need help with buying first 3CCD camera

L

lux

Hi guys, im 15 years old, have been reading this forum for a while and i now have a question to ask. Im looking for a good quality 3CCD camera. Definetly manual control, true 16:9 and hopefully 24 or 25p.Would love dvx or fx1 but they are a little too pricey so im thinking of panasonic gs-400 or canon xm2 or anything else around that range. Im not worried about audio too much as im hoping to get a good mic. I havn't heard much about the xm2 so i would love to hear your opinions. Hope you can help. :)
 
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Hey Lux,

The GS-400 is a good camera by all accounts. It's also the only one to have a true 16:9 mode. The XM2 (Pal version of the GL2) does not.

Since you're in PAL territory you will want to go with 25p. You wouldn't be able to play 24p on your TVs without modifying it in post.
 
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i have the gs400 and it is an excellent camera. the main selling points for me were the price and the 16:9. oh and it has a very large lcd, at 3.5 inches you can't go wrong.
 
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The PV-GS400 would make a great starting cam, and it's in the realm of affordable for a lot of people. It's probably the best thing on the market in its price range. Manual control is well done (the multi-purpose ring is quite ingenius, imo). Having shot with one, I have to say I was quite impressed.

Depending on your budget, I would suggest the Sony VX2100 as my first choice. More expensive, yes, but one of the best (imo) "bang for your buck" cams out there.
 
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interesting about the 24p, i didn't know it had toubles with Pal. Ive thought about the Sony VX2100 but for the money i think id rather save up that extra bit to buy a dxv. I dont know how much they both retail for but i know a new zealand company which sells higher end cameras cheaply and the Sony VX2100 is about $1000aus cheaper then the dvx (email/post me about this company if you are interested. really cheap prices.) Sounds like the PV-GS400 might be the go or i might save up and go the whole way with a dvx. Or then theres the 'prosumer' HD cameras i need to think about but i dont really know if its worth it. I hear it helps if your trying to get into festivals which i plan to do but im sure the material is more important. Anyway, thanks alot for all your help guys.
 
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(Hoping this isn't considered another Filmmaking website... ;))

[ *link removed* Please don't link to other forums similar to indietalk.com - Wideshot ] You'll find great reviews of most any camera, and tonnes of people who know their stuff and will be of great help in selecting a camera.
 
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The 400 has 1/4.7 " CCD's for motion, the 200 has 1/6 " . Ive only tested the 200 and Although I liked the picture a lot, the super low lux was IMO awful. The larger CCD's should technically be better.

The 400 is 1200-1400

The 200 is 700-900 USD
 
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yea i think the 400 is the go. the company i am looking to buy from only has the 400 and its $1,700aus (which is very cheap) so if i were to buy the 200 it would be for about the same price if i looked elsewhere.
 
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ive never used it, but the pv gs-400 is supposed to be great for the price (so ive read). but i was wondering: i know that theyre a little bit different in price, but which is the better buy, the pv-gs400 or the sony dcr hc1000 (both having 3ccds, audio input and 16:9)?
 
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the 400 has native 16:9? damn.. I should have bought that instead of the 120 :(

but im happy with the 120 regardless. 1300 bucks is a great price though for that 400. I bet you can even haggle the price down a bit if you walk into a bestbuys or Frys electronic and straight up look at the salesmans face and say "I can get it cheaper on the internet" if he gives you a bit of attitude just ask for the department manager. It freaks him out a bit and say it to the managers face and more then likely they will knock a hundred or 2 hundred off the price. I do it almost everytime I go into frys. I got a 1700 dollar TV for 1000 bucks and a free 2 year extended warrenty and about 4 or 5 sales guys staring at me shaking their heads in disbelief and not looking like I was going to be on their christmas list this year. They always give me dirty looks when I go in there.
 
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