Is the VG20 for me? If not, what do you recommend?

cenzo74

cenzo74

New member
I'm an editor at heart. I've been editing over 15 years both on Avid MC and Final Cut. I'm also a dandy little cameraman as well. I've mainly used the Sony V1U the most and have had good success with it, but I want an upgrade. However here's my situation and what I need.

I work full time as an editor, but love to operate the camera as a hobby to aid my editing as well in fun projects, that are sometimes paid gigs too. So here's my list of needs...

1. cheap price. This camera will make me money, but it's not my career here. It's a paid hobby so-to-speak.
2. great low light performance. I'll be shooting at a lot of dark night clubs and night shots.
3. great depth-of-field. This is a must, as I love the added element to the feel and art of what I shoot.
4. tapeless. I prefer SD cards.
5. durable and small. It has to be a tight package to operate in crowded areas, but still look professional.
6. audio inputs. I will need to record some interviews as well. I have no problem using a separate audio source, but this can be a hassle if I'm alone.
7. good for short films/documentaries. I will also be doing some fun film projects.
8. 24p - 1080.

I've done my research, now I just need your opinions. I think the VG20 is a nice little camera for my needs, but 2 others have crossed my mind and they are a bit more bang... AF100... and the 5D. I know both bring me a whole new set of issues, but are they worth it for what I do?

A. Sony VG20
B. Panasonic AF100
C. Canon 5D

Thoughts?
 
Well, having all the cameras you list (the vg-10 not the vg20) I would say go with the vg20 if you plan to run and gun. They have vastly improved the camera from the vg10. What I liked about the vg10/20 is the form factor most of all. Plus you will get 1080/60p. It's good in low light from what I hear. Unlimited record times, a great built in mic, and a good lens road map. Battery is probably good. Plus, if you invest in the system and later decide to move up, you can jump to the FS100.
I love my Af100, but it's just not a great run and gun shooter.
My vote in your circumstance is the VG-20. Again, I miss the form factor.
 
Great. Another plus, is that I have been using Sony and have access to Sony accessories. Would you know if a battery from a V1U also works on the VG20? I may go ahead and get this camera soon. I'm also a novice when it comes to lenses, but I've read that you should go with the A-mount adapter on the VG20 and stick with the Sony A lenses. Would you agree?

Thanks a ton.
 
dustylense said:
Well, having all the cameras you list (the vg-10 not the vg20) I would say go with the vg20 if you plan to run and gun. They have vastly improved the camera from the vg10. What I liked about the vg10/20 is the form factor most of all. Plus you will get 1080/60p. It's good in low light from what I hear. Unlimited record times, a great built in mic, and a good lens road map. Battery is probably good. Plus, if you invest in the system and later decide to move up, you can jump to the FS100.
I love my Af100, but it's just not a great run and gun shooter.
My vote in your circumstance is the VG-20. Again, I miss the form factor.
Click to expand...

What makes the VG10/20 a better run and gun camera than the AF100 in your opinion? I currently use a GH2 for my work, and have thought about the AF100 but don't like the size/difficulty had holding.
 
xocomil - in my view, the ideal "run and gun" camera is light enough to pull out of the case and carry, comes out of the box shoulder mounted and has ENG-style power zoom and reliable autofocus.

So far, none of the large sensor/interchangeable lens camcorders (or DSLs) is a real run & gun camera - even with Panasonic's new power zooms.

That said, the $1600 VG20 with the 18-200 is closer to the run & gun ideal than the $3900 AF100, just because it is smaller and lighter (and arguably better in low light) - but...

I've shot with the VG20 and it is really just a consumer camcorder with interchangeable lenses. It gives you very little in-camera control over your images, with no sharpness, contrast or manual color controls.

cenzo - it there a reason that the FS100 is not on your list? Yes, it's more expensive than the AF100 ($4700 after rebate at Adorama), but it's smaller and better in low light. It has the in-camera image control that the VG20 lacks -- and the in-camera audio control that the 5D lacks. This means you'll end up spending less money on external sound recorders and lights.

As a one-man band, these things are a big deal.

Any way you can rent these cameras (from lensrentals.com, for example) and try them out before you buy?

Cheers,

Bill
 
I have the VG10, not the VG20, and one of the great things about the camera is the selection of adapters, for using different lens types. I purchased a Nikkor/Nikon F mount to Sony E mount adapter on Amazon for $30, and it works great! You lose auto focus obviously, but it allows me to use excellent (and reasonably priced) lenses. I am using a Nikkor 50mm f1.4 AIS lense, which I purchased in mint condition for under $300. Talk about superb low light!

Dave
 
I have not pulled my long files into my editing software (Sony Vegas Pro 8). I've only watched the long clips while playing from the camera into my LED TV, so I haven't seen this issue. I'll try bringing the clips into Vegas 8 and see if I find this issue. I thought this has only been reported with the VG20, however. I'm using the VG10.

Dave
 
Great depth of field would mean getting a camcorder with a 1/3" sensor. I would recommend that you look at the Canon VIXIA HF G10. Street price is $1,400 While it is Canon's top consumer camcorder, it has far superior controls, with more manual control than your typical consumer camcorder. Certainly superior to the controls and menu system on the VG20 in terms of features and ease of use. A great 10 power zoom lens, with a zoom lever that can be highly customized in setup for zoom speed.

It has a fantastic autofocus system, that is extremely accurate and fast. Has Autofocus Face Detection that works fabulously, as well as Touch Autofocus Tracking, where you can touch a subject on the big 3.5 inch LCD, and it will then track and focus on that subject. The LCD is much better than the one on the VG20. And it has full manual focus control too, with a great focus ring, and with an outstanding peaking feature to confirm the focus.

Image stabiization is wonderful, if you will be moving alot. The Powered IS feature really smooths out such shooting.

If you must have XLR inputs, then consider the Canon XA10, which is basically the same camcorder, but with a detachable handle to go over it, that contains XLR inputs and controls. It costs $500 more, at $1,900. However, I've been happy with the sound on my Vixia HF G10. It has a standard 3.5mm microphone input, and Canon also sells an excellent stereo shotgun mike to use with it: the DM-100

While it is true that the VG20 is only $1,600, that is just for the body. With the 11x NEX zoom lens, its price is $2,200, more than either of these Canons.

Here is a short video shot handheld with my Canon HF G10, if you would like to check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq24pPOSedI


And another featuring a parrot that pooped on a little girl's Momma:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nxMTnsAp7s
 
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LanceOregon said:
Great depth of field would mean getting a camcorder with a 1/3" sensor....
Click to expand...

Lance - The G10 and XA10 are great cameras, but I don't think that a small sensor camcorder is what cenzo is looking for. He said "Great" depth of field, but pretty sure he meant "Shallow" depth of field - which is why all of the camera on his list had big (APS-C, m4/3, FF) sensors.

Cheers,

Bill
 
brunerww said:
Lance - The G10 and XA10 are great cameras, but I don't think that a small sensor camcorder is what cenzo is looking for. He said "Great" depth of field, but pretty sure he meant "Shallow" depth of field - which is why all of the camera on his list had big (APS-C, m4/3, FF) sensors.

Cheers,

Bill
Click to expand...

It is hard to say. To me, to say that one wants "great depth of field" means more, not less.

I'm surprised that you did not mention the Panasonic GH2 to him, since I see that you use that camera. Since he also said that he wanted a cheap solution, the GH2 would most definitely offer him an affordable option. B&H is currently selling it with the 14-140mm lens for only $1,199

I did not realize that his post was so old, when I replied to it. I now see that he has not been back to the forum since 2-16. That means that he has not seen your advice, nor any of the other additional help offered to him by others since then. So we are all talking to ourselves anyway, as he is not bothering to follow up any further.

Hopefully some others visiting this website will be able to make some good use of our advice.
 
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LanceOregon said:
It is hard to say. To me, to say that one wants "great depth of field" means more, not less.

I'm surprised that you did not mention the Panasonic GH2 to him, since I see that you use that camera. Since he also said that he wanted a cheap solution, the GH2 would most definitely offer him an affordable option. B&H is currently selling it with the 14-140mm lens for only $1,199

I did not realize that his post was so old, when I replied to it. I now see that he has not been back to the forum since 2-16. That means that he has not seen your advice, nor any of the other additional help offered to him by others since then. So we are all talking to ourselves anyway, as he is not bothering to follow up any further.

Hopefully some others visiting this website will be able to make some good use of our advice.
Click to expand...

Good thought on the GH2, Lance. I love the camera and usually recommend it, but he seemed to be primarily a camcorder guy, and he wanted "great low light performance". That's why I suggested the FS100. If he had come back to say that was too expensive, I might have suggested the GH2 with a fast lens.

But it doesn't look like he's coming back :-)

Best,

Bill
 
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