The Canon HV30, or it’s younger brother the HV20, are two of the finest cameras you can buy for under $1,000. The HV30 is currently at $544 at amazon, which is an incredible deal. Unless you’re looking to spend much more than that, I couldn’t recommend either of these cameras enough. Both record 1080p HD video, so you should be all set in the visual department for a while.
Now, if you are looking to spend more than that, the Panasonic AG-HVX200 is the finest digital camera readily available, which currently retails for anywhere between $3,000 and $5,000 depending on where you buy it.
Or for about $50,000 you could just get the whole RED package and be the envy of everyone on the block, having the single most advanced piece of digital equipment available. Just start saving those pennies.
I’ve shot on the HVX200 and loved it, but it’s really not necessary for day to day shooting or small projects. I would recommend not spending over $1,000 for starters. The difference between $1,000 and $5,000 is neglible, don’t waste the money, put it into story, locations, actors, props etc…You will love the upgrade to final cut pro from imovie. All ideas are possible in final cut, if you can think of a way, final cut is capable of executing it. Also with the cheaper camera buy a couple of lenses and it will give you different looks and options while shooting, at the very least buy a wide angle lens.
Thanks!
All 3 of these cameras mentioned are worthy.
I’d either go with the Canon H20, the HVX200 or the SD DVX100-24p.
Also
Check out Scarlet.
http://www.scarletuser.com/
If you’re currently using consumer DV and only intend on moving up to Final Cut Express (not Studio) you might be quite happy with a Canon XL-2. It’s very cheap, it captures beautiful progressive images and can take XL lenses. I shot a short film on this and screened it in a theatre on DigiBeta and many people in the audience thought we had shot on 16 mm. The only other camera in the same price range that can shoot progressive is the Panasonic DVX-100 (which I used sparingly on the same shoot). All I can say about the DVX-100 is run a mile. It looks horrible. In fact, all my experience with Panasonic cameras has been disappointing. (Likewise JVC, but that goes without saying.)
SD will soon become a limiting factor though, so you may want to look into a HDV cam that can shoot PsF. Others might know more about this that I. Just make sure you can capture your image progressively instead of interlaced. If any salesperson tries to talk to you about HDCAM or XDCAM, ignore them because you can’t use it without more equipment. Likewise you won’t be able to process the R3D files from a Scarlet with a MacBook.
N.B. Make sure to keep your old camera around. Macs have a little known flaw in their build: many DV cameras cannot be attached to a computer via Firewire while an external Firewire HDD is connected. This is because most Macs have a max FW bus of 800 Mb/s while only having one FW800 port and one FW400 port, adding up to 1200 Mb/s. Of course, DV is 25Mb/s and therefore should leave plenty of bandwidth. Should, but doesn’t. If you can currently connect your external HDD at the same time as your camera, stick with that as your DV “deck”.
I’ll just leave a tip, i don’t know how much is your budget, but the Sony PMW-EX3 is the best in its price range. It actually is very competitive even with more expensive cameras and easy to use, as well as versatile. I use a AJA IO HD with it (http://www.aja.com/html/products_Io_IoHD.html) and i am able to capture 4:2:2 10 bit video from the HD-SDI connection directly in Pro-Res for use with the Final Cut. The image is outstanding. Now, if you are not willing to expend much, i would say the new Canon HG21 (A handycam, but capable of 1080p24/30) would be the best pick. I actually tried many cameras and after editing i couldn’t find any difference between the HD video from it and other expensive ($5000) cameras. It is cheap, easy, and the support equipment is cheap as well. You can make pretty good films with it, the image would NEVER be a bother, at least to me. Like the other fellow said above, you can save some money and apply yourself to your script.
I’ve worked with both the DVX100 and the HVX200 and they’re both great
I work at a video and photo store here in Canada, so here are my thoughts:
I think it really comes down to budget. Sub $1000 I would go with the Canon HV20 or HV30. Personally, I would stay away from the HG21, as the AVCHD codec is not as widely supported as HDV. With Final Cut Express, it takes a bit of “Log and Transfer” time to import. With iMovie however, AVCHD works great.
The DVX100 is a much better camera than the handycams, however standard def may be a limit for you depending on your output. It is also more expensive. The new Panasonic HMC150 is probably a better option, although more expensive. It records to SD memory cards instead of tape.
The Panasonic HVX200 and Sony EX1 or EX3 cameras offer a huge step up, however they also run a very steep price. The HVX is only about $4800, but the P2 memory format is bulky and not cheap. 16GB of memory is 16 minutes of footage, and costs $1000 (again, cdn). Sony is not much better on memory, but the cameras run $7000 or $10000 respectively. I would hardly call these entry level.
I would say definitely in the consumer range, the Canon HV30 gets my vote. If you are working with Final Cut, stay away from the AVCHD (tapeless) codec, if you are working with iMovie you can really not go wrong with any of the current models (HG21, HF11)
Also, for a 35mm look, you should definitely check out a 35mm lens adapter, such as the Letus extreme. For another $1000, you can have handycam footage that looks wonderful, with small DOF. www.letusdirect.com
Feel free to message me if you have any more questions.
Keagan Brooks above steers you straight. I have the DVX100b, a very fine camera limited (?) to SD. You gotta know what you need. If I had the funds right now, it would be a toss between the Panasonic HVX200 and the Sony EX3. Couple either with the Letus Extreme, and you should be good to go. Bounce over to dvxuser.com to see ample examples of what these cameras can do. Now, as soon the Lotto gods grace me with their favor…
http://www.vimeo.com/882030
Keagan, i disagree with you about the AVCHD in iMovie/FCP. When you use the Log and transfer in FCP you transcode the AVCHD to Apple ProRes, when you use iMovie you transcode it to AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec) which is quite worse. You should go with the FCP workflow all the way.
About the HVX200 and EX-3, if you are not going to capture uncompressed through HD-SDI, i find the HVX200a more interesting. DVCPRO HD at 100Mb/s is way better to work than “MPEG-2 long GOP”. I also like the softness of the HVX200a picture and the more balanced colors.
I either use a RED for films that need a lot of cinematographic work or my DVX100B with specific scene file settings and an anamorphic lens at 24Pa for shorts, although I’ve just finished a film on the DVX and it’s worked out perfectly. The DVX cost me $1500 second hand about a year ago (and I’ve recently seen it advertized for less), has never faulted me once, and with a little set-up preparation converts beautifully to HD or 35mm. I’d recommend it if you are moving up from a basic camcorder as the learning curve is reasonable. For editing, FCP or AVID and After Effects will give you everything you need.
The RED is obviously godlike, but it has its own set of rules and work flows. You need a powerful computer.
Ikonoskop makes a new digital camera that i worked with a few months ago. It was shockingly small and what was even more shocking was the fact that they actually put a decent 48kHz audio recorder with good mic preamps inside. Which is important when you aren’t doing dual system sound. All the RED cameras i’ve worked with have had problems with noisy audio. The Ikonoskop also mounts still camera lenses and shoots at 1-60 fps. Just need to get 8,000 dollars.
Go with a dvx100b or a pd-150 sony.
Sony HVR-A1U, very cheap but decent video and sound quality.
what do you think about Panasonic HDC-SD9?
i’m thinking about it
here it seems a great choice: http://www.wired.com/reviews/product/panasonic_hdc_sd9
I’m flagging this thread for induction into the Hall of Shame on account of substance.
I have an HV20 and I’m very happy with it. It is a single chip camera so don’t expect too much but it is probably the best one on the market.
R-U-S, you’re flagging this on account of substance? Would you care to explain yourself? Much as I admire your crusade to shame threads on The Auteurs, I am bemused by your intrusion into the threads for Garage, which are all about filmmaking from practical and theoretical perspectives (and project ideas), and not debates/critiques/opinions about films generally.
Am I just to suppose that you dislike filmmakers talking tech? Or do you feel there’s a paucity of information here that needs amending? In which case, feel free to add your own suggestion as to which camera you’d use (or have used) to make a movie.
Fede, sorry I overlooked your question.
HDC-SD9… I was going to get one a while back because it records at 1920 × 1080, and its size would be great for guerilla filmmaking, sneaking about getting films in locations where a larger camera would be obtrusive. It’s got a Leica lens, which is always good. But it all goes to shit in mid to low-light—- videos get noisy, and that means clean up post-production, and wasted time and headaches. The other problem is that it shoots 24p (which is good), but it does this as telecined 24p-in-60i, which basically means you have to pay careful attention with your project settings when capturing it on your computer at the end. And finally, the mic is tiny and set in a difficult place when you grip the camera, so that in normal grip you’ll probably be muting your sound. But it’s spy-sized nugget feel make it tempting, especially if you were looking to do some kind of cinema verite styled film.
thank you tobias,
do you think that canon hv30 is better than hdc-sd9?
Yes. I’ve got tutorials on the HV20/30 in development, how to adapt them for 35mm (and other lenses)… it’s cheaper, that’s for sure, and I’m in favor of them because they are flexible, working in many conditions, and the resolution is great. The HDC-SD9 is an interesting camera… but my instincts pulled me away from it because of the aforementioned issues. It all depends what you want to achieve. Like I say, I think it would suit a specific project, but if you want to make a more long term, practical investment… HV30.
thanks a lot!
hey, here is my site, I am a young French director and I try to show my work to people who are interested in…
You can let commentaries on the site :)
http://max-las.blogspot.com/
Thanks ;)
TheAuteurs is a fantastic site
for about 5 grand you can get set up with a canon XL2 and a wide-angle lense.
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-XL2-MiniDV-Camcorder-Optical/dp/B0002OJYDS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1235408406&sr=1-1
its sd, but its gets great image, and I think its the only camera under 20k that will let you change the lenses out. Canon makes 3 lenses specifically for it, and you can also buy an adapter that will let you use pretty much any lense thats out there.
double post
Not quite, the Sony Z7U for about 5k-6k has interchangable lenses and is HD, as well as the Sony EX3 for closer to 10k.
The XL2 is a great deal still though.
on a low budget i would suggest Canon’s new HV40 (its the same as the 30 but with true progressive capabilities) or the new HF S100.
any higher up in the range i would go with the Canon XH A1s my choices in canan would stop from here on out as the amount of money spent on their products is spent better on their competitors Sony and Pansonic. as Canon is Very very very far behind in their technology.
Of course there is the 5D mkII as a video camera it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of customization and features but you get a absolutely stunning still camera out of it with a decent video feature.
i’m sorry if this post comes ina tad bit late… i would listen to Keagan and Hell i work in the same store!!!
http://www.vimeo.com/4167288
Beautiful footage from the I-Movix Sprintcam, 1,000 fps muthafuckas!
o crap. gorgeous, simply gorgeous. 2009… the beginning of the end.
L V
Hi garage community,
This seems to be where the film makers are collecting. And so I come to you for advice…
I have been getting used to the filming/editing process by using a consumer level handheld DV Panasonic recorder and editing on iMovie. I am tired of the lack of quality, and as my ideas and skills are evolving, so too should my technology. I’m going to be getting Final Cut Express and would like to purchase a good entry level DV that would be appropriate to use with a Mac Book but would be of good enough quality for nice image resolution and audio. However, I don’t want it to be so entry level that I will be needing an upgrade in the near future… something with some legs.
What are people using to shoot their films? Recommendations are greatly appreciated!
Sorry for budding into your garage, but I figured this would be a place to come on by and ask.
Thanks!