Newbie needs camera for first time film making - help!?

chokingthealligator

chokingthealligator

Hey guys, I'm new here and currently studying film. I'm hoping to make a short soon but want a camera that has that film look to it. I know not many camcorders have 24p cinema mode intergrated but I was wondering if anyone could point in the right direction...

I want an HD camera that records directly onto Hard drive and that has 24p mode so that it looks more like film. Is there anything else I should be after? I've been looking at the Canon HG10 simply because it is in my price range (Under £500) and seems to be the only one in this price range that has 24p mode but after looking at the difference between 60i and 24p it was not that noticeable...

Any info on anything would be very much appreciated, as I say I'm new to film making and just want the best camera I can get for my money,

Thanks guys :)
 
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FilmmakerG said:
Canon HF200
Canon HV20

Both amazing cameras which would be perfect for what you're looking for.
Click to expand...

Hi thanks for that! Having had a look at the HF200 that can shoot in 25p, I was looking more for 24p. The HV20 seems ideal apart from a recurring white balancing issue people seem to have.

Does Sony produce any cameras under £500 with 24p cinema mode? Or is it only Canon at the moment? What is better out of the Canon HV20 and the Canon HG10 if anyone has any ideas?

Thanks again for the reply :)


*Also are there cameras that are 24p but not necessarly high def? - if that is cheaper or leaves me with more options that would be great - I've heard it can take hours to transfer 1080p footage onto a computer and even longer to edit? If anyone can shed some light on the pros/cons of AVCHD that would be usfeul as well...*
 
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No problem

You can change the settings on the HF200 to shoot in 24p if you want, but trust me you want to shoot in 25p seeing as you live in PAL land.

I don't know of any Sony cameras under £500 with 24p cinema mode but there's still plenty of choice on the market for what you are looking for.

I would say Canon HV20 is better just from all freedom with settings you have and I used a HV20 to make short films for the past couple of years until I got a new one.

George
 
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Thanks again George, am I correct in think the HV20 is minDV based whereas the HG10 is AVCHD? If so, what are the pros/cons of this? Sorry about all the questions, I just want to get this thing to look as close to film as possible...!

Also I've noticed that the HV20 also shoots in 25p - are you able to change this to 24p too? Why would you want 25p over 24p?
 
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Yes the HV20 is miniDV and the HG10 is AVCHD.
The massive advantage would be with the AVDCHD for these reasons: faster transfer to PC, less expensive archiving, better storage capacity and generally a more convenient format.

However miniDV has a high bit rate which means it has superior image quality, and you can change shooting to 24p if you want.

As for the 25p vs 24p, the reason I think 25p is better is because in the 'Guerilla filmmakers handbook' they wrote a lot about why 25p is better to use in the UK. However I don't remember most of it and I can't find it in the book even after looking through just now. However all the cameras you are considering shoot in both 24p and 25p so it wouldn't be that much of an issue. If and when you get one of these cameras you will be able to decide for yourself.
 
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Thanks again. So the HV20 does not record onto a hard disk drive but a miniDV? I've been reading around and it seems almost as if the 24p thing is obselete due to a lack of software available that can decode it correctly?

I would be leaning more toward the HG10 at the moment, particularly as it seems incredibly cheap -

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/s...=1500001801&langId=-1&searchTerms=CANON+HG10#

If that is the correct one - it appears to be over £500 everywhere else
 
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