nikkorray
02-24-2009, 10:08 AM
I have extensive knowledge in photography but a total newbie to video. I want a camcorder to use in tandem with my Nikon D90. I was going to buy a Canon HV20 but I found out the Firewire problem on the new MacBooks so I’m going with a camcorder that can use SDHC cards. I know video quality will not exactly be the same but I’m looking for something that is “comparable” in picture quality with the D90’s 16:9 cinematic look so it will flow better when I edit them in Final Cut Express 4.
I’ve narrowed down my search these Canon models but I’m open to any other recommendations:
HF100
HF10
S100
What I will use the camcorder for:
Home videos (mostly kids), documenting my hikes and travels (landscape scenery and some wildlife). No fast action sports. I will be burning these to DVD as well as posting them online but want to get the best quality possible.
This is the current equipment that I have to work with:
Apple Aluminum MacBook
Final Cut Express 4 (or iMovie ’09)
4GB RAM
250 GB Memory
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M Graphics Card
Criteria:
Budget: Around $1,000 USD
HD Quality
Cinematic 24p mode
Manual controls for the exposure (aperture/shutter speed)
Ability to attach filters (Grad NDs, polarizers) and wide angle adaptor lenses
Use SDHC cards (since my D90 takes SD cards)
USB transfer (only option right now)
Portable
Here are my questions:
1) Is there anything else I should know based on the information above? I don’t what to buy a camcorder & find out later that I will be having transfer problems or editing problems with FCE 4.
2) Is one model “overkill” for the things that I’m going to do?
3) Do the models above suffer the same “jello effect” as the D90?
4) Is the low light performance “good”, “acceptable” or “bad”?
I’m the type of person that will go through an elaborate set up in order to get the shot. I have a large format camera that I use for photography so I’m a patient person.
Thanks in advance,
Ray
I’ve narrowed down my search these Canon models but I’m open to any other recommendations:
HF100
HF10
S100
What I will use the camcorder for:
Home videos (mostly kids), documenting my hikes and travels (landscape scenery and some wildlife). No fast action sports. I will be burning these to DVD as well as posting them online but want to get the best quality possible.
This is the current equipment that I have to work with:
Apple Aluminum MacBook
Final Cut Express 4 (or iMovie ’09)
4GB RAM
250 GB Memory
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M Graphics Card
Criteria:
Budget: Around $1,000 USD
HD Quality
Cinematic 24p mode
Manual controls for the exposure (aperture/shutter speed)
Ability to attach filters (Grad NDs, polarizers) and wide angle adaptor lenses
Use SDHC cards (since my D90 takes SD cards)
USB transfer (only option right now)
Portable
Here are my questions:
1) Is there anything else I should know based on the information above? I don’t what to buy a camcorder & find out later that I will be having transfer problems or editing problems with FCE 4.
2) Is one model “overkill” for the things that I’m going to do?
3) Do the models above suffer the same “jello effect” as the D90?
4) Is the low light performance “good”, “acceptable” or “bad”?
I’m the type of person that will go through an elaborate set up in order to get the shot. I have a large format camera that I use for photography so I’m a patient person.
Thanks in advance,
Ray