camera advice please!

J

Joel The Director

Member
Hi,

I am Joel Jost and I am an aspiring young(18 years old) filmmaker from Canada. I really appreciate your guys ministry!! I am very passionate about using movies to change the world!

My Q is: I am saving up for a camcorder....I currently have Sony's HDR-HC1, but the LCD screen went on it :cry:...so I am looking to buy another camcorder. Its primary use will be for movie making(feature/short films).

At first I wanted JVCs hd110...but it is way out of my price range right now! I have heard a lot about Canons HV20...do you think the HV20 would be adequate to do a feature film with a 35mm lens adapter?? I already have BeachTek XLR adapter. Would you suggest on buying the HV20(600$) and use the money I save from not buying a higher-end camera to buy a 35mini adapter and lighting? And do think the HV20 would suffice until I can afford a higher-end camcorder??

Or should I continue and save up for a professional camcorder and not waste my money on a lower-end camcorder?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!



Joel Jost
 
Personally I would buy something similar to a DVX (I've never owned one) because it will teach you more than a consumer camera will.

How much money do you have total to make the film you are trying to make? What are you doing for sound?

You need to make sure you have enough money to make the short/feature. If you have tons of gear but no money left over to pay production costs like food, locations, hopefully paying cast and crew, etc., then all of the equipment will just sit around.
 
You can rent a DVX for $250 for a week in some places, maybe even find someone local and see if you can rent for a month at $500 or $600. Then go shoot your feature. That's just what I'd do in your position. I say this because I went and spent $900 on my first cam back in 2000 or something...(it was some Sony miniDV camcorder, can't remember the model)...anyway, I wasn't too happy with the image quality and in terms of reselling it, no one wanted to buy it so I was stuck with a $900 paperweight.

I only say buy the camera if you're planning on getting paid work from it. Otherwise, rent something better for making your feature or take a loan out and get a DVX or something.
 
thanks for the advice guys!

When I reading reviews on the HV20 I saw one review where one guy said that he sold his DVX for an hv20! And he said that it was better. and I mean if it is even AS good as the DVX I would be saving a ton of money by buying the hv20! what do ya think?
 
Each has their pros and cons.
Research before you pull the trigger, there's tons of information available on sites like these.:)

Having said that, good luck!
 
HV20 is HD and 24p and only $600. It does not look like much though, but if ou get a 35mm and adapter it should do fine. Image quality depends more than just resolution. The hv20 does have horrible wobble and rolling shutter issue due to cmos that the dvx or any ccd camera is immune to. The dvx has xlr inputs and has total manual control with real switches that will really help when moving onto any other camera.
 
Geoff is on the right track. Consider finding a DP with his own camera who is willing to work on your project for deferred pay. He's bound to have better gear and more experience than you. Remember the #1 Rule for Producers: "Always hire the best trained, most talented, most experienced person you can afford for EVERY job." Use your money for other production values. If you sell your movie, then you can think about buying your own gear.

My 2 pesos.
 
Joel The Director said:
thanks for the advice guys!

When I reading reviews on the HV20 I saw one review where one guy said that he sold his DVX for an hv20! And he said that it was better. and I mean if it is even AS good as the DVX I would be saving a ton of money by buying the hv20! what do ya think?
Click to expand...

some guy said this.... yes. some guy.

geoff reisner, amongst others are telling you valid advice. A DVx100 is a far better learning tool than a HV20. The DVX will get you familiar with more realistic professional controls, and image settings.

Also, if yo uwant to direct why are you bothering with a camera? dont focus on Shooting Focus on Directing. thats what Cinematographers are for. Let them deal with camera/lights. You save your money to hire a young talented DP in college, who undoubtedly has a camera already and knows how to use it. For a weekly rental rate you can probably get him to shoot your whole short, and you will not only have it shot on a great camera, but with a person who knows what the hell they are doing with the camera. No learning curve required.
 
Thanks guys for your advice and wisdom! I really appreciate it, as I'm still fairly new to movie making(two years).
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/member.php?u=2750
To TimurCivan: thanks for the advice, sound like it would be a good idea....but I am a very low budget film maker that lives in southern Alberta in practically the middle of no where.....I am the only movie maker in this area that I know of. So I'm one of those movie makers who has to be the director, prodcuer, and DP, editor...etc.

Now you guys know my situation a little better. :)

Thanks again! I really appreciate all your guys wisdom!
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/member.php?u=2750
 
Joel, don't let your isolation deter you. When I was crewing my very first short film, I scored a director who drove up to NC from Orlando, FL -- something like 700 miles -- at his own expense, on a no-pay short film project. And he brought 2 DVCAMs and a light kit with him.

When we were casting our feature 'Tangled Web', we had actors willing to come from as far away as New York City and Los Angeles -- again, at their own expense -- to work for deferred pay, just to be in the movie.

If you've got a great script, people will go out of their way to be involved in your project.
 
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