HD cam for documentary filmmaking

C

cineasta_dom

Active member
Hey everyone,

Just a quick question. We are planning to shoot a documentary next year and I was wondering which of the HD cams you guys think would be the best choice (price/versatility) -- considering that it is a doc, and, that we still want it to have that 24p/film look.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.
 
If you're on a budget then I would suggest the Canon HV20 ($750). It is HD and has true 24p and also native 16x9.

canon-hv20.jpg


The HV20 is small so you can take it anywhere without drawing a lot of attention to yourself. But, unfortunately, the manual controls are lacking a bit and there's no focus ring (just an awkward spinning wheel).

Other than that the quality of the video is incredible. We got one a few weeks ago and are considering a documentary as well. We're waiting for a shotgun mic and some lenses now.

Good luck with your doc.
 
The HV20 seems to be a good little setup for a palm HD camcorder. Also look into the AH1 from canon or even the HVX200 from Pannasonic (kinda expensive media tho). If you can afford the 6+ grand price tag, take a look at the new sony XDCAM EX.
 
Thnks guys,

That little cannon sure would be good for the times when you don't necessarily want people to know that you are shooting. But we have a 35K budget so we have a little room to buy (or rent) some stuff. We're thinking HVX+mic/boom+p2cards and a small lighting kit for interviews and such.

Then again, the JVC110U is looking good too. It's between those two right now.

What do you guys think?
 
You have narrowed it down but when I was looking for an extra camera last summer I saw a used JVC for sale (guy bought a Canon, should have taken the hint earlier) then heard about things and stayed away. BTW this camera had the most incredible wear on the shoe, just something that hit me when I looked at an otherwise new camcorder. The HVX was a serious contender, but I could not find any P2 cards back then, but it was a contender to the end. The quarter inch Sony I actually bought and returned (former PD170 user and loved this camera.....) as you needed too much gain most of the time and the auto-focus was really bad. I ended up buying the Canon (great picture and great auto-focus - for those amateurs like me who use it) and found everyone doing the same and that became a keeper.....

As to your question, out of the two I would go with the HVX.
 
If that 35k is just for camera equipment, look into an HPX. If that is the entire budget for the film, I'd say HVX+ a good mic and a few P2 cards. Or, like i said before, check out the new XDCAM.
 
Yeah, that's the entire budget.

We're leaning towards the HVX, but I was thinking about the JVC and its TAPE format because we'll probably end up with A LOT of hours of footage. And it might make sense to skip the whole P2 dumping to hardrive idea.

thanks again everyone.
 
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