Camcorder for College Level Video courses

RalphM wrote on 5/18/2008, 12:26 PM

My daughter is majoring in Photo Media which will include some courses in video this Fall. I'm suggesting a new camcorder for her and I'd be interested in some recommendations.

At present I'm leaning toward HDV, tape-based, as I'm a little concerned that the AVCHD editing solutions may be too distracting for someone who has to this point used only iMovie. (The college lab is Mac based). I will give her Vegas for her PC as well.

Am I being short sighted in staying with a tape based camera? I notice that at least one of Sony's HDD camcorders can do either MPEG2 or AVCHD. Would that be a better solution?

Recommendations greatly appreciated....

Price Range should be $1200 or less

Thanks,
RalphM

Comments

p@mast3rs wrote on 5/18/2008, 12:42 PM

While I cannot speak for others, I personally own the Canon HV20 which provides excellent HDV footage and 24p frame rate. The HV30 was released as its replacement and I would think this would be a good cam for your daughter and still leave roughly $300 for additional accessories.

Tape based should be around a bit longer at least until the consumer cams move more towards flash based storage. Tapes are much cheaper than P2 or flash cards for storage and offer backup for footage that hard drive cams do not.

Michael L wrote on 5/18/2008, 12:56 PM

The school may also have a rental/borrowing program. My daughter will be attending the Digital Media Program at DePaul this fall and they stressed that there was a variety of equipment available for use by the students for projects - students should not bother with their own equipment.

At my other daughter's school she has been assigned internet documentaries where HD would have been an overkill. The professor in this case stressed the editing rather than the source footage.

Hope this helps

TheHappyFriar wrote on 5/18/2008, 1:48 PM

get the best $500 camera you can. what does she need HD for? All she needs to do is shoot & edit. Great films come from great storytellers, not equipment.

johnmeyer wrote on 5/18/2008, 3:07 PM

Check out:

Camcorderinfo.com Ratings

If it were me, it would come down to a decision between the Canon HV-30 or the Sony HDR-HC9. They will both do DV, which is the easiest thing to edit. Or they do HDV which is the easiest HD format to edit. Tape is the cheapest storage format. It's only downside is that it takes about 2-4 times longer to capture the footage to your computer compared to using memory cards or copying from hard drive or optical discs (although the memory card and hard drive formats do let you easily review and delete scenes in-camera).

Konrad wrote on 5/18/2008, 3:31 PM

I'd be very surprised if the college did not have a list of suggested Camcorders.

Konrad

xberk wrote on 5/18/2008, 3:44 PM

>>Great films come from great storytellers, not equipment.<<

Touche!

RalphM wrote on 5/18/2008, 7:01 PM

Hard to tell if the college will have any camcorders or even a list of recommended models as this is a brand new major.

The inputs are appreciated, and I agree that a good story teller can make a compelling film with a VHS camcorder. I'm not worried about the creative part. My daughter has a great eye for still photography and I suspect that her video work will show the same artistry.

Another reason for having her own unit is that she needs to become comfortable with the camera so that the technology does not get in the way of creativity.

I've heard a lot of good feedback on the Canon HV20 and hopefully the HV30 will be a worthy successor - will give that and the comparable Sony a good look.

Thanks for the responses.

RalphM

TheHappyFriar wrote on 5/18/2008, 7:54 PM

Another reason for having her own unit is that she needs to become comfortable with the camera so that the technology does not get in the way of creativity.

won't happen. Up until HD cameras came in the 4 digit range non-Hollywood guys didn't use them.

http://www.loadingreadyrun.com These guys went with a $500 camera for several years. didn't stop them at all from being creative.

I just can't recommend a camera over $500. In a few years when she's done for the same price as the Canon's you're looking at a better camera will be the same price. It would be a better investment to take that non-spent $500 & put it away for retirement or something. If she's hired she'll get a camera from the job, if she does it on her own she'll be able to afford a better camera. Better yet, do YOU have a camera you're willing to give her & you get a newer camera? :)

nedski wrote on 5/19/2008, 1:31 AM

TheHappyFriar said... "I just can't recommend a camera over $500."

Well, the Canon Vixia HV30 can be had for under $800 from Amazon or B&H. That's not too far from TheHappyFriairs $500 limit. It's an excellent camcorder.

I've myself have sworn off tape based camcorders! I have a Sony HDR-SR7.

A big part of the equation for you is what/where/how the video will be edited. Both HDV and AVCHD demand a fast computer and compatible software. If you get the Canon HV30 you can shoot in standard definition DV if your editing environment is not advanced enough to handle HD.

Nedski

kkolbo wrote on 5/19/2008, 5:03 AM

At my other daughter's school she has been assigned internet documentaries where HD would have been an overkill. The professor in this case stressed the editing rather than the source footage.

This seems to be the norm. Too many teachers think teaching video production is becoming proficient in FCP or some NLE and forget that with good source footage and content, Windows Movie Maker can do the job. Great video is what happens in front of the camera and how the camera is used to capture it. Great audio and great lighting are more important to me than fancy edits. Do not get me wrong, edit pace, timing and interpretation is critical as well, but you can do that with cuts and a simple editor.

KK

riredale wrote on 5/19/2008, 9:18 AM

At risk of beating this to death, I'd get in touch with the prof or department and get their recommendation.