current best camera for video and film production?

killmaster said:
I'm also curious wether the TM700 requires recording externally to get clean sound? I have some good shotgun and lavelier mics that I'd like to use. The shotgun is XLR. Guess I could get an adapter.
Click to expand...

You will need a good field mixer if you want great sound. I use a Sound Devices MixPre mixer for most of my video work, which is then fed as a LINE LEVEL signal to the camera. ( a BeachTek passive adapter handles signal for the HS700, and I just feed the signal directly to my HMC150 )

No camera will ever replace a good quality field mixer if sound quality is important to you.
 
Hi Jason,

Those sky are incredible! What did you shoot that video with? (the video this url links to on vimeo)



Lindquist said:
sounds like same situation im in, im getting a hpx170 and a canon 7d w/ H2n.

i got all the accessories lined out for my hpx.

glidetrack
glidecam
nice sachtler fsb6 tripod
pelican 1650 rolling hardcase
jus to name a few
amazing camera
Click to expand...
 
I already have a Beachtek DXA-4P. It has line or mic inputs...

I think I might get the HM700 and start with lavelier or shotgun mic plug directly into the adapter. Will the mixpre enhance the audio or is it mainly used to mix the audio?

once again thanks. you reponses have been great in helping me sort through all this...

TheDingo said:
You will need a good field mixer if you want great sound. I use a Sound Devices MixPre mixer for most of my video work, which is then fed as a LINE LEVEL signal to the camera. ( a BeachTek passive adapter handles signal for the HS700, and I just feed the signal directly to my HMC150 )

No camera will ever replace a good quality field mixer if sound quality is important to you.
Click to expand...
 
o by the way, if I end up using an external recorder, is there ever any sync problems with shooting digitally? Can I just do a sync slate thing or how do you make sure everything stays in sync?
 
killmaster said:
Will the mixpre enhance the audio or is it mainly used to mix the audio?
Click to expand...

The SoundDevices MixPre has great mic pre-amps ( BeachTek units with pre-amps are not in the same class, though they work well as passive adapters ), it also has a two stage audio limiter to stop loud sounds from clipping, a tape-return out to use with a digital recorder ( I use the Olympus LS-11 ), a 1K tone generator to set proper audio levels, and runs all day on 2 rechargeable AA batteries.

I haven't had any sync issues with video clips under 10 minutes, for takes as long as 90 minutes ( recording a live event ), I use the GoldWave audio editor which has a plug-in called TimeWarp, which lets me adjust the audio length to exactly match the video length. Sync is perfect then.
 
I have enough info now (thanks to TheDingo :)). So the question becomes, get the T2i/7d or TM700 now or wait a few months til the GH2 and possible new full sensor Canon is released. Eventually I'll probably want a system like the AF-100 or Scarlet but definitely want to get something now that I can use in conjunction with those down the road.

thanks for everyone's help in sorting through this...!! This is a great forum...
 
omg. that is so good to see! can't wait for "episode 3". I wish we could have it all. Full frame sensor and the noise reduction of the D3. I loved the 5D look. Overall much better than the rest (even 1D) but its pretty clear how well the Nikon's noise reduction is superior!

Of course this makes me now wonder how these DSLRs look side by side with the best mid-priced video cameras like the HPX170 or the larger sensor video cameras.

And of course it makes me wonder how the T2i stack up visually when compared to the TM700. I'm guessing there is no comparison if you were to project the result on a theatre screen :)...

thanks for the link!
 
Hi TheDingo,

I've decided to go with this package:

T2i
mixpre
LS-11 (plus adaptors from XLR to mini ?)
Canon 18-55 EF-S stabalized lens
Canon 50mm f 1.8 prime EF lens

I already have a me-66 sennheiser mic which I'm planning on using and a cheapo lavelier

I'd be curious what you would choose for the following:

shoulder mount
boom arm
mic windscreen
any other mics you would recommend?

My reasoning with the package above is that I can use everything in the future except for the T2i body so I'm not "wasting" my purchases. I can use the 50 mm Canon lens with the Scarlett if I go that direction eventually. And all the other peripheral equipment I can always use.

Anyways, it was a really hard decision cause of the current state of things but this package will tide me over for awhile til it becomes more clear where everything is headed...
 
killmaster said:
I've decided to go with this package:

T2i
mixpre
LS-11 (plus adaptors from XLR to mini ?)
Canon 18-55 EF-S stabalized lens
Canon 50mm f 1.8 prime EF lens
Click to expand...

Looks like a great starter kit. The video camera landscape is going to be very different next year, so it's a good idea to not invest too much in a camera right now.

killmaster said:
I already have a me-66 sennheiser mic which I'm planning on using and a cheapo lavelier
Click to expand...

Not a fan of the sound of the ME-66 mic ( sounds flat and a little "tinny" to my ear )

For outdoor recording I prefer the Rode NTG-2 ( if your budget is tight) or the much better Rode NTG-3 ( which can also be used indoors as it has very good off-axis sound rejection, so you won't get that horrible cheap-shotgun "living in a cave" sound. )

For indoor recording I prefer a good quality cardioid or hyper-cardioid "pencil" mic like the AT4021 / AT4053B / AKG Blue Line CK93 mics. Sound is much more natural, and does not pick up much reflected sound from the walls or ceiling.

I also like to have a good Lav mic, which can be used with a Sennheiser EW100 G3 UHF transmitter/receiver package, or directly into the mic input of the Olympus LS-11 recorder if you can't afford a UHF kit. ( just have your talent wear the LS-11 on their belt )

Favorite general purspose lav: TRAM 50 ( because the sound is good, and it does not pick up much room noise )

Favorite lav for quiet rooms: Sanken COS-11XPT ( sounds like a HQ cardioid mic, just amazing sound, but picks up a lot of room noise )

For a boom-op boom: Gitzo 1540 - Three-Section Carbon Fiber Boompole

For a boom-stand when you've got no boom-op: Manfrotto 420B Combi Boom Stand (Black)

Windscreen indoors : Windtech 1200 for your "pencil" mic

Windscreen outdoors: Rycote Softie ( low budget ), Rycote S-Series ( medium budget ), Rycote Blimp ( good budget )

Shock-Mount : Rycote Lyre Mounting System ( fast, flexible, low-noise )
 
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once again, thanks so much for taking the time...! I don't see a shoulder camera mount rig listed here so I'm assuming you probably tripod your camera or use a dolly ?
 
Oops! ...Forgot about the shoulder mount.

The only shoulder mount that I really like is the one from Zacuto which costs a fortune, but it's the only one that I've found that will properly balance my HMC-150 so that almost all the weight is off my arms. ( the counter-weight is very adjustable, and it's also off-set so it will balance both front to back and side to side, you can almost completely let go of the camera and it will just float in front of you )

Unfortunately there's not much that is both inexpensive and good when it comes to shoulder mounts. I had the RedRock Micro one for a few months and then sold it because my arms would get tired after the first 30 minutes of shooting. They now have counter-balance weights for it, but I don't know how well they work. Will have to give this a try later this summer.

If you are going the DSLR route ( via the Canon T2i ), you might want to take a look at the Cullmann 2702 Chestpod Camera Support, which is only $77 US and does a great job with smaller / lighter cameras.

Cullmann 2702 Chestpod
 
great! thanks once again. Got everything ordered, T2i I out of stock everywhere as is the 50mm Canon prime... waiting... waiting...
 
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