I'm making a DVD for an educational company which for my usual level of film making (local drama and home movies ) is one giant step into the unknown.
I'm in the process of buying a camera and have been completely confused about what to buy. The cameras that I'm considering are the Sony PD150170, the Canon XL1 or XM2.
As ever money is tight and I don't want to get landed with a camera that is too elaborate for my needs nor up to the job.
Any advice or suggestions would be gratefully accepted.
This thread is not really relevant here, but I'll make it a little more so: editing in MSP (or any other editor) is not too easy at times but the choice of camera can make a big difference to the ease.
If you are using standard definition, then consider ONLY a mini-DV, NEVER a DVD one or any of the other niche formats.
Sony and Canon cameras sometimes have issues with the computer>camera commands, because they are not standardised, although there are usually workarounds.
As Terry stated, using 3-CCD may avoid the need for some fine colour correction. If poss, get 1/3" CCDs, rather than ¼" or 1/6"
The modern miniature camcorders are hell to keep still on hand-held shots. A man-sized camera is worth the extra and often comes with a better lens. Avoid cams with lenses with >10-12 x zoom, as there are more compromises in the optics.
I use a Panasonic and am satisfied, but, like Terry, I'd avoid Sony.
[b][i][color=red]Devil[/color][/i][/b]
[size=84]P4 Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz/Elite NVidia NF650iSLIT-A/2 Gb dual channel FSB 1333 MHz/Gainward NVidia 7300/2 x 80 Gb, 1 x 300 Gb, 1 x 200 Gb/DVCAM DRV-1000P drive/ Pan NV-DX1&-DX100/MSP8/WS2/PI11/C3D etc.[/size]
I have been filming and editing learning materials for some time. I author SMIL presentations and DVDs.
Any of the cameras recommended will give good pictures but sound is as important in educational films. Don't overlook a decent shotgun microphone or a tie-clip type condenser mic. It's worth making sure the camera you choose has XLR inputs (PD150 for example). I use a Sony condenser clip mic for talking heads and voice-overs and a JVC shotgun mic for recording demonstrations such as plastering or cookery where you can't wire up your subject. If you blow all your budget on the camera you'll be stuck with on-camera sound which isn't really good enough.
Strangely, although I prefer the look of 16:9, I've also found myself sticking to 4:3 for creating learning materials. Most of the demo's we've shot weren't suited to 16:9 so the choice of aspect ratio depends on what type of educational material your covering. (How to climb a ladder - 4:3, how to paint a panorama - 16:9)
The only knoick on Canons I have is that many of their models don't sample their audio at exactly 48.000 khz. Some models are off by just a tiny fraction, ~48.009 khz, but this can make for AV synch slippage of almost a second/hour when the footage is edited.
Some Sony's have a sampling error too, but theirs is about 48.001 khz, which isn't often enough to matter.
This doesn't affect playback in the camera so often people think it's the editors problem, but not so.
All that said Devils contention that Sony, and to a lesser extent Canon, play fast and loose with the IEEE-1394 camera interface standards is also correct.
Just FYI, I love my Canon GL2. Very light, easy-to-use. Very nice lens, 20X optical zoom, lots of (optional) manual control over the image, pseudo-progressive scan (Frame mode), and reasonable good onboard sound including manual per-channel volume control and VU meters. I have a separate Century Optics lens for 16:9 anamorphic. Integrates with Ulead Capture and MSP perfectly. I've never seen the audio synch problem Terry describes, but I don't think I've ever recorded a full hour mini DV tape without stopping.
) is one giant step into the unknown.