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camera suggestions
Looking to get a new camera and am interested in feedback on cameras being used today. I do realise that there is no straight answer to this questions, and some may consider it off-topic.
I mainly shoot school plays and shows, and have been using a low-end Sony DCR HC1000e camera for a few years, and have learnt a lot from it, but am now ready to look at upgrading.
I would be very interested in comments from anybody as to what cameras they use (mainly as per above, for shooting indoor plays, quite often without sufficient lighting!!)
There appear to be a lot of different formats, and I should probably look at a HD camera and downsize it for SD as appropriate.
I would also be very interested to hear which formats people have found more ‘native’ in Vegas, and which ones (if any) appear to be more problematic in Vegas.
I am not looking for anybody to make my decision – that is down to me – but I would be interested in any comments/links/pointers etc.
Apologies if this is off-topic, but from what I see (and learn here daily..) there are a lot of different cameras, outputting different formats being used in vegas, and I would like to purchase the camera which from both a technical and artistic point of view, appears to be the ‘best fit’
Budget is probably up to USD3500.00 or thereabouts.
Many thanks
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7 Replies
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HDV or AVCHD are the two HD formats you might look at for editing in Vegas (and other apps) that fall into your price range.
Sony’s NXCAM or Canon’s A1 cams are super, I’m a big fan of XDCAM EX, but it’s out of your price range unless you can find used.Douglas Spotted Eagle
VASSTCertified Sony Vegas Trainer
Aerial Camera/Instructor -
I shoot a lot of plays with my Sony HVR-Z1U and I’m very happy with the results. It shoots HDV which edits very easily in Vegas on a modern computer. You can probably get one used in that price range. The Sony HVR-V1P is in that price range and you can get the Sony HVR-DR60 Hard Disc Recording Unit and go tapeless even though it’s HDV. I have the Hard Disc Recording Unit on my Z1 and it’s awesome because plays often exceed 1 hour and there is no worries with changing tapes. I can shoot for 4 hrs without any worries.
Personally, I would avoid AVCHD. It’s difficult to edit and doesn’t hold up well in low light (too much compression) but that’s just my personal preference from working with the format. Stick with HDV and you should be fine.
I would also look into getting an audio field record. I have a Marantz PMD660 and take an audio feed directly from the sound mixer. This really improves the production value of the recording. You will never get good audio from a camera mic.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
Unfortunately the Sony HVR-Z1U seems to no longer be available new, though you may be able to get a used one. Be careful of head wear. If you are planning to down-convert to SD, I would think a much better option would be to get an Panasonic DVX-100b, which is still made and sells for around $2,500.(https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/406855-REG/Panasonic_AGDVX100B_AG_DVX100B_3CCD_24p_Mini_DV/BI/6544/KBID/7158) I consider it the best SD prosumer camera made, though no doubt others will have other choices. It’s solid, rugged, and takes outstanding images. It’s not HD, but if you don’t need HD, you will get far more bang for your bucks with this camera than a relatively inexpensive HD camera.
As John points out, dealing with AVCHD is a pain. One solution is to convert to a format more Vegas friendly. There are many posts on this topic.
A relatively terrific bargain-entry-level HD camera that does use AVCHD is the Pansonic AG-HMc40 (https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/625605-REG/Panasonic_AG_HMC40PJU_AG_HMC40_AVCCAM_HD_Camcorder.html#accessories/BI/6544/KBID/7158) for $2,000.
Spot’s Canon AH1 is probably a terrific choice and with an extra battery just makes it for your $3,500 budget. It records to tape. (https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/589903-REG/Canon_1191B001_XH_A1_3CCD_HDV_Camcorder/BI/6544/KBID/7158)
Rick Wise
director of photography
San Francisco Bay Area
and part-time instructor lighting and camera
grad school, SF Academy of Art University/Film and Video
https://www.RickWiseDP.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwise
email: Rick@RickWiseDP.com -
Folks,
Thanks for the suggestions
John – I looked at the specs for the Marantz – nice little device – I have been using a laptop running audacity or cubase for doing desk-feed recordings – but something like this would be useful. One question – I see the mp3 stereo resolution is listed as 128K. Do you find this is sufficient for quality? I tend to use a min 192k as a minimum for mp3 where possible, and if there is a good quality sound mix from the desk I would want to get the best quality?
Thanks,
Stewart Bourke
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One question – I see the mp3 stereo resolution is listed as 128K. Do you find this is sufficient for quality? I tend to use a min 192k as a minimum for mp3 where possible, and if there is a good quality sound mix from the desk I would want to get the best quality?
I’ve only recorded in PCM uncompressed 16-bit 48 kHz mode so I don’t know how bad the MP3 would sound. I use a 4GB memory card which gives me 4 hrs of stereo PCM recording. This is usually enough for any event that I shoot.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
John,
that makes sense – I had misunderstood the docs on the device – I thought the max was a 1GB card…
Thanks again
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I thought the max was a 1GB card.
No, but I think 4GB might be but it should be plenty of time.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com
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