Semi-professional Digital Video camera. Any clues?

I am assuming you want to shoot digital and not high def.

Here is a site with some info
http://www.711net.com/camera.html
It recommends the Canon XL2.

I have seen films shot on the Canon XL1. The nice thing about the Canon is you can change the lenses. I know there have to be some forums out there for the indy digital guys. Lightwizard may have some info if he sees this.

Here's one forum
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/

Why do you want a built in hard drive? One site I looked at made the comment that once you fill up the hard drive you have to stop shooting until you download everything on it and wipe the drive. It's been a while since I looked but I seem to recall some rather nice outboard hard drive systems that connect to the camera firewire. Here's one
http://www.mcetech.com/quickstreamdv/index.html

This one might be the one I heard mentioned
http://www.lafcpug.org/reviews/review_fs100.html
dvinfo also seems to have discussion on the hard drives.

I guess I kind of just threw stuff together as I did some searches. Hope it helps a little.

Parados wrote:


From the couple of forums I've managed to find on this particular sector of the market, a hard drive would be sufficient for my needs, and I can download to my laptop in the field.

I want to shoot short fishing segments to sell to established television programs, so we're talking ten to fifteen minutes only. Also, most of the filming will be either in a boat or canoe, so the camera will spend most of its time in a waterproof housing. The less openings in the housing the better, and the less I have to open the housing also better.

I'm thinking that hard drive cameras are the future, and while I wouldn't overlook a good second-hand tape camera, I just like to be minimalist when travelling. I'm also thinking that high defenition is the way to go.

Thanks for the links, Parados. I'll bookmark them. :wink:

Okay, I'm looking at the Sony HDR-HC1E.

It runs standard tapes, which I wasn't so keen on, but it does have features only found on much more expensive cameras, and it has high defenition which will record on standard tapes.

If anyone has any info on this camera, I'd be grateful to hear it.

I visited several upmarket camera outlets yesterday, but none of them stock anything like what I'm looking for.

It would be nice to be able to actually handle one.

Finally settled on the Sony HDR HC7, which looks much like other handycams, but records in full high def, or standard def. It records to tape, which is still better than HDD or DVD, in that I can keep the tapes until such time as this Blu-ray / HD DVD drama gets sorted out, and the technology becomes more affordable.

Until such time, the camera can output standard def from a high def recording for editing etc, and uploaded back to the camera as a high def recording.

Cons would be the forward facing microphone, which doesn't handle wind very well, and the fact that Sony products and accessories are exclusive to their product, meaning paying through the nose for hot-shoe microphones and lenses. No aftermarket accessories will fit, but that's Sony for you.

I purchased the Sony sports pack for underwater shooting, and that works so well, I've forgotten how much I paid for a plastic box with a few buttons on it. Somewhere around $380, which was well under retail, because I know how to haggle, having worked in retail myself.

The nightshot infrared works as well as military infrared, and apparently the ultra-nightshot works in total darkness, though I can't see a need for that, yet.

Now if Microsoft and Sony can just get over this little tiff, and decide on a format, we can all get some sleep.

:wink:

Hey Peter, that's an excellent price, but I'm assuming it's in US dollars?

I paid $1849 Australian, at a local retailer, and I was a bit upset when I saw the same camcorder for so little money online.

Some more research revealed that I actually got a good deal in this country. Usual retail here is around $2320 for the camera alone, but I got a good tripod (Optex PT765 Pro series with case), a Sony u/water hard case, five HD JVC DV tapes, head cleaning tape, soft camera case, and HDMI cable, for $2680. Usual retail would be more like $3200 for the lot.

I haven't found a better deal online, as yet. :wink:

The software that comes with the camera is better than windows movie maker on my old Sony VAIO laptop, which is about five years old, and despite being told that I would need a faster computer to edit movies, I can still manage to upload standard DV from the camera, edit it, and then upload it back to another tape for storage in high def.

I would advise that you get a pair of white gloves, because most of the controls are on the LCD of the camera, and it gets grubby very quickly when editing and resetting the controls.

I've been reading some reviews today, and main beef with the camera is the zoom button is very touchy, but apparently a remote tripod with zoom controls on the pan handle sorts out that problem, and Sony sells one for about $150.

If you want an excellent camcorder that is very light and looks sharp, with great sound, go for it, buddy. It looks clear as a bell on my Grundig 38" LCD.

Oh, and I also found a pair of lens attachments for both wide and telephoto, from Cokin, for only $150 Aus. The same from Sony would be around $550.

You still need to buy external microphones from Sony, because their hotshoe connection is a one of a kind set-up. That's if you need them. The onboard mic works great unless it's windy.

One more thing, the software supplied will not run on Macintosh, but apparently there is a way around that.

Cheers.

Here's the link to the lens package I mentioned, though it's an Aussie site, so once again, I'd expect them to be cheaper in the US.

http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/prod4817.htm

And that price I quoted you included a seven hour Sony lithium ion battery pack which usually retails for around $250 AUS, so I still think I got a great deal. The standard battery pack lasts about 1.2 hours, and I knew that wouldn't be enough for a decent day's (or night's) filming.

Also, forgot to mention that the camera can take photos while filming, but the resolution is lower (around 4.5). It takes 6.1 megapixel photos while in still camera mode, and the manual adjustments for stills are excellent, though the flash is a bit small.

Any other info you need, just ask, Peter.

Cheers.