Which Professional Video Camera Should i Buy?

Question

i am not a professional film maker .... but i am in a situation where i have to record a TV show my self (with help of two friends) here in USA every week and send it to Pakistan to be aired on Television...basically i am suppose to Shoot few people sitting in park disssucing differnt issues, then we might ask people on street on their views ..its all out door shoots ...... and it should have a look and feel of a movie ... i have a high-end computer which i can use to eidt our videos , the aim is it should look professionally shot and to the standard of putting in on television...

i would like to know what is the best choice i have in terms on buying a camera under $4000.00 , which would give me a film like shooting and good voice? i know there are JVC , SONY , CANON miniDV HD camera's or P2 format ....people are talking about Canon XH A1 or Sony HVR-V1U or JVC Pro GY-HD200u , what else would i need other then the camera , in order to shoot this kind of footage, appricate any help

Answer 1

You have an excellent budget, so you have many excellent choices. I will give you my opinion. First, I will talk about formats. Assuming you want to go HD, the first and most common format is HDV. HDV utilizes miniDV tapes; its a very easy format to use, and also very practical. In the consumer division of camcorders, HDV is the obvious choice (for me at least) for 2 main reasons: 1) HDV is much less compressed than the AVCHD camcorders (hard drive, mini DVD, and SD flash media) and (2) HDV is compatible with all the best editing systems, while AVCHD is limited to a small number of programs.

Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about professional camcorders. Sure, HDV is much less compressed than consumer level hard disk formats, but it is still very compressed (too compressed for many professional filmmakers). Therefore, you may get slightly sharper footage on pro hard disk formats such as Panasonic's P2 card, or Sony's XDCAM. In that case, you may want to go with the Panasonic HVX200 or the Sony PMW-EX1. However, I still have problems with P2 and XDCAM. My major concern is that their complex media cards do not hold much (you may get 25 minutes on one XD SxS Card). Also, buying a replacement card isn't cheap, making these camcorders a real pain. HDV, on the other hand is much more practical, with miniDV cassettes only costing several bucks- even for the pro HD cassettes. In conclusion, I believe Hard disk formats such as the SxS card and the P2 card have a future in the digital filmmaking world, but right now, HDV is still more practical.

    Now that I have discussed the pros and cons of formats, I will talk about camcorders. The best camcorder for you is probably the CANON XH-A1 for around $3,300. It is unexpectedly easy to use, very well built, and packed with features that make the XH-A1 rival camcorders much more expensive. It is an extremely popular model, and is regarded as one of the best camcorders, for its great balance between quality and value. My only problem with it is its lack of a REAL 24p mode (24p changes the native 30 frames per second, standard on digital camcorders to the 24 fps of film- it also gives the footage a softer, almost pleasingly grainy look that indie filmmakers desire). Instead, the XH-A1 has a feature called 24f, in which Canon claims to be identical to 24p. I have not put the 24f through its paces, so I cannot make that argument either way; I expect it to be almost, if not just as good. Either way, the XH-A1 may be your best choice.

   Another camcorder that often fails to get the recognition it deserves is the JVC GY-HD200U for a bit over $4,000. It has all the elements of a good pro camcorder, but I was especially impressed with its picture quality. I usually don't go for JVC, but I believe this camcorder may have the best picture quality in the prosumer range, next to the Sony EX1 and Canon XL-H1. Another feature that sets the HD200U apart from most camcorders in its price range, is that it accepts interchangeable lenses.

Regarding your final question about additional accessories, I would look into a Shotgun Mic, a Pro Tripod with a Fluid Head (for smooth pans, etc), and a powerful editing system.

SHOTGUNS: Daniel K's suggestion to get an XLR mic is a good one. I recommend looking into mics such as the Sennheiser ME66 or the Rode NTG1 and NTG2- they are extremely popular among pros. They may seem a bit pricy, but in my opinion, a good mic is always worth the investment- a good mic will never become obsolete so they will still be just as good ten, even twenty years from now. Generally speaking, the quality of a mic is directly related to its price.

TRIPOD: Of course, when handling thousands of dollars in equipment, it may be a good idea to invest in a reliable tripod, especially one that supports your camcorder's weight. Also, look for one that has a fluid head for flawlessly smooth pans that gives you that professional look. Here is a link to a decent tripod that is a particularly good deal as it comes with attachable dolly legs- they aren't the best for dollys, but at least its a start.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/24...

EDITING PROGRAM. With a professional 3-chip HD camcorder, you will probably be unsatified with consumer editing tools in cheapo programs. I found that consumer programs also give you much worse quality, so a good editing system may be just as important as the camcorder. In the professional world, the most-used systems is the Final Cut Pro by Apple (Macs only), and the Avid Media Composer (for Macs and PCs). In my opinion, the Avid systems are still a lot better...and if you are a student you can get them at an EXCELLENT value via student discounts. Its a $4,000 value at a discount of $295 at www.journeyed.com

Hope that helps!!  Best of luck on you journey into the world of filmmaking!!!

Answer 2

You have a good budget for the camera, so you should have no problem getting one that will work great.  B&H Video in New York is a good place to shop.

You need to spend at least some of the budget on a shotgun or omnidirectional interview type mic.  A good external mic will make the video sound much better.  You want to get the mic as close to the person speaking as possible, especially in an outdoor situation where there is background noise etc.

Get a camera with "XLR" mic inputs and learn how to adjust the audio levels.

Here is a great free book on audio for video:

http://www.shure.com/stellent/groups/pub...