Suggest a Camera?

Michael Carter

Michael Carter

Veteran
Well... my son announced his crew of friends are starting a feature this spring.

He's very excited to use my HMC150 and my big T2i rig. Personally (awesome kid that he is) I'm not that excited about my stuff going in & out for a weeks-long project... (he's welcome to my grip gear, mics, & lights though...)

So - any of you guys that came up using cheaper cameras (or currently using something a bit "lower end") share your experiences?

I'd spend $5-800 for something I could eBay off when they're finished. Features I'd like:

Dual audio input with no AGC and manual level control; stereo 1/8 is OK in that case;
SD is OK with progressive frame rates - they'll likely edit on a hand-me-down G5;
Full manual exposure control;
Solid state vs. tape;
Fixed lens, video form factor vs DSLR.

I just sold my DVX100b, which they would have probably been thrilled with, and I'm unfamiliar with this end of the market.

I have plenty of lenses and could potentially grab a 60d (don't like the T2i for audio and Jr. is the audio guy). And they may be at an AF level vs. pulling focus. An HMC 40 or 80 seems a little steep, a used DVX worries me regarding an aging tape transport.

There may be a go-to camera out there that would be perfect for 'em. He's a great kid and trustworthy so I don't mind spending a few $$, but watching my livelihood go out the door or getting booked when they're scheduling something both worry me. Thanks for any advice, this is a brave new world for me...
 
Given the limitations of price, G5, and 'better audio than a DSLR', it seems the DVX100 would be the best, tapes notwithstanding.

DV with attendant SD resolution would be better for the G5. I don't know if there is a AVCHD to <whatever> for the PPC based G5, other than
perhaps some opensource tools, such as ffmpeg or the like. And even then some codecs don't get implimented on the PPC because
the conversion code is handed out as Intel binary libraries...
 
I can pretty much convert anything here (so many of my clients have me swiping footage from local news, etc and making in-house stuff, nightmare), but going AVCHD is (guessing) going to be a fairly pricey cam anyway.

I'm kinda wondering if there's some skateboard-vid auteur 'round here that will point out some kind of sleeper. My 100B just sold for $1400; I imagine I could get a 100 or 100A for under $800 or so, but could really get a beater that way. Let's see what comes up.
 
I just got an Canon HFS200 for $675 - Love it so far. It shoots progressive, has audio level control, dual card slots, impressive stabalization, you can manually limit the gain in 1db increments (I didn't know this until I got it, I thought it was 3db increments) has manual exposure control (not full shutter and aperture at the same time, but it's workable) has some control over image parameters, the touch focus actually works like a charm, and the HD to SD downconversion in camera is a great feature for easy editing. Also - the picture is fantastic in good to moderate lighting. The design is also pretty good too - it's not like a lot of them these days that are ridiculously small, and the LCD is beautiful. It's an incredible bargain that only happens this time of year, right after CES and right before the stock runs out. Buy the extended battery if you get it though!
One other point - the sensor is big enough that good subject isolation can be achieved pretty easily by standing back a bit and zooming in.

I just saw in the marketplace MADASPY is selling a 154hr DVX100B for $900 - looks very clean!
 
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i filmed a feature 75 min feature with a canon HV40 in 2010, used a at897 audio technica mic and boom, went like a charm, we are in audio post now. go for the canon xa10, its every indies dream machine
 
T2i is a pretty good choice but I find it a lot more annoying to use than the 7D (it's controls and settings are not as user friendly or easy to use as 7D) and the body is much smaller and less durable. I also feel like the image quality of the t2i is not quite as good as the 7D but it might just be the quality of filmmaker I see using the t2i versus those that use the 7D.
 
If you'd like, I have a JVC GY-DV300u that I babied for years sitting around. I don't wanna hawk gear in a thread, if you want I could be more specific. Not sure if you want HD, I haven't really kept up with cameras on that level but figured I'd offer.

Edit: forgot to add it's only got 34 hours.
 
Thanks guys - I'll start researching these models and any more that come along -

As an aside, I got a t2i to look into canon with nikon glass shooting and it's become my main camera for video, and for all its interface oddities (I'm a Nikon guy) I'm totally in that no-thinking just-shooting zone. I do use 5DtoRGB for most transcoding which I'm really happy with. I keep considering ML but I'd really want a week to get 2nd nature with it. But for the kids, I don't think a DSLR is the best bet (especially MY dslr!). My gut feeling is keep it simple, they're about to find out how hard it is to get 10 minutes of edited footage, much less a feature...
 
Michael Carter said:
But for the kids, I don't think a DSLR is the best bet (especially MY dslr!).
Click to expand...

The Wife has 'lent' (long term loan...) one of her Fuji S2's to The Kid. The Kid has lost a lens, broken a lens, got the camera 'lost' at a repair shop, etc... Fortunately we bought about 4 S2 bodies, so, we can keep up with this... (why 4 S2's... because that's what fits the underwater housing I bought for the Wife's underwater work.)

These days I'd probably think about handing down the GH-1 if I get a GH-2...
 
Hey, my oldest daughter made a career of turning well-cared for vehicles into scrap in a matter of months with britney spears blaring on the radio. Having a kid who wants to borrow my mics & gear to practice booming is kinda cool...
 
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