Best camera for high school documentary on "The Essence Of Highschool"?

Question

i am going to do a documentary on a student POV on the essence of high school next year for my senior project. what is the best type of video camera you could suggest? i want good video quality and audio also. preferrable with attachable external mics. i plan on spending 500-600 on this camcorder? any ideas or suggestions on certain cameras? any tips or any help is appreciated. thank you

Answer 1

First, some "don'ts...":

For your budget, there are no good hard drive (HDD) or high definition (HD) camcorders available unless you go down the "previously owned" path.

DO NOT GET A DVD based camcorder. They provide the worst available video quality of the common storage formats.

Next best video quality are hard drive and certain flash based units.

Now for the "Do's":

Best available video quality comes from miniDV tape based camcorders. They connect to your computer using the DV port on the camcorder and a firewire (IEEE1394a, i.Link are all the same thing) cable to the firewire port on your computer. If you don't have one, add one.

For your budget, check out the Canon ZR800 and ZR950. These cameras do not have manual audio control - the least expensive cameras with manual audio control -preferred - are the Canon HV20, HV30, Sony HDR-HC7 and HC9. Manual audio control is especially important when recording loud audio (bands - marching and rock/hiphop).

In addition to the camera, you will want:

** a wired and/or wireless external mic. Both these cameras have a mic-in jack.

** a monopod, tripod (which can be used as a monopod) or SpiderBrace. Humans were not designed to stay still.

** a high capacity rechargeable battery.

** a video light.

** a sturdy case.

Tips:

If you must pan (left/right/up/down), do it   S L O W L Y.

If you must zoom, do it   S L O W L Y.

Pay attention to what the camera is doing on TV - not on music videos... on the news, or sitcoms... Very few pans and zooms. Lots of cuts.

If you have any scripted scenes, shoot them at least 4 times. And just when you think you have the right shot, do it again. And again. And again. And again.

When you pick a miniDV tape type, stay with it for the life of the camera. I use Sony Premium tapes. They are about $3 each in an 8-pack...

There's more, but this is a good start...

Answer 2

I recommend the Canon HV-20.  It is close to your price range, and offers amazing features and video quality.  It is a MiniDV camcorder with a kick - High Definition.  It would be great for such a documentary.  Good luck with your Senior Project.  Oh, and don't forget the accessories, Zoom Microphone, a must have for crisp clear directional Audio.  Another Battery for extended use, and a nice big stack of MiniDV tapes.  

I have also heard that Pinnacle Studio is a good editing software.