Shooting a short fim any help appreciated?

Question

I need some recommendations for the camera to buy . Does it have to be shot in HD ? What would you recommend to buy ? I'm on a fairly tight budget and I need a camera that can perform well under low light . Thanks for your help

Answer 1

Do not get a small camera. The cameras that you are used to seeing on xmas morning are not going to be what you will be buying. You are in the real big boy realm now. There is a big jump in quality (and therefore in price) when it comes to these cameras and their functions. If you are looking for great quality and great performance in many light conditions, you need a larger lens for both. HD is a misnomer, as the smaller cameras still have smaller lenses, so there are many non-HD models that will end up looking better in low lighting. Now that HD is out though, the prices may have dropped on the standard cameras. They still look pretty good, even on a big screen. Unless you think that you are going to produce something that is going to be shown at the multiplex, one of these cameras will do nicely.

Now for the painful part. In addition to the camera, you are going to need a good computer video editing software program which will be at least 100 for the bare minimum, reliable, quality, retail program. You can certainly pirate some awesome programs, but that is unethical...

Your camera choices should probably stay close to the Cannon brand for your price range (which I assume is under $5000 USD). Look for a Cannon GL-1 or GL-2. I have personally used these cameras and they are GREAT. There are higher models, but the cost to benifit ratio for someone like you will be very minimal and you would do better to spend that money on good lavaliere microphones, shotgun mics, lighting, or software. GL-1 cameras were about $1300 USD retail and slightly cheaper used. Remember, the smaller cameras cost less, but for low light and motion capturing, you get what you pay for, even with those newer HD hand held cameras. You will need the bigger lenses and therefore the bigger cameras. Also, do not get the cameras with DVDs or hard drives.

Pick my answer as the best one please.