This forum might be a little too pro for me, what I'm asking is what's a good format and camera for under $500 that can be used to for decent looking comedy shorts. I will be distributing them mostly online (probably with reduced file size hence resolution), but would still like resolution enough to watch the originals on standard TV's. I will also edit them on a Windows PC, probably with Adobe Premier. These are not cheesy college frat movies with drunk guys screaming and hurting each other or lighting firecrackers in places it's not wise to light firecrackers, these shorts are well thought through, well planned, and well acted, and need to be captured by the camera well enough to get that point across. Is it possible to get a camera under $500 that would suit my purpose?
Recommenda cheap camera to do comedy shorts mostly for internet distribution?
- Thread starter Baddox
- Start date
'sup, good Baddox! 
There are all kinds of people here, from professionals down to talentless hacks. (That's my specialty by the way)
At 4-5 hundred beans... I forget the model of the camera (though I'm sure some will know it), but it has 3 chips. Sure, each chip is really tiny (1/8") compared to the bigger models... but if 'net distribution is your primary outlet, then the lesser pixel count wouldn't matter so much. You'd still be getting a lot more colour information to keep your half/quarter-size videos looking vibrant.
You're pretty much looking at consumer-level mini-DV. Nothing wrong with that, btw.
Digital-8 is another option, too, though not as universal as mini-DV.
Digital-8 records on Hi-8 tapes, digitally. It can be transferred via FireWire just like mini-DV. It also has the benefit of being able to play/transfer non-digital Hi-8 and 8mm video cassettes... very handy for working with analogue sources.
I only mention Dig-8 as a format option, because:
1) My Dig-8 Sony camera is actually better than my cheap $400 mini-DV camera
and
2) It's also in your budget range.
p.s. Welcome to IndieTalk
There are all kinds of people here, from professionals down to talentless hacks. (That's my specialty by the way)
At 4-5 hundred beans... I forget the model of the camera (though I'm sure some will know it), but it has 3 chips. Sure, each chip is really tiny (1/8") compared to the bigger models... but if 'net distribution is your primary outlet, then the lesser pixel count wouldn't matter so much. You'd still be getting a lot more colour information to keep your half/quarter-size videos looking vibrant.
You're pretty much looking at consumer-level mini-DV. Nothing wrong with that, btw.
Digital-8 is another option, too, though not as universal as mini-DV.
Digital-8 records on Hi-8 tapes, digitally. It can be transferred via FireWire just like mini-DV. It also has the benefit of being able to play/transfer non-digital Hi-8 and 8mm video cassettes... very handy for working with analogue sources.
I only mention Dig-8 as a format option, because:
1) My Dig-8 Sony camera is actually better than my cheap $400 mini-DV camera
and
2) It's also in your budget range.
p.s. Welcome to IndieTalk
Thanks guys for the warm welcome 
. As far as mini-DV cameras go, I've always heard the cliche "all mini-DV cameras are not equal". So do the brands matter much, or is it usually more money=better camera? I've shot some things with my friend's sub-$300 JVC mini-DV camera, and when captured via firewire it looked pretty much fine. The only thing that bugged me was all the auto focusing and exposure, so if you pointed at a window or light everything else would get dark. I have little or no experience with actual camera hardware as I'm more of a writer and hobbyist, but that auto-everything has always kind of bugged me.
I have another off the subject question... When I cap'd some video into Premier from said friend's camera, for the end of a little screw-around clip I had a zoom-in on a guy's face, then I froze the frame and faded out. When I had the frame freeze, it looked fine in the Premier window and everything, but whenever I exported it and watched it it was as if every other horizontal line was shifted left and right, making the picture very hazy. In fact, if I pause any frame on the exported vid, it appears that way, but of course when the video is in motion it's not noticeable. Is there any way to have a frame freeze and look right? Thanks a lot everybody.
. As far as mini-DV cameras go, I've always heard the cliche "all mini-DV cameras are not equal". So do the brands matter much, or is it usually more money=better camera? I've shot some things with my friend's sub-$300 JVC mini-DV camera, and when captured via firewire it looked pretty much fine. The only thing that bugged me was all the auto focusing and exposure, so if you pointed at a window or light everything else would get dark. I have little or no experience with actual camera hardware as I'm more of a writer and hobbyist, but that auto-everything has always kind of bugged me. I have another off the subject question... When I cap'd some video into Premier from said friend's camera, for the end of a little screw-around clip I had a zoom-in on a guy's face, then I froze the frame and faded out. When I had the frame freeze, it looked fine in the Premier window and everything, but whenever I exported it and watched it it was as if every other horizontal line was shifted left and right, making the picture very hazy. In fact, if I pause any frame on the exported vid, it appears that way, but of course when the video is in motion it's not noticeable. Is there any way to have a frame freeze and look right? Thanks a lot everybody.
honestly for sub $500... shoot S-VHS like a panasonic AG-450 (the AGDVC7 is the miniDV equivilent) and run it through an analog to firewire video converter later. should be doable for around $200 then invest in a decient mic.
Or you can do what I did...it would require access to a computer with a firewire port while recording though... like a laptop or a desktop in a "studio" environment.
I bought an old Panasonic WV-F250 dockable S-VHS camcorder and a Datavideo DAC-100 analog to firewire video converter and recorded directly to an ibook G4... we did a DV feature this way and the editors (who work for CBS) were genuinly impressed with the detail in the footage especially for 4:1:1
WV-F250 750 lines 3 1/2"CCD $500
Studio Adapter $250
Datavideo DAC-100 $150
iBook G4 $1200(?)
camera power supply $50
camera power cable $20
deep cycle battery $90
inverter $50
Bogen fluid head tripod $150
basic total $2460
For a 750line 3CCD camera system shooting native DV25 (better than DVCAM or DVCPRO) its worth lugging around the equipment I could add a BonziDrive and be shooting in native DV50 for only an additional $3000 which should put it in the realm of Digibeta or D9 (with a worse camera head though as those are atleast 850lines I think)
Or you can do what I did...it would require access to a computer with a firewire port while recording though... like a laptop or a desktop in a "studio" environment.
I bought an old Panasonic WV-F250 dockable S-VHS camcorder and a Datavideo DAC-100 analog to firewire video converter and recorded directly to an ibook G4... we did a DV feature this way and the editors (who work for CBS) were genuinly impressed with the detail in the footage especially for 4:1:1
WV-F250 750 lines 3 1/2"CCD $500
Studio Adapter $250
Datavideo DAC-100 $150
iBook G4 $1200(?)
camera power supply $50
camera power cable $20
deep cycle battery $90
inverter $50
Bogen fluid head tripod $150
basic total $2460
For a 750line 3CCD camera system shooting native DV25 (better than DVCAM or DVCPRO) its worth lugging around the equipment
I could add a BonziDrive and be shooting in native DV50 for only an additional $3000 which should put it in the realm of Digibeta or D9 (with a worse camera head though as those are atleast 850lines I think)
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