3 ccd cam

[nolimits4]

are these still industry standards



any recommendation for good cam below 2k

[nolimits4]

after seeing this vid
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ACVZp-UMD0Y

i am settle on getting canon hv20

great cam

[phuckbunny]

Do you need HD?

I love my Panasonic DVC30. Great cam, probably can get it for around 2K now and I prefer the Pannys to Sony and definitely to the Canons, the latter are great cameras until they either eat your tapes or simply stop functioning.

Caveat: the sound sucks on both of those so you'll need to get an XLR box and mic.

[Lana]

What are you going to be shooting?
If you want models to take you seriously don't buy that one. Although you and I know it's quite the little powerhouse the problem is it's tiny.
It looks the equivalent dads camera at Disneyland.
The girls will think you're an amateur. They don't know or care specs, they just want you to look like a pro.

The reason that clip looks so good is not because it's hi-def (that clips totally downrezed for YouTube anyway) it's because that cam shoots in 24p.
24p looks like film.

Industry standard cams are: Panasonic Dvx100b, Canon XL2 or the Sony VX2000.

The Panasonic and the Canon both shoot 24p and produce great vids although they're not HD.

Unless you're shooting for Broadcast I wouldn't even bother with HD. The cost and editing headaches aren't worth the small bump in quality on SD TV's or computer monitors.

We have 2 DVX's and love them.
They're now about $2500 new but there's some great deals out there on Ebay etc.

[Lana]

Hi Phuckbunny!

You beat me to the punch. Your post wasn't there when I started mine.

We're both pretty well saying the same thing though.

[Hammer]

Fuck HD. When I watch porn I want to be able to fantasize about the chick, I don't want to be counting the pimples on her ass or razor bumps and stubble on her pussy.

P.S. Don't get me wrong. I love watching movies on my HD TV but there's a big difference between sitting 15 feet from a 60" TV and sitting 2 feet from a monitor.

[nolimits4]

Originally posted by Lana
What are you going to be shooting?
If you want models to take you seriously don't buy that one. Although you and I know it's quite the little powerhouse the problem is it's tiny.
It looks the equivalent dads camera at Disneyland.
The girls will think you're an amateur. They don't know or care specs, they just want you to look like a pro.

The reason that clip looks so good is not because it's hi-def (that clips totally downrezed for YouTube anyway) it's because that cam shoots in 24p.
24p looks like film.

Industry standard cams are: Panasonic Dvx100b, Canon XL2 or the Sony VX2000.

The Panasonic and the Canon both shoot 24p and produce great vids although they're not HD.

Unless you're shooting for Broadcast I wouldn't even bother with HD. The cost and editing headaches aren't worth the small bump in quality on SD TV's or computer monitors.

We have 2 DVX's and love them.
They're now about $2500 new but there's some great deals out there on Ebay etc.

thanks always good advice


i was just looking at some of hv20 clips on vimeo.com and it took my breathe away. i am into the reality niche etc.bangbus type site

[kg2]

good info here. learned something new!

kg

[Lana]

i was just looking at some of hv20 clips on vimeo.com and it took my breathe away. i am into the reality niche etc.bangbus type site

I'm sure it did. But why? Again, not because it's HD. Hd is nothing on a computer monitor. That's why we blow the bucks on HD tv's.
It looks good because it's shot in 24p.
Quick lesson: Most cameras shoot in 60i (interlaced) frames per second. Some cameras shoot in 24p (progressive). The reason that's important is because film cameras shoot 24 frames per second.
That's why a soap opera looks like a video - 60i and a movie looks like a movie - 24p fps.
So if a HV20 shoots 24p at less than half the cost why buy one of the more expensive ones?
MANUAL CONTROL. Plain and simple. You can create so much more if you can control all aspects of your video. Audio (XLR's), low light, you can create all sorts of moods in cam. Sure you can do it in post but it's just not the same.
24p is the reason you look at vids and say "why doesn't mine look like that"
HD is great if your shooting for a TV show or something for the big screen but that's all.
You see sites on the net offering HD videos. They're not. All they've done is up the bit rate sky high and have a very good quality SD video.
Just try and stream or download it. You can go to bed and jerk off in the morning. That's how long it will take.

[Ledrak]

Actually, you can get better picture from the Canon HV20 than with the DVX100. You can do more with the DVX100 though because of all the manual options on it. 24p is great to have, but you don't necessarily need it. A lot of productions shoot with the Sony Z1 (which does not have 24p). 24p is most important if your shooting something that you're going to transfer over to film.

The DVX100 is a great camera if you have it... but it wouldn't be my choice of cams to buy right now. Much better options out there. And like it or not, things are moving over to high def. IMO, the DVX200 is the best prosumer camera out right now for the price, and it can shoot in any format. I also like the Sony Z1. Cant go wrong with either of those.

And if I was on a tight budget, I'd get an HV20 and use it with no problem. I have one that I use for BTS stuff, but have used it before to shoot scenes with and you'd never know they were shot with such a tiny camera. People will take you seriously based on your level of expertise, professionalism, and your overall production... not by the look of your camera. You can have all the fancy equipment in the world and still shoot crap. Just work with what's within your budget.

[Ledrak]

Originally posted by phuckbunny

Caveat: the sound sucks on both of those so you'll need to get an XLR box and mic.

You shouldn't need an XLR box unless you need impedence matching, multi-channel amplification/attenuation, etc. If you're just looking to input a shotgun with XLR to a 1/8" mini, than a simple hand-wired cable adapter should do the job.

[Lana]

All I'm saying is that clip looks good is because it's 24p not HD.
It looks even better because he's slowed it down a bit. We all love slomo.
You're right. There's all sorts of new cams out there. Techno-guys buying the latest things but on what format do they get to show? All the new Hi-def cams can downrez and that's what they'll have to do to get a decent file size for the net.
Blu-Ray wars are still going on so a most people don't yet have a player that will even play Hi-def.
Shooting something for TV or film - go for it.
Hi-Def is here but the above cameras are still industry standard.
Hi-Def won't be a way of life until editing is cheaper and players for the consumer are common place.
I'm not talking from the perspective of my little site. It's what we do for a living. I just choose to keep this side of me apart from our other life.

[Ledrak]

Most of the NLE software nowadays can edit HD with no troubles. I use Vegas (because of my system), but Final Cut, Premier, etc can all do it. From a business standpoint, I would be filming everything in HD if possible; especially if you're doing DVD's. As more and more people eventually switch over to HD, then you'll already have everything filmed in HD so it's very easy to reproduce titles in HD. Plus, you don't have to upgrade to HD equipment later on. If it's in your budget, I'd recommend going HD, but yes, SD cams like the DVX100 will definitely do the job.

[Charlies_Angel]

A lot also has to do with the carrier format. If you're storing on miniDV tapes, don't forget your 24 frame based signal gets sliced and diced to store on the DV signal (which is interlaced) and then de-interlaced back when you hit your NLE.

In other words, HD cams have the best potential to effect a true frame based workflow and their color space is wider.

I have a Canon XL2 and a much cheaper Panasonic AVCHD cam. The panny wins hands down every time due to shooting the XL2 onto miniDV tapes and the Panny onto a memory stick.

Plus the new HD cams are much better at shooting in lower light levels.

However.. if I'm willing to fire up 60 amps worth of lights. The XL2, with it's manual settings and finer control, can blow my Panasonic away. And in the winter, 60 amps of lights heats the studio nicely OTOH, invest in some cold lighting and you're good to go.

It's all about lighting.. any camera can shoot an excellent picture.

And here's a tip: Use your post production to boost your video's dynamic range. Trying to do it by buying an expensive camera will tear your hair out trying to adjust knee levels, shadow, etc. Premiere (last I checked) can't do it) but After Effects can - just like Photoshop.

Shoot 1/2 stop down and compress your highlights to bring out the range and vibrance needed for computer monitors (vs broadcast).

[Ledrak]

Originally posted by Ledrak
Actually, you can get better picture from the Canon HV20 than with the DVX100. You can do more with the DVX100 though because of all the manual options on it. 24p is great to have, but you don't necessarily need it. A lot of productions shoot with the Sony Z1 (which does not have 24p). 24p is most important if your shooting something that you're going to transfer over to film.

The DVX100 is a great camera if you have it... but it wouldn't be my choice of cams to buy right now. Much better options out there. And like it or not, things are moving over to high def. IMO, the DVX200 is the best prosumer camera out right now for the price, and it can shoot in any format. I also like the Sony Z1. Cant go wrong with either of those.

And if I was on a tight budget, I'd get an HV20 and use it with no problem. I have one that I use for BTS stuff, but have used it before to shoot scenes with and you'd never know they were shot with such a tiny camera. People will take you seriously based on your level of expertise, professionalism, and your overall production... not by the look of your camera. You can have all the fancy equipment in the world and still shoot crap. Just work with what's within your budget.

I meant to say HVX200 not dvx200.