I've been shooting with a Sony HDR-SR1 HDD for the past couple of years and want to upgrade after the holidays. I'm looking to get started with a professional camcorder finally, but I have no idea where to start. I almost bought a Canon XL1S but then someone stopped me by saying that Minidv was going out of production...needless to say I'm in a bit of a rut. I'm not looking for the best of the best, to be honest I was hoping to spend between $1,000-$1,200. Any guidance would be a great deal of help.
Camera
- Thread starter TylerBrandon
- Start date
Mini DV isn't going out of production. There are still tons of cameras out there that use mini DV as a format. It may some day go out of production but I don't see that happening any time soon. Whoever told you that doesn't seem to know anything about video cameras and their production. I would say go for the XL1S unless someone else has a better idea on what you could get.
You aren't going to find a professional camera in your
price range. You can find a nice camera, but it won't
be a pro camera.
JVC HM400
This is my favorite of the sub $1,200 cameras. The
1/2.3-inch CMOS is really nice and it has a 1/8-inch mic
jack. Unfortunatly that jack is in an ackward place. Like
many recent cameras there is no viewfinder but I also
understand that most people just entering the field don’t
really need one. It doesn’t shoot in 24p which to many
is a deal breaker. Like most HDD cameras this records
AVCDH files which can be unwieldy to edit.
Canon HFS11 and HFS10
While this camera has nice manual controls for some
reason there is no independent control of apature and
shutter speed. It has a 1/8-inch mic jack and a nice
lens. The single CMOS is quite large at 1/2.6-inches. It
shoots 60i, 24p and 30p.
price range. You can find a nice camera, but it won't
be a pro camera.
JVC HM400
This is my favorite of the sub $1,200 cameras. The
1/2.3-inch CMOS is really nice and it has a 1/8-inch mic
jack. Unfortunatly that jack is in an ackward place. Like
many recent cameras there is no viewfinder but I also
understand that most people just entering the field don’t
really need one. It doesn’t shoot in 24p which to many
is a deal breaker. Like most HDD cameras this records
AVCDH files which can be unwieldy to edit.
Canon HFS11 and HFS10
While this camera has nice manual controls for some
reason there is no independent control of apature and
shutter speed. It has a 1/8-inch mic jack and a nice
lens. The single CMOS is quite large at 1/2.6-inches. It
shoots 60i, 24p and 30p.
Directorik:
That's the problem I'm having! Having to convert the files is killing me...especially since I don't have firewire on my Macbook which makes even transferring them a hassle.
Devhaven:
The Canon isn't HD?
That's the problem I'm having! Having to convert the files is killing me...especially since I don't have firewire on my Macbook which makes even transferring them a hassle.
Devhaven:
The Canon isn't HD?
The Canon XL1s is a SD camera made from 2001 until 2004.
Since you don’t have firewire into your computer then even MiniDV
will be a problem.
And that “someone” is wrong. MiniDV is going strong and isn’t
likely to be so obsolete that you can’t by tapes for another ten
or more years. Look at super 8. It was called dead in the ‘90’s
and is going along stronger than ever.
Since you don’t have firewire into your computer then even MiniDV
will be a problem.
And that “someone” is wrong. MiniDV is going strong and isn’t
likely to be so obsolete that you can’t by tapes for another ten
or more years. Look at super 8. It was called dead in the ‘90’s
and is going along stronger than ever.
I'd love to shoot Super 8... would never know where to begin though...haha Also, I totally neglected to acknowledge that the Canon was SD...looks like I should keep on researching before I jump in. My only problem is the budget at this point, I spent most of it on my set up.
I'm glad miniDV is not dead, seems like there are lots of used cameras on the market that when new were WAY out of my price range. But as more and more folks jump onto the cutting edge, more good deals present them selves.
I am shooting with a Canon HF100. Converting files is not a big problem. I use a Turbo.264HD converter. It is an USB plugin. That way it doesn't use the computer to do the work. The canon uses SD cards . When I am done I just convert while I work on something else. I think people worry to much about converting speed
No the Turbo is Mac only. I would just find a good conversion program and let it work overnight for you. I use the Wondershare Video converter. It was pretty cheap and is easy to use.
