Pro needs cheap DV cam advice pls

Ben Digedig

Ben Digedig

Well-known member
Sorry to post this here guys but have a pitch tomorr where I need to put together 5 cheap shoot/edit systems; I have the edit & storage system nailed but know little about cameras 'below' a Sony PD150. Budget for what we need is under $1000 / £700 to give the users I'm training a 'taste'.

SD is fine. I need a mic input, as many manual controls as poss and the bigger the form size the better. It needs to be DV tape based. It doesnt have to have DV in but that would be a bonus. The wider the lens the better and if it has 3CCD's brilliant. It may get abused so the better the build quality the better too.

Any advice would be most welcome as I usually spend a few quid more than this on cameras, and so its rather new territory!:)

Thx
 
Ben Digedig said:
Budget for what we need is under $1000 / £700 to give the users I'm training a 'taste'.

SD is fine. I need a mic input, as many manual controls as poss and the bigger the form size the better. It needs to be DV tape based. It doesnt have to have DV in but that would be a bonus. The wider the lens the better and if it has 3CCD's brilliant. It may get abused so the better the build quality the better too.
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You're really asking to find too much camera for too little money. Aside from a used DVX, which is still going to be generally more than $1k, you're looking at smaller, 1-chip cameras. The Canon Vixia HV30 has manual control, though not nearly as accessible as the DVX. And the mic input is stereo 1/8", so you'd need to add an XLR converter box to the package. That'll put you right at your budget limit, and give you HD shooting.

It's only 1 chip, but it's a pretty chip. The downside is that it's a CMOS, which suffers from rolling shutter (aka Jell-O vision).
 
Ben Digedig said:
Sorry guys if I confused - $1k each MAX!

Thanks for the input. BD
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Then I refer back to the Vixia HV30.

Unless you decide to buy used, in which case it's really up to chance and happenstance. And the likelihood is slim that you'll find 5 identical cameras, be they DVXs or PD-170s, on the used market and for under $1k each.
 
Thanks mate - its good as it does SD; dont need long GOP pseudo HD'V'. Still Googling SD DV... You can get them for £140! A DV 'tape deck' for £140!!

I think this all illustrates how overpriced SD PD170's are by now - sell!!!!
 
Sorry, I wasn't looking to sell, but didn't know if you had to have new. Yeah, I was thinking the HV20 or 30 off hand. Seems like the best bet. Though, it's CMOS, not CCD (which was specified), and possibly one of the smallest out there (size mattered).
 
Unless they are paying $400+ a day for kit CMOS v CCD is a total non issue! They get what fits their budget nicely!

Thanks for the help.

BD
 
Ben Digedig said:
Still Googling SD DV... You can get them for £140! A DV 'tape deck' for £140!!

I think this all illustrates how overpriced SD PD170's are by now - sell!!!!
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I wouldn't go that far. There are too many features you lose in the drop from $2000 to $250. Once you get down to the really cheap miniDV camcorders, you find yourself with little/no manual control, low-rez single-chip imaging, sub-par glass, etc.

Having shot with PD-170, GL-1, and DVX-100a, I'm glad I settled on the Panny.
 
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