Whats the best hd professional camcorder under £1500?

Q. i'm looking for a professional camcorder that records full hd. This will be used for shooting films and i need the manual focus and the auto focus. Been using a canon 60d but want something a bit better. Been looking at the canon xh a1 but that's got mixed reviews. i don't mind any make as long as it is not a consumer camcorder.

A. A "professional" camcorder will have:

* Lens filter diameter larger than 70mm;
* 3CCD or 3COMS imaging chip array 1/3" or larger;
* XLR audio inputs.

Find these and all the other stuff (separate manual zoom and manual focus rings on the lens barrel, manual audio control and lots of other manual controls easily accessible on the OUTSIDE of the camcorder) and you will have a pro-grade camcorder. Hint: unless you buy used, there is no such thing. New, the closest you can get is a prosumer like the Sony HDR-FX1000 and add a XLR adapter (from BeachTek or juiceLink).

Original Question

Looking for an HD camcorder with an XLR port for under $1000? Does one exist or do I have to go prosumer?

Q. I'm a recent graduate of a Film Production program and am looking to purchase a video camera for under $1000 to put together some basic news stories for a non-for-profit organization. The video quality doesn't need to be terrific, nor do I need a ton of manual options. I would however like to be able to record to a mic that isn't built into the camera, for the purposes of recording clear interviews, so I'd like a camera with an XLR port. I'd also prefer a camera with an internal drive as opposed to tape.

Can you help recommend me a camera?

Thanks for your time,
Daniel

A. Unless you buy used - or use an XLR adapter like those from juicedLink or BeachTek, there is no camcorder under about $1,800 with built-in XLR audio connectors.

The Panasonic DVX100 has XLR audio in but is standard definition only.

The Sony HVR-A1U has XLR audio-in, and while part of the Sony HVR professional series, its single CMOS imaging chip and small lens does not provide much flexibility for lighting conditions. It is the pro sibling of the consumer HDR-HC1 from about 3 years ago.

That said, for under $1,000, new... the Canon HV20/HV30/HV40 and the Sony HDR-HC9 are the least expensive camcorders with a mic jack (1/8" - 3.5mm) and manual audio control. Use of the above mentioned XLR adapters will provide the XLR mic connectivity you need. The hard disc drive based consumer camcorders in the same range use an anemic version of AVCHD (MTS) compression and are not recommended - and they do not have manual audio control.

As a recent graduate of a film production program, you probably also know that miniDV tape capturing HDV provides best available video quality due to least compression applied (when compared to other consumer recording media and their associated file formats). In order to have HDV stored to a hard drive, that is normally by way of an external hard drive (like the Focus Enhancements' FireStore series) connected to a firewire-equipped camcorder - most commonly a miniDV tape based camcorder.

In the "prosumer" High Definition environment, that means (at least by my definition) the Sony HDR-FX1, HDR-FX1000, HDR-FX7. All are 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo audio-in... which means an XLR adapter. There is no hard disc drive prosumer camcorder.

XLR first appears in the previously mentioned Sony HVR-A1U. The HVR-Z1U, Z5U, Z7U and V1U round out the HDV pro line at Sony. Then there is the Canon XHA1 and XLH series, Panasonic HVX200 series and the JVC GY pro series. There are more above this... specifically in the Sony HDCAM/XDCAM and Panasonic PRODVC series camcorders - into those proprietary formats. The Panny HVX200 uses P2 cards for non-tape. The only hard drive cams are form Sony (external hard drives that connect to the firewire port of the miniDV amcroder and the external hard drive records HDV - like the FireStore units). There are some new Pannys in their AVCAM series that use a higher 24 mbps AVCHD compression than the anemic consumer camcorders use - I have not seen any pros using them.

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

what is the Best HD Camcorder?

Q. What i want is the Best of the best camcorders in the market today. just camcorders not proffesional video camera.
hd,camcorder. simple as that.

A. Your question does not make sense to me.

A "camcorder" defined:
"A camcorder (video CAMera reCORDER) is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit.

In order to differentiate it from other devices that are capable of recording video, like cell phones and compact digital cameras, a camcorder is generally identified as a portable device primarily designed for video capture and recording."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camcorder

If you want the "best of the best" then you want a professional grade camcorder. Barring that, you will not be looking at the "best of the best". The step down from professional-grade would be "prosumer". But lets define professional grade, first... In my opinion, pro grade camcorders:
1) have lenses larger than 60mm diameter - usually 72mm.
2) have imaging chips larger than 1/4" - usually 3-chip array and more typically 1/3". Can be 3-CCD or 3-CMOS.
3) have XLR audio-in connectors.
4) record to DV or HDV or some other low-compression format (not AVCHD/MTS).
Deviate from any one of these and the grade of the camcorder drops to "prosumer".

Depending on your specific requirements, those worth investigating:
Sony HDR-FX7, HDR-FX1000, HVR-HD1000, HVR-A1.
Canon GL2

In the higher-end consumer grade area:
Canon HV40, HF and HF S series.
Sony HDR-CX500 series.

No consumer internal hard disc drives camcorders (knowm problems with vibration and altitude prevents recording video). No consumer DVD based camcorders.

Original Question

Whats the best hd professional camcorder under £1500?

Q. i'm looking for a professional camcorder that records full hd. This will be used for shooting films and i need the manual focus and the auto focus. Been using a canon 60d but want something a bit better. Been looking at the canon xh a1 but that's got mixed reviews. i don't mind any make as long as it is not a consumer camcorder.

A. A "professional" camcorder will have:

* Lens filter diameter larger than 70mm;
* 3CCD or 3COMS imaging chip array 1/3" or larger;
* XLR audio inputs.

Find these and all the other stuff (separate manual zoom and manual focus rings on the lens barrel, manual audio control and lots of other manual controls easily accessible on the OUTSIDE of the camcorder) and you will have a pro-grade camcorder. Hint: unless you buy used, there is no such thing. New, the closest you can get is a prosumer like the Sony HDR-FX1000 and add a XLR adapter (from BeachTek or juiceLink).

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Can the new Sony Webbie HD Camcorder fit an XLR adapter to it?

Q. Can you fit an XLR adapter to the new Sony Webbie HD Camcorder?

A. No.

The "Webbie", as the name suggests, is a video camera optimized for internet video... in other words, it's an ultra-low-end model. Sony sure knows how to make a camcorder... I have several of theirs, it's a fine brand. But you don't get extra features at the low-end.

So, there's no microphone jack, and the built-in mic is mono-only. Like most of this sort of camcorder, it's closer in design to a digital still camera's video mode than to a standard camcorder: tiny lens, no optical zoom, higher levels of video compression, etc.

What you might do is use an off-camera recorder. A MiniDisc recorder, a digital flash recorder, an iPod with one of the recording adapters, even a laptop computer with a decent microphone (if you don't have a mic jack on the laptop, you can get "USB" mics, which are basically just microphones with USB audio interface built-in).

XLR mics are generally higher-end stuff... my $2600 camcorder came with XLR jacks on it, but my cheaper ones, not so much. You can get an XLR to 3.5mm plug adaptor for devices that take an external mic, from a company called BeachTek... but they probably cost more than your "Webbie" did, just for the interface. See here:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=0&shs=beachtek&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2FRootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=%2A&bhs=t&Go.x=0&Go.y=0

If you're using off-camera mics, the trick is to properly synchronize audio, so that when you want to sync it up (this presumes you're doing some video editing on a computer), it's easy to find the sync point. You've seen this done before, though you might not know it. That stereotypical "clap-board" you see around movie-making... that's what it's for. High end film cameras don't have on-camera sound, and professional film makers have their own crew for recording sound. The "clap" made by the clapboard provides the synchronization point for the multiple audio and video recording devices.

I use similar things all the time to match up video from two and three camera shoots. Even if the "Webbie" audio isn't all that great, it'll record your sync noise and make it easy to match up some better off-camera source.

Original Question

What are the differences between a camcorder and a professional video camera?

Q. Are there huge differences in the video quality you can get from a HD consumer camcorder and a little "professional" cameras...the type videographers and local news stations use on location. What are the other main differences in capability?

A. Consumer camcorders have small lenses and small imaging chip(s). This combination results in their not doing too well in low-light situations. Prosumer and pro-grade camcorders have much larger lenses and larger imaging chips.

Consumer camcorders' manual controls are generally not easily accessible. Prosumer and pro-grade camcorders have easily accessible manual zoom, manual focus, manual iris/exposure, manual shutter and manual audio controls... and neutral density filters and video gain control.

Many consumer camcorders generally do not have any mic jack or other audio-in capability other than the built-in mics. A few have a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo mic jack (but generally no manual audio control). Prosumer models generally have a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo mic jack with manual audio control. Pro-grade camcorders have built-in XLR audio connectors.

Consumer camcorders are generally built to be used hand-held, even though no one should ever do that. Prosumer models are larger - and while designed to be hand held, rarely are; the large ENG (Electronic News Gathering) pro models are nearly always shoulder mountable. The advantage of the shoulder mount translates into a much steadier shot - though a tripod or camera crane or other steadying device would be steadier than shoulder mount.

Other features like frame rate, interlaced vs progressive frame capture, add-on lens selection and quality, LANC (a wired remote) jack availability, matte box availability, filter selection, will also come into play.

You will also find that the vast majority of the pro camcorders use miniDV tape or save to an external hard drive that stores in DV or HDV format (same as miniDV tape). Panasonic has a few new internal hard drive or flash memory pro-grade camcorders. Red has a family of them. Sony, Canon and JVC pro lines continue to be on the DV/HDV page.

In good daylight, tripod mounted, no movement of the subject or the camera, with normal audio levels, it would be a challenge to differentiate 1080i/p 30fps video. Deviate from this, and the differences get very obvious, very quickly. Video is captured under lots of different lighting conditions, there may not be time to set up a tripod, and audio levels can be from 0 to REALLY LOUD in an instant... and the reason we capture video is for the motion...

Under many conditions, the ENG camcorder audio is not even used even though it is captured - an external field recorder (Edirol, Zoom, Marantz, M-Audio, Fostex) is used to capture the audio you end up hearing on TV and a separate audio person is employed just to be sure the audio is correctly captured.

So yes, there are huge differences - which is why a low-end consumer camcorder costs less than $300 and a decent pro camcorder can be as low as $3,000 or as high as $60,000...

But a skilled person with a low-end camcorder will always capture much better video than a non-skilled person with the most expensive camcorder...

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

What are the differences between a camcorder and a professional video camera?

Q. Are there huge differences in the video quality you can get from a HD consumer camcorder and a little "professional" cameras...the type videographers and local news stations use on location. What are the other main differences in capability?

A. Consumer camcorders have small lenses and small imaging chip(s). This combination results in their not doing too well in low-light situations. Prosumer and pro-grade camcorders have much larger lenses and larger imaging chips.

Consumer camcorders' manual controls are generally not easily accessible. Prosumer and pro-grade camcorders have easily accessible manual zoom, manual focus, manual iris/exposure, manual shutter and manual audio controls... and neutral density filters and video gain control.

Many consumer camcorders generally do not have any mic jack or other audio-in capability other than the built-in mics. A few have a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo mic jack (but generally no manual audio control). Prosumer models generally have a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo mic jack with manual audio control. Pro-grade camcorders have built-in XLR audio connectors.

Consumer camcorders are generally built to be used hand-held, even though no one should ever do that. Prosumer models are larger - and while designed to be hand held, rarely are; the large ENG (Electronic News Gathering) pro models are nearly always shoulder mountable. The advantage of the shoulder mount translates into a much steadier shot - though a tripod or camera crane or other steadying device would be steadier than shoulder mount.

Other features like frame rate, interlaced vs progressive frame capture, add-on lens selection and quality, LANC (a wired remote) jack availability, matte box availability, filter selection, will also come into play.

You will also find that the vast majority of the pro camcorders use miniDV tape or save to an external hard drive that stores in DV or HDV format (same as miniDV tape). Panasonic has a few new internal hard drive or flash memory pro-grade camcorders. Red has a family of them. Sony, Canon and JVC pro lines continue to be on the DV/HDV page.

In good daylight, tripod mounted, no movement of the subject or the camera, with normal audio levels, it would be a challenge to differentiate 1080i/p 30fps video. Deviate from this, and the differences get very obvious, very quickly. Video is captured under lots of different lighting conditions, there may not be time to set up a tripod, and audio levels can be from 0 to REALLY LOUD in an instant... and the reason we capture video is for the motion...

Under many conditions, the ENG camcorder audio is not even used even though it is captured - an external field recorder (Edirol, Zoom, Marantz, M-Audio, Fostex) is used to capture the audio you end up hearing on TV and a separate audio person is employed just to be sure the audio is correctly captured.

So yes, there are huge differences - which is why a low-end consumer camcorder costs less than $300 and a decent pro camcorder can be as low as $3,000 or as high as $60,000...

But a skilled person with a low-end camcorder will always capture much better video than a non-skilled person with the most expensive camcorder...

Original Question

What is the best camcorder to get for a college class?

Q. What would you think is on eof the best camcoders for a college class and what is the best camcorder for college that is $1000 just incase i can't get the best.

and do colleges mine if i have or will get those small HD camcorders or do they just want you to have the big professional ones

A. Ask the person teaching the class.

The camera is part of the equation - you will need a rechargeable hi-cap battery or two, a good tripod (fluid-head is best), a sturdy case (I use Pelican), a shotgun mic, a clip on wireless mic or two - depending on the camera you get, you may need a BeachTek XLR adapter (or something similar), a shock mount for the shotgun mic (Sabra SMM-1 universal shockmount), boom-pole.

I suggest miniDV tape - and your instructor will confirm that, too.

My suggestions:

Sony DCR-HC96 plus http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/479976-REG/Sony_VMCK100_VMC_K100_Microphone_Adapter_Cable.html so you aren't stuck using Sony mics.

Panasonic PV-GS500 (if you can find one).

Both are standard def camcorders.

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Can i have a link for a HD professional camcorder around £600?

Q. Can i have a link for a HD professional camcorder around £600. It must be a good camera for making films and it can't be a camera made in 2001 and below. Thx.

A. Nope. A "professional camcorder" will have a lens diameter of 70mm or larger, a 3CCD or 3COMS imaging chip array that is 1/3 inch or larger and XLR audio-in connectors. There is no camcorder with these features that meets you price. The closest is the Canon XHA1.

Original Question

Help with choosing a camcorder with good sound quality?

Q. Ok, I've asked questions about camcorders, microphones, and webcams that have good sound quality. And I've found the perfect thing, a Panasonic HDC-SD100 HD Digital Camcorder. But guess what, it costs a little less than 1000 dollars. And thats too much. Is there any other camcorders that are similar to this one, but has a little smaller price tag? I'm okay with bad video quality, but I need the sound quality.

A. Here's a bit of camcorder insight: no matter how much you spend on a camcorder, the built-in mic sucks! Obviously some are better than others, but none would be sufficient for real professional stuff. Built-in mics have an omni-directional pickup pattern which means it picks up sound in every direction. It sounds nice, but it's not. You pick up annoying background noise, and the overall sound is unfocused and quite has quite a bit of echo. So my advice is to get the cheapest camcorder with a 3.5mm mini-stereo microphone input which will allow you to connect external mics...

Some cheap** ones: Canon ZR series (starting at $200-ish. But not all have the mic input, so make sure of that. I know the ZR40 has one, as well as the newer models the ZR900 and ZR930. If I'm correct, the older models of Canon Opturas have them as well (like the Optura 10). I believe the Panasonic PV GS500-ish (can't remember the exact number) has one too.
Your cheapest option is to get the ZR900 (or if you can find a used model of the ZR40 or Optura 10).

Now that you've save a lot o money, you have more to spend on a good external mic. If you want to go the cheap route, get a nice mini-stereo shotgun:
1) RODE VideoMic
2) Sennheiser MKE300
3) Azden SGM-X
4) Audio-Technica ATR-55

If you want the absolute best audio, get an XLR adapter (the good kind, not those crappy XLR female to mini-male cables) like those made by Beachtek for around $180, and get a pro XLR mic:
1) Sennheiser ME66
2) RODE NTG-2 (or NTG-1)

the Azden SGM-1X is pretty good too, and cheap :)

Hope that helps!!!

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Can i have a link for a HD professional camcorder around £600?

Q. Can i have a link for a HD professional camcorder around £600. It must be a good camera for making films and it can't be a camera made in 2001 and below. Thx.

A. Nope. A "professional camcorder" will have a lens diameter of 70mm or larger, a 3CCD or 3COMS imaging chip array that is 1/3 inch or larger and XLR audio-in connectors. There is no camcorder with these features that meets you price. The closest is the Canon XHA1.

Original Question

Help with choosing a camcorder with good sound quality?

Q. Ok, I've asked questions about camcorders, microphones, and webcams that have good sound quality. And I've found the perfect thing, a Panasonic HDC-SD100 HD Digital Camcorder. But guess what, it costs a little less than 1000 dollars. And thats too much. Is there any other camcorders that are similar to this one, but has a little smaller price tag? I'm okay with bad video quality, but I need the sound quality.

A. Here's a bit of camcorder insight: no matter how much you spend on a camcorder, the built-in mic sucks! Obviously some are better than others, but none would be sufficient for real professional stuff. Built-in mics have an omni-directional pickup pattern which means it picks up sound in every direction. It sounds nice, but it's not. You pick up annoying background noise, and the overall sound is unfocused and quite has quite a bit of echo. So my advice is to get the cheapest camcorder with a 3.5mm mini-stereo microphone input which will allow you to connect external mics...

Some cheap** ones: Canon ZR series (starting at $200-ish. But not all have the mic input, so make sure of that. I know the ZR40 has one, as well as the newer models the ZR900 and ZR930. If I'm correct, the older models of Canon Opturas have them as well (like the Optura 10). I believe the Panasonic PV GS500-ish (can't remember the exact number) has one too.
Your cheapest option is to get the ZR900 (or if you can find a used model of the ZR40 or Optura 10).

Now that you've save a lot o money, you have more to spend on a good external mic. If you want to go the cheap route, get a nice mini-stereo shotgun:
1) RODE VideoMic
2) Sennheiser MKE300
3) Azden SGM-X
4) Audio-Technica ATR-55

If you want the absolute best audio, get an XLR adapter (the good kind, not those crappy XLR female to mini-male cables) like those made by Beachtek for around $180, and get a pro XLR mic:
1) Sennheiser ME66
2) RODE NTG-2 (or NTG-1)

the Azden SGM-1X is pretty good too, and cheap :)

Hope that helps!!!

Original Question

Powered by Yahoo! Answers