr cameras tend to have a curved edge on the picture, like straight horizontal lines tend to curve when they are filmed closer to the edge. (poles, building etc)
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I can't answer the camera suggestions question, but barrel distortion is not unique to DSLRs and is affected by the lens and the distance between the camera and the subject - it's nothing to do with the type of camera used.
 
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gibbo said:
Without pushing too hard or hijacking the thread (I'm sure OP won't mind) Can you suggest some cameras with the above features?
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The model I recommend is whatever model can be found on ebay, at a particular time. First off, we're talking about ten-year-old cameras, or more, and secondly, the four features I've mentioned weren't actually common in consumer-level camcorders back then.

The focus ring is particularly difficult to find, and though you should check the model specs to be sure, it's a pretty darn safe bet that if it has a focus ring, it's got the other three features I mentioned.

I don't know about now, but back then, Sony and Canon had the best reputations for consumer-level camcorders, for a few different reasons. Me personally, I'm a little biased towards Sony products, and their camcorders are typically known for having strong batteries, good image stabilization, and a good lens.

That being said, I would snap up any camera that has the four features I've listed, if you can find one for under $200. I just did an ebay search for "sony minidv camcorder", and found this one (a little over budget):

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-DCR-PC110-MiniDV-Digital-Camcorder-EXTRA-/280569739517?pt=Camcorders_Professional_Video_Cameras&hash=item41534278fd

Best of luck.
 
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filmmakingrunner said:
So mini DV Camcorders are a good idea I'm thinking, what do you guys think :huh: , I'm pretty sure I want one of the brands in this awesome little article I picked up:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/d/Reviews&level_b=Camcorder&level_c=MiniDV.htm :D


As long as it's under $200 and isn't a piece of junk, I'm all good! :)
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So, you've narrowed down your search to the top brands of miniDV camcorders. Good. Just don't forget to make sure you get each of those four important features I mentioned earlier.

Cheers!
 
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The Zi8 is good for vacations and stuff. It's not really set up for filmmaking though. Unless you just dont care about how your shots look and consistancy from one shot to the next. I have to admit, the HD quallity is pretty good but the downfall is the horrible shake that you get when holding it. I combat shake in mine by simply attaching a tripod and carrying the whole unit around just under the tripod head. I also turn off the electronic image stabilization as it isn't any use when its on. All this help get rid of the shake but even then its still pretty shakey.

Though the Zi8 Is CHEAP and has pretty HD video, Its Going to be more of a pain in the ass to get the look that you want in your video than if you had an actual video camera where you could simply make a few adjustments to your aperature or white balacne or whatever. If your really wanting to get into filmmaking, save your money and get a camera with manual controls. Im not saying you can't make a short film with the Zi8 but your going to find its much easier with all the manual controls to adjust.
 
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