Buy something inexpensive enough that it can be replaced when it gets stolen.

There is NO reason to go HD. Stick with SD. The Canon ZR-900 is cheap ($209.00 at B&H Photo) and even has a mic imput (but no headphone out)

Yes, SD so it's easy to edit.

Since it's media class it would be good if the camera you buy had some kind of manual controls so the students can learn about white balance, shutter, iris etc.

I would suggest looking for a good used SONY VX-2000 or VX-2100 or PD-150. For a very low price you can have a camera that can teach them automatic and manual controls as well as capturing off of inexpensive MiniDV tapes, and take great standard definition video.
video production austin

video production houston

I'm not sure studying media in a 4:3 format fits the need of contemporary and beyond composition. If this is a class for the future, 16:9 is almost obligatory. Have a look at the Canon HV30 or something similar. Captures HDV to tape (inexpensive and easily edited m2t files), auto and manual. Frankly, SD isn't even relevant for home movies anymore. IMO.

Darryl

DGrob, i don't think you are looking at all things considered: HDV might be easy to edit on your pimped out desktop but is not that easy to edit with average computers.

Why shoot yourself in the foot if you can still et great results with SD MiniDV? And your point about 4:3 composition is valid so if anything just apply the matte in the post.

"I'm not sure studying media in a 4:3 format fits the need of contemporary and beyond composition. If this is a class for the future, 16:9 is almost obligatory."

16:9 is not exclusive to HD camcorders. Even the lowly ZR900 MiniDV mentioned above shoots true full-CCD 16:9 Widescreen].

True, the HV40 would be a better choice for quality, but not because of any format differences . . .

"Frankly, SD isn't even relevant for home movies anymore. IMO."

Again, if you're equating SD to 4:3, that's not the case. And, since the vast majority of home movies end up on SD DVDs anyway, it is going to be around for quite some time to come.

i run various media classes across a broad range of age / expertise.

at present ALL the cameras used (both government and privately / company owned) are SD - 4:3 / 16:9. ALL record to dv tape.

what i teach revolves around the basics; script, shoot, edit, distrib. as far as i'm concerned if my students get a firm handle on these basic concepts, the relative merits of 4:3 vs 16:9, sd vs hd are all academic. of course we do discuss them, and the relative problems / uses they have, but at a teaching level it's the theory that matters more than the practical - which of course does have its place.

the pc's / mac's that we edit on are all getting on and wouldn't handle m2t, let alone avchd very happily. i don't need my students to get sidetracked by technology (they'll have plenty of time for that in their own time), what i need to get across is what they need to know - as quickly and painlessly as possible. whether this is in 4:3 / 16:9 / sd / hd is unimportant, what is is that they actually start out with a script of some sort, that they don't cross the line in a shot, they use a tripod when necessary, record audio cleanly, conduct an interview appropriately, edit simply and efficiently, and last but not least, produce material that either entertains, informs, educates their audience (preferably all three together).

so, the camera you get should reflect the level of sophistication of both your students, and the peripheral equipment available. it's pointless getting any avchd camera when all you have are pent 4's to edit on. and as musicvid rightly points out -

16:9 is not exclusive to HD camcorders.... SD is going to be around for quite some time to come.

be more concerned with your students knowing the options rather than trying to provide them all.

leslie

btw. a copy of my course notes can be downloaded here:

http://users.bigpond.net.au/kay.wand/video_course/guerrilla_docs.pdf

some sections are a little dated - then again, so am i.....

When there are probably kids at his university already shooting with HV30's and editing in iMovie, I'd say a cheap SD cam will stick out like a sore thumb.

This is college folks. They're supposed to be on the cutting edge, not using relics.

Get a HV30 for $600 and be done with it.

This is college folks. They're supposed to be on the cutting edge...

Sorry DGates but I beg to differ.
As someone who works at a local community college, I can tell you that low budgets, like BrianW said, are a fact of life everywhere.
Leslie (ushere) nailed it when he said "be more concerned with your students knowing the options rather than trying to provide them all."
As a comparison, I take a woodworking course and have better equipment than my instructor.
That doesn't mean that my projects will turn out better than his, only that I have better tools.
He has the skills which I'm still acquiring, the same as "college folks".
Give them a good grounding in the basics and then let them loose on the world :-)

Mike

A HV30 is $600. How is that not low-budget?

A $600 camcorder is definitely low budget.
It does depend on how many camcorders have to be purchased though.
$209 each for the Canon ZR-900 will get you a lot more camcorders than $600 for the HV30.

Mike

My daughter is majoring in 'Photo Media", a new major for her college. I purchased a Canon HV30 for her because I felt it offered good life cycle options for being able to shoot and edit as well as a good image quality. (I also was not willing to part with one of my VX2000's as she had suggested).

All the work so far is done in SD. There is really no need for HD post production as it would introduce more financial and technical stress on the students. Also, the instructor gets to teach technique rather than spending time trying to help with hardware/software issues. If she sticks with the video side of the field, I'm sure she will move to HD and much more sophisticated cameras.

I would really expect that the details of HD production.post-production belong more in a technical rather than a creative class setting.

BTW, Leslie, I've downloaded and sent to her your course notes. I saw a lot of good stuff in there on a quick glance. Thank you for sharing your materials.

RalphM