Purchasing Video Camera Part II

bandb

Hi All
thanks for your all your suggestions to the last post.
new camera's for sale on camreakit.ie, this is the cheapest.
would this be ok for wedding videography - to start with.

I know some of you guys have ones for sale with kit,, am considering those aswell.

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Manufacturer: Sony
Sony HVR-HD1000E HDV 1/2.9-inch CMOS Shoulder Mount Camcorder

The HVR-HD1000E's shoulder-mount design and black matte body is similar to that of other professional camcorders; making it perfect for weddings, corporate communications and sporting events where appearance can make a big difference. The ergonomically balanced shoulder mount design also reduces operator fatigue on long shoots where a tripod might not be practical.

Price: € 1,399.00 (€ 1,699.79 Inc VAT)
1,203.14 GBP

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briano.de.rhino

yeah its grand for weddings. but try get a 3-chip camera.this is only single chip.it looks the part but isnt. I got a canon xm2 [3 chip mini dv] from purelygadgets.co.uk for E1600. amazing price.its a grey import tho and u can be unlucky and get dodgy manuals and no warranty etc.but it worked out for me.your choice.either that or pay 2500 in camera centre in dublin for same model[prolly 3000 now] how much is your budget.? remember audio is more important than video practically. if u got bad audio , any scene is in the bin but good audio and bad video can be rescued somewhat.so a tripod and mic and longlife battery are essential on top of price of camera.

Brian.

keefg

bandb, ever heard the saying "You get what you pay for"?

A few of us did say that you would need to spend approx 10k for a decent wedding set up (for new gear). We weren't joking mate.

To be honest, that camera is sh1te.

briano.de.rhino wrote: »

it looks the part but isnt.

Bang on advice there from Brian, just because it's a big shoulder mount design doesn't mean it's any good.

As Brian has said, sound is the real key and it looks like the one you're looking as only has an on board mic and no XLR inputs.

You will probably get away with the picture quality on that camera but the sound will be terrible and get the sound wrong and the whole production is fit for the bin.

You would pretty much have to have that camera shoved in the brides face to hear the vows, same with the speeches.

The little Sony A1E that meep is selling would be a much better option than that pile of crap.

briano.de.rhino

Hi Keef,

I dont mean to change the subject of the thread but I figure th OP might get some use from my Q.

do you have any interesting D.I.Y. ideas for equipment?

.i gonna make a homemade dolly with skateboard wheels and a willing woodwork teacher
and I use the extended tripod as a steadicam.but what about a jib or other equipment or tricks? I dont mean to take away from your advertisement of a 5m jib in your signature.

keefg

I wouldn't be too much help to you there Brian.

All my gear is pro-made (Tiffen Steadicam, Hague Jib etc.) I'm not the handiest when it comes to DIY .

Have you had a look on You Tube? There are loads of "How to" videos on there.

You should be able to knock up a simple wooden jib arm easy enough. It won't give you the versatility of a pro rig but if you only need straight up & down shots it should do the job.

bandb

hey guys thanks for all your posts. apologies if i keep on asking same questions . i really dont have €20k to spend as im trying to get setup.
i want to put as little as poss into this incase this doesnt work out etc.
i thought of hiring a camera but im thinking now to own is better
flexibility etc.

i want to move on this as much as possible so second hand is
prob where i go. again if ye could direct me as to the bare essentials to get going.

also going to do wedding booklets invitations etc as extras.

thanks

keefg

bandb wrote: »

again if ye could direct me as to the bare essentials to get going.

If you check back on your other threads you will see plenty of advice on cameras etc from myself and other posters.

To be honest, if you don't have the budget to buy a decent set up and you know very little about Pro cameras and how they work, how do you think you can compete in a market that is already saturated with much better equipped & experienced cameramen?

2000 euro will get you nothing of any use in the pro camera market. To give you an idea....my tripods & spare batteries cost me about 1.5k - and that's before you even consider a half decent camera.

bandb

Keefg - thanks for that. i will go back and look at all replies.
i understand i need a good camera and euip to compete in the market its just starting off i thought i could go less and work way up.

basic camera with good quality thats second hand to go with.

im trying to see how cheap i can start with.
i reckon now essentials;
-camera
-tripod
-sound - mics
-batteries,cards
-editing software
-lights maybe???

iceax

Hi all,
i have just read some of your comments about equipment
we can all read reviews and spec's on paper, but in the real world it's different .
It would be great if those in the profession could enlighten us on gear they think is up to mark !!!
model numbers/ brands etc for any good's. and more inportant what is crap.

tripod heads , good mic's , batt packs in fact any thing in their backpack that you would you could not do without.

kind regard

bandb

iceax, now youve hit the nail on the head

the basics to start im sure there are a few things that can be done without.
after i purchase the equip and train on diff areas.. i plan on volunteering my services for free to get going.

keefg

bandb wrote: »

Keefg - thanks for that. i will go back and look at all replies.
i understand i need a good camera and euip to compete in the market its just starting off i thought i could go less and work way up.

I see where you're coming from mate, I'm just trying to make you aware of what you will need and how much all that gear costs.

I can't really offer anymore advice than I have on your previous threads. You are looking at cameras that I don't use (for good reason ).

The wedding market has changed recently, people are expecting prices to go down (recession and all that) and the quality of the gear being used has gone up.

Most wedding guys now use their HD equipment as a marketing tool to Joe Public and even though the punter might not know the technical differences, every dog on the street knows that HD is better than SD and the guys who are investing in new gear are using that to their advantage.

If it was as simple and as cheap as 2k to set up a pro wedding video company then I guess everyone would be doing it. Saying that, you seem determined to start up one yourself with little technical knowledge and budget so all I can do is wish you good luck.

Only you will know what competition you're up against locally so if the standard is poor and you think you can do better then you might just have a chance to get your foot in the door.

You might get lucky and find some wedding video company selling off their old gear as they switch to HD (you've already had a couple of offers in your earlier threads) or just chance your arm on Ebay.

iceax wrote: »

Hi all,
i have just read some of your comments about equipment
we can all read reviews and spec's on paper, but in the real world it's different .
It would be great if those in the profession could enlighten us on gear they think is up to mark !!!
model numbers/ brands etc for any good's. and more inportant what is crap.

tripod heads , good mic's , batt packs in fact any thing in their backpack that you would you could not do without.

Hmm.....that's a bit general really. Only you will know what camera really works for you. Same goes with what gear to carry, it all depends on the shoot.

I only buy Sony gear because that's what I'm used to & comfortable with, but I know guys who only use Panasonic or Cannon.

As far as batteries go, the only advice I would give there is to buy original batteries from the maker of your camera. I have wasted money on cheaper no-name batteries and they were terrible.

keefg

bandb wrote: »

iceax, now youve hit the nail on the head

the basics to start im sure there are a few things that can be done without.

When you asked me before what you would need for a wedding set up I told you a very basic set up would be......

Decent HD/HDV camera - 4-8k (new) - regardless of what anyone tells you, standard definition (SD) is dead so a 3-CCD HDV camera should be the minimum you use.
Plenty of spare hi-capacity batteries - 200-400 each and separate multi charger.
Plenty of tapes or memory card (depending on camera format).
Shotgun Mic & Dead Cat.
Tripod - anywhere from 200 euro to 4k (for a pro head & legs).
Toplight.
Wireless mic kit - you will need at least 2 lavalier transmitters.

Camera make & model aside, I'd be interested in hearing what you think you can "do without" on that list.

bandb

keefg

it might look like i ignored what you said i havent.
what you listed there i know are essentials
camera/tripod/batteries/storgage/lights.

if its going to cost me €20k then ive got to hit it on the head.
yes i know HD is the way to go. renting out equip may be a way to get started but im not based near dublin and that is only place i know that rents equip.

the venture seems to be slowly dying due to finance i think.
there is a market where i live and im not only limiting myself to one county. i did plan when i got going on this road to offer prices way below the others.. although this doesnt always prove successful no matter how prof your vid looks. i studied marketing and if a prod is too cheap the consumer may not go for it... weird i know.

minimum it looks like €5k upwards and thats with second camera etc.

keefg

bandb wrote: »

it might look like i ignored what you said i havent.

That's not how I take it at all. I can see you are trying to do this as cheap as possible, but 2k is still a lot of money and I wouldn't like to see you waste on something you don't know enough about.

bandb wrote: »

if its going to cost me €20k then ive got to hit it on the head.

10K was the figure I quoted

bandb wrote: »

the venture seems to be slowly dying due to finance i think.
where i live i believe there is a market and im not only limiting myself to one county. i did plan when i got going on this road to offer prices way below the others.

Hey, don't let me put you off. If you think you can make it work then go for it.

bandb wrote: »

i studied marketing and if a prod is too cheap the consumer may not go for it... weird i know.

LOL...I know exactly what you mean.

bandb wrote: »

minimum it looks like €5k upwards and thats with second camera etc.

Pretty much, and that would be for an SD set up.

briano.de.rhino

my set up is canon xm2 E1600. but its grey import from a UK website,
E25 for 3 hour battery.
slik qf 504 tripod E110 from a company in Swords.with video pan head, works fine.
wide angle converter - 160.
fish eye lens- from 47th st. photo in America.- E100.
I got a wireless mic lavalier set up off the boss that he had spare.
total cost E2000 approx. [but still need a shotgun mic ideally]

Mind you im not outputting to earn money.but the quality of the footage looks decent.
as far as editing is concerned, if you had a friend who has an editing software......

bandb

hi all

well ie decided its time to get purchasing so to finish id be ever so grateful
if you guys could recommend camera and equip to buy and where to purchase. please keep it to as cheap as possible yet i want stuff that is suitable for todays weddings.. so way ye go.
training and exp will jsut have to follow now

thanks
ed

faigs

You really need a 3 chip camera to be up to good standards, a Sony Z1 would do it and you'd pay around 2k second hand. Sound is vital so you need a shotgun mic and a radio mic (radio mic is at least €500). Good fluid head tripod needed too.

It seems you don't want to spend much - the industry of video production and camera operating can be lucrative but hard work - but you must take a risk investing in good gear. Cameramen get paid high rates per day because their equipment is so expensive. Wedding videos cost on average €1000 - €1500, you're not going to be able to buy cheap gear and charge this and have your gear paid off with 2 gigs. Your quality simply won't be good enough. It takes a lot more than that. Thats why not anyone can just do it. The charges for a wedding video have to pay for the time of the operators/editor AS WELL AS the investment in gear. You also need experience - for a wedding there are no second takes, no room for error with your shots and sound. You should really think about this before you decide on entering an industry you don't know much about.

afatbollix

http://www.argos.ie

25 euro tripod

300 euro camera if you just want to do it... you will get about 20 euro per job

But sence your saying everything is bull**** that every one is telling you on here maybe this is what you want to hear...