newb with a newb question

D

David Quinn Carder

Member
I'm sure this battle has been fought here but I don't know where to find it, so . . .



A former client was going to shoot his final pre-Scarlet project on two Sony HVR-Z1Us, the same cameras I used to shoot his first project. Unfortunately, one of them is malfunctioning and so he wants to buy two or three cheap cameras to use since Scarlet won't be out until Summer. The project is an instructional DVD, but accurate color and picture quality in general are still an issue. Decent low-light performance would also be ideal.

For my own projects, I am waiting for RED to release Scarlet. I just can't do what I want to do with anything affordable right now. Because of that, I haven't kept up on non-RED cameras, so any advice would be appreciated. While I may recommend something to my client up to $2,000, I'm really aiming for something around $1,000 or less. If something really cheap will get the job done, then that's what I'll go for.

If it's easier to advise via phone or if you have questions, shoot me a PM and leave your number! Thanks in advance!
 
used a couple Z1s, want a RED One, waiting for Scarlet, will settle for sub $1,000 camera?...

holy moly....

so two issues....you need a camera to get thru this instructional video project. Then, for your own projects, you are waiting for Scarlet, which will definately come out this summer whenthenationaldebtisclearedandglobalwarmingissolved....

spring for a DSLR that does great video like the Panasonic GH1 or Canon 7d?

HD, SD, 60i, 24/25p?...

EDIT:...or why not just rent?....could get nice gear for the day with the budget.
 
skinny! said:
used a couple Z1s, want a RED One, waiting for Scarlet, will settle for sub $1,000 camera?...

holy moly....

so two issues....you need a camera to get thru this instructional video project. Then, for your own projects, you are waiting for Scarlet, which will definately come out this summer whenthenationaldebtisclearedandglobalwarmingissolved....

spring for a DSLR that does great video like the Panasonic GH1 or Canon 7d?

HD, SD, 60i, 24/25p?...

EDIT:...or why not just rent?....could get nice gear for the day with the budget.
Click to expand...

I did recommend renting, and my client doesn't want to rent. The shoot involves some things that can't be compressed into a few days, and they want the ability to go back and reshoot small scenes after editing is underway.

Output will be DVD and small Internet videos, so HD isn't necessary, but downscaled HD generally looks significantly better than 480p that was 480p to begin with, right? For the sake of simplicity, I'd rather avoid interlaced formats because while I know how to deal with interlaced footage, my client does not. As far as frame rate goes, it doesn't really matter.

So, maybe a DSLR is the way to go? I don't know, that's why I came here. How do they compare with Z1Us?
 
You can't do what you want with what's available out there ?

There are so many awesome options out there.

An instructional DVD needs more than one camera ?
 
J.R. Hudson said:
You can't do what you want with what's available out there ?

There are so many awesome options out there.
Click to expand...

No, I can't, actually. I don't want to get into the details—I'm not worried about it. I'm tied up with other projects (non-video) until after the Summer anyway.

J.R. Hudson said:
An instructional DVD needs more than one camera ?
Click to expand...

Yes, most definitely. Regardless, it's not my project. I'm just here asking for a short list of cameras that might fit the bill. I haven't kept up with this stuff since shooting with the Z1Us about four years ago.
 
J.R. Hudson said:
LOL

If we had any idea of the what it is you were trying to do, maybe we could offer better options ?
Click to expand...

It's just that over on the RED board, you mention anything vaguely controversial (like "hey, which one of these cameras is better?") and you have people arguing left and right about it. : P

I've already stated my criteria, but let me ask you this: is the price range I specified going to have anything comparable in quality (after SD conversion) to an HVR-Z1U? I figured by now there would be because the Z1U is getting old. If not, what separates cameras like the DVX100 and the Z1U from these sub-$1,000 camcorders on the market now? Different kind of sensor?
 
Honestly David I think the best thing you can do is go on www.vimeo.com and do a search for camera footage from different cams you are considering. Watch footage from your cam and then from cams you are considering to see how close it looks. There is a considerable difference in look between various cameras.

Your best bet is to find one for sell used, you'll get more for your money. You can't get a lot new for $1,000 unless you are shopping around at walmart/best buy. If you are firm on your price, you'd be lucky to find a DVX for $1,000, it probably won't happen. And that's SD and it just won't cut or edit that well against some HD footage. When you bring in footage to edit you are suppose to set the settings for it up front. Bringing some SD footage into an HD footage timeline is not going to work well at all. The DVX footage will look small in comparison. Unless you downcompress your existing HD footage. I'd suggest to stick with HD footage which rules out all the SD cams like the DVX. In the thousand dollar range, you're looking at maybe an HV20/HV30. Possibly a Nikon D90 used if you have some lenses or can get some lenses. Your other option is to hit craigslist and local film groups and find someone with the exact same camera and contract them out to help finish the project. Offer maybe $300 around in your area to someone who will dedicate themself to helping complete the project. Just pitch them the project and I'm sure you'll find someone. Just tell them it may involve some pickup shots down the line and you'll all just have to come to an agreement on the best day for those.

Best of luck.
 
Thanks guys. I'm going to look into some of this stuff and report back. It sounds like it's going to come down to using the existing Z1U alongside a used A1U, or going with camcorders like some HV20s or HV30s. Two HDSLRs are too expensive and I don't think pairing one with the existing Z1U would work well.
 
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