Camcorder Advice

CHamburger

CHamburger

I am sorry if there are already answers jumbled through out the forum here. I have a bunch of stories I have transcribed into a rough shooting script format. I have a couple friends that I plan to start filming with but we just need a camera. My father has a Hitachi DZ-MV550a that I'm gonna try to use. My question is are there any consumer camcorders comparable to Panasonic AG HVX200 Camcorder. Or the Canon Xls? I was looking at HV20s-40s on ebay and they range in price older 20s sometimes ending up more expensive than the newer 40s. I basically want as many manual settings as I can possibly afford. I don't have a couple grand yet to drop on a camera but i do want to start filming just to get a hands on involvement. Any suggestions? Shoudl I stick with my pops camcorder for a while or try to save for an Vixia-HV? I want to shoot on miniDV(which my dads cam is not-its minidisc) I also want an external mic hookup and interchangeable lenses which swayed me away from gls.

I'm not limited to any brands Canon just seems to be the front runner right now but will appreciate all suggestions.
 
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hey i am moving to queens in 10 days...my plane comes in on the 3rd... i am living in astoria bu astoria park..do you know where that is? I have a hvx200... and a t2i that i shoot with....i am a writer/actor/director living in los angeles...i work the the echo park film center and am starting a non profit, the free film school....i am moving to queens to film my first feature fim "Cant knock the Hustle"... i am looking to collaborate on other efforts though as well, what is your email? i would love to chat with you...also do you have skype?
 
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samvic5 said:
hey i am moving to queens in 10 days...my plane comes in on the 3rd... i am living in astoria bu astoria park..do you know where that is? I have a hvx200... and a t2i that i shoot with....i am a writer/actor/director living in los angeles...i work the the echo park film center and am starting a non profit, the free film school....i am moving to queens to film my first feature fim "Cant knock the Hustle"... i am looking to collaborate on other efforts though as well, what is your email? i would love to chat with you...also do you have skype?
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Yea, just like you wanted to colaborate with me??? :lol: I would disregard the post before this one.
 
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samvic5 said:
hey i am moving to queens in 10 days...my plane comes in on the 3rd... i am living in astoria bu astoria park..do you know where that is? I have a hvx200... and a t2i that i shoot with....i am a writer/actor/director living in los angeles...i work the the echo park film center and am starting a non profit, the free film school....i am moving to queens to film my first feature fim "Cant knock the Hustle"... i am looking to collaborate on other efforts though as well, what is your email? i would love to chat with you...also do you have skype?
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Hey man, yea I've been writing a bunch iof scripts and have a couple short and feature ideas I still haven't panned ouit. I used to live in Astoria for most of my life until I moved a couple years ago. My email is chamburger1@aol.com. Unfortuinately I don't have skype but would be interested in definitely meeting, if you're serious.

Well I was planning on butying the camera first then audio later. I just want to focus on the vidoe first as I feel thats more vital to the film art of story telling-just look at Charlie Chaplin's silent movie success :lol: I have probably close to 400$ but might be able to squeeze a couple 100 out of some "supportive" family members. What do you think?
 
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First off, I disagree with your assertion that video is more important than audio. Audience members will deal with a subpar picture if it has good audio, but they'll immediately turn off anything with bad audio. That being said, if you're only worried about video quality I'd go with a cheap DSLR. I recommend the GH1, though others would probably go with the T2i. Adorama sells the GH1 for $400 without a lens. You can get a Canon FD Adapter for ~$30 and a used Canon FD lens for ~$30 as well. That will have you ready for shooting for under $500.
 
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I can understand what you're saying but I was kinda kidding. I think video and audio are both equally important. I generally want to focus on the camera for now. Is DSLR more for photos than actual videos? I haven't done too much research into them but they look like regular photography cameras. Can I shoot video with them? I do like the option of interchangeable lenses. What would I do for audio on those? Is there an external mic port available on them? Thanks.
 
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Your project will only be as good as it sounds. And the Charlie Chaplin reference is quite disingenuous; there was no sound at all, the films were shot that way. And you also have to consider that in the "Silent" era it was not silent at all. In the big movie houses in the major cities the film would be accompanied by a thoroughly professional, full sized orchestra. In addition, in those big theatres there would be a complete Foley/sound FX team behind the screen, so the only thing missing would be the dialog itself.

When shooting with a DSLR the audio of those cameras is so sub-par that you should consider it film and record audio with a separate system. You are going to need at the least a digital audio recorder and a mic or two - plus the obligatory boom-pole, shock-mount and wind protection.
 
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LOL "disingenious" is that an LSAT word? Please don't focus on my bad joke. I know they didn't use sound because it wasn't an option it was just a joke, not a reference lol.

As for your advice, can I hook up a mic top a dslr or would I have to record separate audio? If the audio on teh dslrs is so bad, should I then just try to spring for a camcorder that might pick up better audio? Thanks.
 
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Thanks for all your advice man, I think I'm a little bit more informed now. I just wanna get behind a camera and see what it looks like. Do you agree the dslr might be a better approach for beginning?
 
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CHamburger said:
Sweet. I'll have to remember that. Thanks for your advice.
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I recently picked up a Sony HDR-CX160
And IMO it is friggin amazing. great picture, lots of available accessories...
not too many manual settings right out of the box but there are lenses and such for it as well.
right now I am working with a poor wifi connection, so uploading a sample video isn't possible.
but i found alot of "test footage" on youtube. in fact thats a good way too to compare cameras just for video comparison
 
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CHamburger said:
I can understand what you're saying but I was kinda kidding. I think video and audio are both equally important. I generally want to focus on the camera for now. Is DSLR more for photos than actual videos? I haven't done too much research into them but they look like regular photography cameras. Can I shoot video with them? I do like the option of interchangeable lenses. What would I do for audio on those? Is there an external mic port available on them? Thanks.
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DSLRs are designed for photos, but in their price range they provide a far greater video quality compared to the consumer video cameras you'll find. The downside is that their audio implementation is generally sub-par. I generally prefer to record audio separate from the camera.
 
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WYG1Productions said:
I recently picked up a Sony HDR-CX160
And IMO it is friggin amazing. great picture, lots of available accessories...
not too many manual settings right out of the box but there are lenses and such for it as well.
right now I am working with a poor wifi connection, so uploading a sample video isn't possible.
but i found alot of "test footage" on youtube. in fact thats a good way too to compare cameras just for video comparison
Click to expand...

How much did you get it for? Is there an ext mic input? I wanna get something versatile not too big either. I've filmed stuff before on the old camcorders-like family bbqs and bdays shit like that-but I want to knwo whats a good invetsment before I even think about purchasing. I'll have to check it out on youtube, thanks man.

SinEater said:
DSLRs are designed for photos, but in their price range they provide a far greater video quality compared to the consumer video cameras you'll find. The downside is that their audio implementation is generally sub-par. I generally prefer to record audio separate from the camera.
Click to expand...

Which is better recording separate audio, or a camera with a boom mic? My goal is to be as effieicnt as possible while maintaining quality. Whats a solid beginner DSLR? Thanks.
 
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