[44deluxe]

Hi everyone,

I currently have a G5 Mac with a dual 1.8Ghz processor running Final Cut Express. I also have a £100 Sony Camcorder which I want to upgrade....!


I want something that can produce rich "film like" visuals with lots of manual focussing options. I'll be using this camera to make music videos. It's unlikely I'll be shooting much high speed action but I would like a camera that can shoot slow motion footage as well as in low lighting conditions. Widescreen is also pretty much essential, although I'm not certain that I need HD. I like the idea of having good image stabilisation as well.


At the top of the tree seems to be the Canon XH A1. At £2500 it's at the VERY limit of what I'm prepared to spend and even then, it may still be too much.

I'm prepared to go second hand and see a few previously high end cameras within budget although most if not all are not HD and not all are even widescreen.


I would be very grateful for any suggestions, I am a total beginner technically so I'd appreciate simple terms as much as possible! I want to be sure that anything I buy will be compatible with my computer set up. For example, I think there are some HD features that require an Intel equipped Mac, which I don't currently have.


Thanks in advance.

[44deluxe]

OOPS! I meant SONY VX2100....

[chrishull3]

[QUOTE=44deluxe;9418740]OOPS! I meant SONY VX2100....[/QUOTE
THE 2100 is mini dv not hdv,if you are talking about 2500£ and fancy a realy large cam i would go for the sony FX1000,there are second hand V1s which are smaller but they are few and far between ,as you say the canon A1 is another to think about but it is another larger heavy cam and the FX-100 is a later model.So as a footnote all the cams mentioned will do what you want reasonably well.Good luck.Dont touch a non hdv ie tape cam if you plan any reasonable editing,the FX-100 is the best for resolution and low light.

[ade4all]

if you want 'film like' then you are after a camera that shoots progressive scan & for your budget I think the xha1 is the best bet - if slow motion is really important though the best quality will be with a camera that can record at higher frame rates - unfortunately these are out of your budget even 2nd hand i'd imagine (panasonic hvx201a & hpx170, sony ex1 etc). if you could squeeze another few hundred though or get lucky 2nd hand i would go for the panasonic hmc151 - much better in low light than the xha1 & you can shoot at 720/50p which will give you silky smooth slow motion. There are ways of getting reasonable slow motion with the xha1 or any other 25fps camera through your editing software, but you will lose a bit of resolution
If you are happy with sd then the 2 cameras that shoot progressive are the xl2 you mention & the panasonic dvx100b - i prefer the image & the audio quality of the dvx which you should be able to find a lot cheaper than the xl2, (which is a big camera)

[44deluxe]

Thanks for the help...I just bought a used DVX100Be and it's definitely the camera for me, for now!

Cheers!

[ade4all]

great camera, you'll learn a lot with it, a great resource for indepth information is dvxuser.com

[44deluxe]

Originally Posted by ade4all

great camera, you'll learn a lot with it, a great resource for indepth information is dvxuser.com

Thanks, yeah, I found that site and it really is a great place for info. It seemed that the people who use that camera make the kind of films/vids that I want to make.