which camcorder to shoot a high end doc

[John Lenihan]

Since you are in this forum, I assume you are considering one of the nxcam series.

I think the Sony FS700 is what you are looking for.
John Lenihan

John Lenihan

LeniCam Video Productions
https://www.lenicamvideoproductions.com

[Susana Travieso]

John –thank you for your reply.
Been reading the specs and reviews and wasn’t sure if it was 4:2:2 and 50 Mbs. ????

One more question. I shoot interviews with a Nikon D800 and they look great (Zoom for audio) but don’t seem to be able to shoot any decent verite b-roll. Do you think it will be easier with the FS700?

Thanks, Susana

[John Lenihan]

Regarding the 4:2:2, someone else on this forum will have to answer you, since I don’t have the fs700. Do a search for fs700 on this site. You may need an external recorder device to get the super high bit rate.

Regarding shooting verite style, I do that every day. I shoot events like weddings, corporate, stage, and sports. When I am shooting weddings, I have microphones all over the place, lights, when possible, and am blowing and going when needed. Then tell the story that emerges from it all.

I purchased a dslr last year to get some great videos. I worked with it for a couple of weeks before sending it back.

My conclusion was that the greatest thing that dslr was good for were staged, set up, well controlled scenes. NOT blow and go video shooting. In other words, not in real live situations.

So, if your problems with getting verite style b-roll are similar to the problems I had shooting real life, then YES, virtually any camcorder in the $8000 range is better than any dslr.

john

John Lenihan

LeniCam Video Productions
https://www.lenicamvideoproductions.com

[Susana Travieso]

John-
My verite stuff is a bit different than yours, uncontrolled environment and available light. My shooting happens in the street, at a market or following someone on a country road –a different animal. But I’m sure the 700 will work better than my D800.

Will check the forum regarding codec and color spec.

Thanks for all you feedback. Susana

[Michael Johnston]

The only way to get 4:2:2 is by using a Nano Flash and capturing from the SDI out. You can not record 4:2:2 50Mbs in the NXCAM cameras onto SD cards. Nano Flash is another $2k.

[George Kalogeris]

but can it record high bitrate 4:2:0 at 50fps ?
(full length videos, not some secs)

[Chas Smith]

That’s a good question but it appears that camcorders equipped with either HDMI, HD-SDI or USB 3.0 connectors (intended for display out only) may be able to get a better codec recording than their main format. I know some folks have done this with the Canon AH-X1 but I can’t vouch 100% for sure if it’s 4:2:2 Seems to be though from what I’ve heard in casual discussions on the subject.

TV Technology 2/15/13 had an article: Cheating a Camcorder’s Codec
https://www.tvtechnology.com/article/cheating-a-camcorder%E2%80%99s-codec/217820