I'm looking for the best camcorder....?

Q. under $750.00. It is basically for home videos. It is for my sister who is not mechanically inclined, so it needs to be easy to use....and be good quaility and make good quailty videos.

Am I asking to much?

A. Sony's are the best camcorders. You should definitely get a digital one, not one with VCR tapes. Here's a link. Copy and paste it into your web browser:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=16162&SR=nav:electronics:cameras_camcorders:camcorders:shop_compare:ss&ref=http%3A//www.sony.com/index.php

Original Question

Soild HD camcorder for beginner film student?

Q. My son has been playing around with film making for a while. This year we enrolled him in an all year film program that he will most likely stick with for the next few years. What is a good hd camcorder for a beginning student. No flips or gopro please. I was thinking 500 range but less would be great too. What is the difference between the Canon hv40 and the Canon hf m41 besides price?? Help, it will be his only gift this year!

A. You asked 2 �What is the difference between the Canon hv40 and the Canon hf m41 besides price�??

First off, the Canon hv40 is ancient in the Camcorder world, issued on January 5, 2009
There are 56 4 star reviews which is good, but the price is over $750

Summary of the features of the Canon HV40:
�HDV format delivers high-definition video to miniDV tape
�Genuine Canon 10x HD video lens;
�SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer
�DIGIC DV II image processor;
�24p Cinema Mode, 30p Progressive Mode
�2.7-inch Multi-Angle Vivid Widescreen LCD
�HDMI terminal for easy, one-cable connectivity to your HDTV

MiniDV tape was good in it�s day, but now they are relics of the past.

The Canon HF M41 on the other hand was first out in January 1, this year, has 42 4 star reviews and sells for under $550.

Summary of the features of the Canon HF M41:
�32GB internal flash drive and 2 SDXC-compatible memory card slots
�Genuine Canon 10x HD video lens
�Canon HD CMOS pro image sensor
�Canon DIGIC DV III image processor
�Dynamic SuperRange OIS corrects a full range of motion

The large internal flash drive and 2 memory card slots are fantastic, as is the HD CMOS pro image sensor which gives you good low light recording.

The biggest asset this camcorder has though is the colored electronic viewfinder or eyepiece which are as rare as hens teeth at this low price.

I think your son would curse you forever and a day if you bought the HV40, but if you bought the latter he would be the envy of the class. You save $200 too.

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Need a help on deciding a camcorder for short films?

Q. Camcorder will be used for small but high quality productions
-preferably Panasonic but doesn't really matter what brand
-full HD (1080p)
-fully manual options for white balance, iris opening, frames/second and focus
-zoom up to X50 at least
-preferably optional at least 60 frames a second
-white balance not preset (like you can set it to whites in the setting you are filming in)
-not touchscreen (they tend to wear out/ cause more trouble then they are worth)
-set out in normal camcorder form (not upright)
-preferably under $1000
-uses digital format only
-is BRAND NEW <- very important
-oh and if you can suggest a good tripod and case for it as well i will say thank you or something..

A. Hello there. Unlike a lot of people who ask questions about camcorders on this site, you appear to actually have a budget that stands up to what you want in a camera. Although $1000 is not great, you could get a nice camera for that.

Choosing a camera is highly based on opinion, and asking a question like this on a website which has such a large number of filmmakers looking at your question means you are probably going to get several answers contradicting each other. The truth of the matter is that the camera really is personal choice, all I can do if offer what I would do with that $1000, and more importantly why.

So first of is the camera. I'd go for a Canon T2i (about $750). The camera is mid range DSLR primarily designed for taking photographs, however it has a second function for filming which a lot of filmmakers and cinematographers are exploiting. The camera itself is the baby brother of the Canon 5D (used a lot to film TV commercials and some TV drama shows). The fact that it is designed for photographs means it has a very large sensor, so the image it produces when you use it for filming has a lot of detail in it. It also has a interchangeable lens mount so you can purchase a nice long lens to suite your need for 50x zoom. The one thing that you will have to get used to is that in this world of cameras, zoom is called focal length, and instead of being labeled __x zoom, it is labeled as a focal range in mm- for example 18-55mm. To get a zoom equivalent to 50x, you'll need to look into buying a lens that reaches about 300mm, so maybe the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom AF. It also has all the other features you listed- easy white balance controls, manual focus and iris and the camera itself goes up to 60fps.

I would personally recommend the Slik brand of Tripods. Very good brand and good customer support as well. I've put a link in the description to a cheap Canon T2i camera case on amazon.com.

Best of luck with your filmmaking, If you need anything pop me an email. Also, feel free to check out some of the filmmaking tutorials on my youtube channel (youtube.com/munnbrice).

Regards,
Brice.

Original Question

What is the best laptop on the market today under $750.00?

Q. Not a gamer, want to be able to transfer movies/pics between my HD camcorder, digital camera and cell phone. Should I look for something with S-video outputs and audio/video connectors for HDMI?

A. Any of the Dells are good!

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How to get pro camcorder for cheap?

Q. Hello,
I am a 13 year old video enthusiast who dreams of one day becoming a director and want to try and buy a pro camcorder XH A1S for example. Problem is I don't have $4,000...is there a time of the year or a place to buy it cheaper. Thank you :)

A. The best way to get a great camcorder, cheap, is to look back a generation of cameras.

Yea, the XH is a great camera. You might be able to find a good one used for between $1000 and $2500. Myself, if I went this route I'd go the lower end, and then send it to Canon for a thorough cleaning and tune-up. Also, plan on nearly $100 for batteries and make sure you have the computer and software to deal with high quality video bitrates.

If this is still too high, consider standard def DV cameras like the GL or XL series. Both were top of the line for video quality and STILL GET A BETTER DATA RATE than any consumer HD camcorder. In fact, unless you have the ability to author Blu-ray disks, the XL and GLs will vastly surpass what you need to create a DVD.

GL and XLs are well under $1000 now. Many people got these for a single trip or event such as a wedding. As with the XH A1S, it would not be a bad idea to immediately send a camera off to Canon for cleaning and tuning. Even if nothing is wrong, simply using a different brand of MiniDv tapes than the previous owner can cause tape transport issues.

And keep in mind all these firewire cameras can fully avoid tapes with an external hard drive, or flash drive video recorder.

Fact of the matter, bluntly, is that if you can not create a good video with a GL, a better (newer) camera is not going to help.

Find a $500-$750 GL-2 and go nuts! Be smug in the fact you have a $2600 camera that remains a solid workhorse.

Original Question

I need a professional video camera ?

Q. I need a professional video camera ranging from 1000-2200$ , I need the best possible choice/bundle you can get within that price range ?

Btw since these camcorders are super advanced , if I got a green screen , would I really need to light it ?

A. You probably don't need a professional camera. Sounds like you have very little experience. This is the first indication you don't need a "professional" camera. There are few cameras under $2200 one would call "professional". How about a 3MOS Panasonic HDC-TM700? About $750. Can take an external mic. How about a $100-150 for a entry level stabilizer? You want to edit your videos? You will need a light, whether you do green screen or not.

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