Money no object

briano.de.rhino

I apologise if I repeat other threads with my question.

I have made a couple of bmx vids yrs ago on a sony trv120-e[pretty entry level model]and lately I made a couple vids for work, promo stuff for the company etc and I edit it all on Adobe Premiere on the p.c.

The boss told me to go get a proper camcorder and that he will support me in doing more videos.I think I have a few thousand to play around with. Between 1,000-3000 or even 4000 Euros. Im not sure.

I work for people with learning difficulties and the audience for the videos would be new staff and maybe the families of our clients and possibly other services for disability...what im trying to say is I probably don't need a high end pro-sumer I believe you call it....Or do I?

I know I would like to manually focus and especially zoom in as fast or slow as I want with a dial on the lens. Would I need a seperate microphone? whats the story with H.D. aswell? I don't have a clue whats out there these days so any advice is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
briano.how.do.I.know

ps I'd love a few options ranging in price for when my boss tells me to take a jump when I ask him for the 3 grand. Also, where to buy from? Thanks.

decob

briano.de.rhino wrote: »

I work for people with learning difficulties and the audience for the videos would be new staff and maybe the families of our clients and possibly other services for disability...what im trying to say is I probably don't need a high end pro-sumer I believe you call it....Or do I?

To be honest i would go for one. Given the the people you are aiming the videos at, you want it to look as good as possible. General consumer (single chip) cameras suffer in low light conditions with noise, where as a decent 3-chip will preform alot better.

I know I would like to manually focus and especially zoom in as fast or slow as I want with a dial on the lens. Would I need a seperate microphone? whats the story with H.D. aswell? I don't have a clue whats out there these days so any advice is greatly appreciated.

I'd also suggest getting a HDV (but edit at standard def - have a look at the thread on downconverting hd to sd). A good radio mic would be a must if you are doing general interviews with people or people doing pieces to camera, instructional pieces etc, it will cut down on background noises. If you can push it i'd try also to get a decent directional mic for when you are doing generic shots, as far as i know the onboard mics are generally bi-directional.

So based on all that, 2 options....
CANON XH A1 eur3,649.99
SONY HDR-FX7 eur3399.99

have a ring around and you may get a better price
http://www.dpproducts.ie/
http://www.tyrell.ie/
http://www.eurotek.ie/
http://www.visuals.co.uk/VisualImpactIreland/default.asp

briano.de.rhino

Thanks Decob, I couldnt ask for more, but I will...would there be anything else you could recommend for around 2 grand Euros. or 2,500. Also, would I need a directional mic on top of said price? can u tell me which mic to get etc?

Thanks, Briano.

decob

The only cameras i can think of in that range would be the canon xm2 or sony pd170, they are both standard def cameras, but 3chip.

Just had a look at the specs and the mic on the xm2 is a directional mic. And the pd170 comes with a shotgun (directional) mic. With luck one of the xm2 owners who frequent here can give you some feedback on the xm2s mic.

The sony may be a bit more expensive than the canon, but i would lean towards it more as it can record to DVCpro (small 40min tapes only).

Germain

Can I also suggest that you drop in to Alliance Electric on George's St? They deal in prosumer as well as consumer cameras and often have trade-ins of decent quality. For instance, the PD-170 camera mentioned above is not a HD camera so many people are trading in them for the new generation models. It's a very nice camera to use - it will work well in auto mode and, when you get to know it, the manual settings will give you more scope. You won't find the zoom very fast but you can always do a little speed up in your edit.

The mic is removable so all you need is a longer cable to get it close to your subjects.

I find the guys in Alliance pretty knowledgeable but beware of them trying to flog something that they just happen to have in stock. Do a bit of research beforehand.

nessymon

have a look at some of hte new Sonys even the 1080i

Eric Cartman

if you want something thats semi-pro but not so much of the cost have a look at the Sony HVR-HD1000e, its a consumer cam in a pro body though, but has a soft ring, i would however push more towards the XM2 end of the market, or if you preffer shoulder mount, theres good deals on XL1s's to be had