HD Camcorder for about $150. Need help here. Would be appreciated.

msp1518

msp1518

This budget is small. Micro. I know you cannot buy a superb camera with $150. But my God, the choices... I've spent maybe three weeks researching and barely scratched the surface.

For every review that states the camera does such and such well, I find reviews that state the opposite. This is making my head hurt. The Zi8 sucks. No it's awesome, buy the FLIP. No, the FLIP is crap. No the 2nd gen FLIP is fine, but the 3rd gen sucks. Too bad you cannot combine ports of 3rd gen with 2nd gen Flip. WTF?!

Here is what I know... My trusty MiniDV TRV50 from Sony handled low light fairly well and was decent with focus. That's not surprising considering it cost me $1300 many eons ago. Unfortunately for me, I am not familiar with anything modern in regards to cameras. Maybe that makes me old.

So I need to find something cheap, about $150, that I can experiment with, shoot some short shorts with, get my feet wet again. At that price point there are over a hundred choices.

One short I have in mind would be cutting back and forth between static dialogue shots and moving steadycam like shots. So unfortunately, that means we need something that can handle in door lighting and something that won't be too shaky when moving. :blush:

Camera must be HD. 720p is fine. Focus is so important. Auto focus that can't lock is unbearable to watch.

Ability to add an external mic would be awesome. Sound is so important and if I could record good sound without additional equipment, it would save me some headaches.

I have a Velbon Videomate 601 tripod and it would be great if I could make use of it.

Then there is editing: A camera that captures in a format that is not troublesome for PC's and Macs would be great. Should I shoot some short film footage it would be edited in Final Cut. Personal stuff would be edited on my PC running WindowsXP.

This is a lot to ask, I know and I am sorry to bother you experts. I hope you will humor me. When the time comes I will be looking for a camera in the 3k to 5k range, but again, I wants something dirt cheap to screw around with until then.

Thanks!
 
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If you're just learning how to make films, I don't see any reason why you need HD. A flip cam is a horrible idea, in my opinion. I think you'll get much more mileage, and will have a much greater experience, using a used miniDV camera.

Make sure it's got a focus-ring, manual exposure, manual white-balance, and an audio-in jack. If you can get a camera with all four of those things for $150, you're golden (it will be difficult, but if you search diligently on ebay, and are patient, I think you can find one).
 
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Oops. I just read the rest of your post, to discover that you've already got a miniDV camera. Why would you want to downgrade your equipment? Sure, you gain HD, but you lose in so many other ways. I would just keep using your TRV50, until you can afford stepping up to something like the T2i.

As far as handheld shots, they're going to be shaky, no matter the camera. However, shaky footage can be smoothed out in post.
 
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I'm also guilty of not having read that part of your post :P

Trust me (and countless other members here who'll tell you) cheap HD solutions are a lot worse than a decent normal definition camera. I would stick with what you have because anything you can get for $150 dollars is going to produce pretty ropey shooting quality, regardless of whether it's HD.

Alternatively you could sell your MiniDV and try and scrape together enouh cash for the T2i, because that's the best affordable HD that you can get and is great at low light. However if the external mic jack is a big issue it may not be the best.
 
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For that price range in HD you won't get anything that is very useful for narrative work. It's all really flip cams at that price.

My $0.02 Keep your trv50.

Take your $150 dollars and buy this:

http://www.redrockmicro.com/diy_guide.html

The materials to make it, and with whatever is left over grab a couple of F mount Nikkor lenses, 50mm, 85mm, and 35mm would be a good start (or there abouts). Search around local flea markets, pawn shops, antique stores, salvage stores, etc. There are other ways to get to the ground glass adapter. Many diy options and IIRC some really low price ones out there as well.

Attach said items to trv50 and continue shooting with it. If you want to go with an HD camera, plan on spending about $1K USD, be it a consumer camcorder with some manual control or an entry level dslr with hd video. ~$1k seems to be the magic-ish number.
 
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Another option would be to keep using ur miniDV and invest the money in some DIY lighting.

You're DV footage is going to look much better with good lighting than someone else's HD footage with poor lighting.
 
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Hey guys. When I buy for real, I will have a budget of 3 grand. Maybe more. That's next year, likely the fall.

The problem here is my wife wants a small HD camera. Big time. She is obsessed because all her friends have one and their footage looks much cleaner than our stuff from the Sony. 540i can't compete with 1080p. Especially outdoors.

I know that my budget is pathetic and impossible. The key is, find something that will give me some of what I want and roll with it. The Zi8 keeps popping up as the best option since you can add an external mic.

Now David, that link looks interesting. Has anyone here actually bought that guide and went all the way with it? Or purchased the kit? I'm not sure if my TRV50 would met the technical requirements though.

The Sony TRV50 is certainly a fine standard def camera and I never even scratched the surface of what it can do. It would be a shame to sell but the wife wants HD and is a stubborn lady. I figure okay, get maybe $150 and buy the best HD camera I can get and play around with it. The lack of true 16X9 on the Sony is a big negative. It's 16x9 function is fake via electronic methods and reduces resolution.

I hate 4X3 with a passion when trying to shoot two or more people talking.

Of course, I am also looking at experimenting with Super 8mm and that's 4X3 all the way, though I read there are ways around that too. I may start a Super 8 camera thread as I am looking on eBay.
 
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Oh, okay, so wifey wants it for home vids? That's cool. I'd say she can have whichever one she wants, in that price-range, and I'd just let it be her camera. Just cuz you own it doesn't mean you'd want to use it for filmmaking. Sure, go ahead and play with it, but I'll bet you end up thinking how much it sucks using a camera like that for filmmaking, and will return to your trusty Sony handycam.
 
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Oh, totally different.

No clue on cameras of that type. There were some Sony ones that seemed pretty good, nice form factor, and came in shiny bright colors. :)

Re: the DIY adapter. I was going to (might still), but I am leaning towards the GH2. PM'd you some info so as not to derail the thread.
 
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The Zi8 continues to come out on top in my research. Likely I will go with that.

I've also purchased two Super 8mm Canon 814's. Know nothing at all about how to shoot film, but figured why not try and learn.
 
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