What is the best camcorder out there?

Question

I was recently looking at the canon xl2 and i really liked them, but im not sure if its the best buy out there. Is there another camera thats better?

Answer 1

You know, I don't know what your background is.  I don't know your film/video experience, and maybe you have a lot - maybe you are a professional.  One thing that I always tell people is this, it's not always about the camera/camcorder. I can show you footage from a $589 camcorder that looks like it was shot with a $1500 camcorder and the reason being - great lighting technique, exposure, and use of manual controls.

I keep seeing individuals rely just on the camcorder and skimp on buying decent lighting equipment or camera stabilization equipment.  I see it all the time as if a more expensive camcorder will either save them or make them look better or have them believe they will appear professional but their work sucks. If you told me you had $2000 to spend on a camcorder, I'd ask you - "what do you have for lighting, what do you have for camera stabilization".  If you told me you had very little in those 2 regards, I would not recommend you buy a $2000 camcorder. I would rather see you spend $500 on a small light kit with barndoors and light modifiers, $300 on a tripod, and $1200 on the camcorder. So that I think is a question for many people

David

http://www.skyjamvideos.com

Answer 2

The XL2 is an excellent camera, so nice choice :) but there are always better ones. First of all, the XL2 doesn't shoot in HD, so if you want HD, here are the best pro cameras:

   1) Sony PMW-EX1              $6,500

   2) Panasonic HVX200A      $5,200

   3) JVC GY-HD200U             $5,000

   4) Sony HVR-V1U                $4,000

   5) Canon XH-A1                    $3,300

[these aren't necessarily the best cameras, but I chose them based on quality and value for your $. ex: the Canon XL-H1 is regarded as a super-awesome camera, but it's a total rip-off and I hate it]  

Of course, these cameras are much more expensive than the XL2, and you can't really compare HD and SD cameras. So here are some other good SD cameras to look at too:

   1) Panasonic DVX100B      $2,500

    2) Sony DSR-PD170           $2,500

   3) Canon GL2                        $2,000

The PD170 and GL2 are good, but not nearly as good as the XL2. The DVX100B however, is worth looking into. In comparing the DVX100B and XL2, some say they are about the same, some say the DVX100B. They both have 24p, but for some reason, it seemed like the DVX100B was more popular among indie filmmakers in the age of standard definition. The DVX100B is a great camera, very similar to the HVX200 (without HD of course). However, the XL2 does have one advantage over the DVX100B; the XL2 has interchangeable lenses. But if you really don't care about that, I'd actually go with the DVX100B because its not has front heavy (making the XL2 a bit hard to shoot hand-held), and its considerably cheaper.

One camera I did not list is the RED Scarlet. It's not available yet, but its supposed to be $3,000 when it comes out in 2009, and it may be the best camera under $10,000. It's a realatively unknown brand in the world of mainstream camera, but it has better resolution than a Sony or Panasonic that costs tens of thousands of $$$. To explain this: HD is expressed as either 720p/i or 1080p/i in terms of horizontal resoltion. So, in any HD camera, the highest resolution would be 1920 x 1080. The RED Scarlet, however, shoots in 3K, which is 3072 x 1728. All that for 3K$!

However, I wouldn't say the RED Scarlet is the best camer out there just yet. After all, there is more to a camera than resolution, and not much is known yet abut the Scarlet. I don't know whether it will have good manual controls, professional audio (XLR inputs), or how well it will capture that cinematic look. It also only has 1 image sensor (unlike the 3 CCDs in the XL2). It's a good size at 2/3", but I don't know how well the Scarlet will do with 1 sensor. It's called a Mysterium sensor. Ah, well, the RED Scarlet is still worth looking into, if you're up to the wait of course :)

So, I hope that helps, and whatever your decision, good luck!!

Answer 3

there is a hitachi blu ray video camera for like1500