What Pro Quality Video Camera Should I Get Under $1,000?

Question

I'll Be Using It To Record Friends Etc; With Them Getting Good Skateboarding Footage To Possibly Get Sponcered. But, My Problem Is, I Don't Know Which Pro Quality Video Camera In Perticular I Should Get...Any Ideas?

Answer 1

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stor...

Answer 2

There is no such thing as a "Pro Quality Video Camera Under $1,000".

Starting at the top and working our way down to $1,000:

Canon XHA1; Panasonic HDX200; Sony HVR-Z1U, HVR-V1U

Panasonic DVX100B; Canon XL2; Sony HDR-FX1 (prosumer), HDR-FX7 (prosumer), HVR-A1U

Then there is a BIG drop down to the consumer Canon HV20, HV30, Sony HDR-HC7, HDR-HC9.

Please note: All these cameras have manual controls: Zoom, Focus, iris/exposure and audio.

The higher-end cameras listed use XLR mic jacks, the lower end use 1/8" mic jacks.

All cameras listed use miniDV tape because it is the least amount of compression which results in best video quality. You will not find a pro-grade camcorder that uses MPG2 or AVCHD compression. There is a Panasonic hard drive camcorder listed in the pro area, but that is a huge stretch - it is not pro-grade at all.

The two exceptions to this are the Sony HVR-V1U which can attach a Sony branded external hard drive or the Panasonic HVX200 which uses P2 cards - neither capture using MPEG2 or AVCHD - both capture using DV or HDV.

Someone with lots of experience will capture great video on a cheap camcorder - Someone with no experience will capture lousy video on a great camcorder.

Good luck.