That's it, i give up! For gods sake help me please!!

J

Jimmy82

New member
Hi folks

Im new here and I need some advice from someone who knows what they are talking about! Long story short, I'm heading over to Iceland for 2 weeks in November for my 30th and I want to purchase a video camera to capture some of the awesome things we plan to see and do over there. Theres only about 4 or 5 hours of daylight a day so I need something that will perform well in low light conditions as I will be filming at both dawn and dusk and preferably night time in case we are lucky enough to capture some northern lights action. I had pretty much settled on a Panasonic v700 until I went into the store today and was told that the performance of the g3 and especially the gh2 dslrs would hugely out perform the dedicated consumer camcorders. I have since done some research that suggests that this is true but that filming on a dslr has downsides and be very tricky. So I really just don't know what to do!

To summarise my needs I reaquire a device that is:
-reasonably easy to use (although I dont mind spending some serious time with the camera to know how to get the best out of it)
-films beautiful crisp hd footage in low light conditions, I may be filming from in or on vehicles, filming waterfalls from a distance, fast moving objects, close up volcanic activity etc both during daylight hours and when the sun is on its way up or down
-something that performs at least respecably should I be in lava caves or should I want to capture some northern lights footage at night time.
 
Premature posting! Anyway, I know Im asking a lot especially for under 600 quid but any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Jimmy
 
A dedicated camcorder might be better for your needs, but ideally you'd have a gh2/g3, a few lenses, tripod and a dedicated camcorder.

The advantage with an m4/3 camera is you'll be able to shoot stills as well, but really to get the most out of it, you will need to take along a few lenses.
Enjoy the trip, it's a beautiful place.
 
You don't have enough money for DSLRs and a range of useful lenses.
You may not have enough skill, or time to gain it, with them before you go.
Do YOU want a camcorder that is simple to use, has all the useful features, decent sound from the off and something that can be placed on auto and given to the wife to take pictures when you don't wish to?

DSLRs are great stills cameras with video functions for those able to manage them. People who hate DSLRs will advise a camcorder, DLSR lovers will advise a DSLR, but insist on something able to do wide and telephoto, stuck on the front - and for your budget you'll get a nice camera with budget lens.
 
youre not going to find ANYTHING that will meet your needs well for $600. just isnt going to happen.

if low light situations are key, than id say stick with a dslr. ive owned two GH2s and theyre pretty good in this capacity. but you need to use good glass to get the best out of them. and decent m4/3 lenses generally start at about $600 even used - OR just get used to "artistic grain"

GH2s hold their value pretty well and you wont get a combo for less than about $650

you might look into a used canon 60D. but then youre dealing with the dreaded canon alias / moire issues (a problem if youre shooting a lot of grass, bricks, car grills, sweaters or herringbone suits)

here is a pretty good small camcorder that does a decent job at what you want - but its more than 2x your budget:
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-VIXIA-Memory-Internal-Optical/dp/B001OI2YNS
 
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You really are asking for a lot for that budget, and you are simply not going to get that lowlight performance, at least not footage that will be relatively noise-free. On top of that, cheaper cameras mean CMOS and that can be problematic shooting out of a moving vehicle.

Best bet is to go to a camera/electronics store and play with the cameras in your budget and pick the one you are most comfortable with. Then shoot with it in similar conditions and see what you can bring to the table to make the most out of the camera itself.
 
Find something that is easy to use and take out every now and again but don't forget about the two best camcorders out there. Those two eyeballs of yours will make the best memories you can have.
 
i'd suggest the gh2 and kit lens for that price. Use the kit lens and video in the day. and Use the same combo in stills mode for timelapse in the night for the northern lights. In stills mode (im assuming since u can do this with canons) you can get very slow shutter speeds allowing alot of light to be captured. String the pics together in post or beautiful smooth footage. I suggest an intervalvometer ( i assume they have ones for the gh2) and a tripod for this time lapse.
 
wgzn said:
youre not going to find ANYTHING that will meet your needs well for $600. just isnt going to happen.

if low light situations are key, than id say stick with a dslr. ive owned two GH2s and theyre pretty good in this capacity. but you need to use good glass to get the best out of them. and decent m4/3 lenses generally start at about $600 even used - OR just get used to "artistic grain"

GH2s hold their value pretty well and you wont get a combo for less than about $650

you might look into a used canon 60D. but then youre dealing with the dreaded canon alias / moire issues (a problem if youre shooting a lot of grass, bricks, car grills, sweaters or herringbone suits)

here is a pretty good small camcorder that does a decent job at what you want - but its more than 2x your budget:
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-VIXIA-Memory-Internal-Optical/dp/B001OI2YNS
Click to expand...


600 Quid = Around 850USD :)


But still thats not much more
 
jimmy - I apologize. Sadly, many of my fellow Americans don't know that "quid" means pounds ;)

For less than £600, you can get a £370 Panasonic G3 with the 14-42 kit lens for daytime plus either the £175 Panasonic 14mm f2.5, £150 Sigma 19mm f2.8, £134 Sigma 30mm f2.8 or £229 Olympus 45mm f1.8 for shooting at night (all amazon.co.uk prices).

Yes, you'll get higher quality video, but you'll be giving up the V700's 46X zoom, external mic jack, built-in movie light and unlimited video clip length.

I have both a GH2 and a Panasonic camcorder (TM900). I would get the V700 or X800.

Cheers,

Bill
 
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£600 isn't a lot I have to say, you might have to exceed that a little. However, it sounds like you haven't shot much before? If that's case, I really don't see that you'll be more comfortable with one more than the other. If you're really learning from scratch, then I'd say jump in with a dslr and get used to lenses. Fixed lenses are becoming a thing of the past. Currently the GH2 gives the best bang for your buck. But it really depends on what you're trying to achieve. Can you find an example of some images that you're looking to achieve? Because if you're trying to get shallow depth of field, then a camcorder with a fixed lens won't do it. If you're trying to get some beautiful timelapses of the northern lights, then maybe you need something that's performing better in the stills area, like the Canon's.

Last year I got stuck without a camera and just had a GH2 and some Canon FD lenses (cheap as chips). The project came out pretty good considering the set up. The FD lenses are all different and therefore give their own funky looks. If you do get the GH2, forget hacking it for the first project. The hack really only effects the colour grading.

Hope this helps a little
 
Jimmy82 said:
I had pretty much settled on a Panasonic v700 until I went into the store today and was told that the performance of the g3 and especially the gh2 dslrs would hugely out perform the dedicated consumer camcorders. I have since done some research that suggests that this is true but that filming on a dslr has downsides and be very tricky. So I really just don't know what to do!
Click to expand...

It sounds like a salesman was trying to upgrade you to a more expensive option.

Jimmy82 said:
To summarise my needs I reaquire a device that is:
-reasonably easy to use (although I dont mind spending some serious time with the camera to know how to get the best out of it)
-films beautiful crisp hd footage in low light conditions, I may be filming from in or on vehicles, filming waterfalls from a distance, fast moving objects, close up volcanic activity etc both during daylight hours and when the sun is on its way up or down
-something that performs at least respecably should I be in lava caves or should I want to capture some northern lights footage at night time.
Click to expand...

All of your requirements point to getting a camcorder, and not a DSLR.

The advice you got from BrunerWW is pretty much spot on. I would also recommend that you consider the HC X800 camcorder. It can record in 1080/50p, making it much better for recording sports. It's image stabilization is far superior, which would make recording from an auto come out much better as well. And its zoom lens would do much better in recording distant objects as well. And you will find it most definitely easier to use and get up to speed with quickly. So for your needs, a camcorder is really the appropriate solution.

I would also agree with BrunerWW that the HC X800 would be a great choice for you. I would strongly recommend that you consider it as being the best solution that would be close to your financial budget.
 
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