So I'm looking to get an HD video camera.

Antithesis

The title pretty much sums it up. I am fair at Premiere and After Effects thanks to a few classes vaguely requiring their use. I have a few ideas floating in my head. I want to be able to shoot in 720p, though I'm not sure what that is in megapixels. I think I want it to record straight to a hard drive, as well. Are there any notable pros/cons other than convenience? And I assume sound quality will be horrible unless I get a boom mic or somesuch?

Odds are I'll just borrow/rent one from school, but regardless, I'd like to know more about what I'm getting into.

kitch

If you're looking at "prosumer" or whatever, the Panasonic AG-HVX 200 is a nice hand-held HD camera. Shoots 720p@24fps, records onto P2 cards which you can dump onto a Laptop via Firewire.

A boom mic is always recommended over the camera mic.

Virum

First of all, you don't think of video in terms of megapixels. Its not a still camera.

Why do you want 720p? 1080p is virtually the same frame size as 2k which is the resolution most film is scanned at for the DI process and is projected at when you go to a digital theater, and a lot of prosumer cameras shoot it now.

So essentially 1080p is really where you want to be if you are working with compositing, green screen, etc. Yeah, its more expensive, but the resolution is really needed for top notch results, which you want if you are trying to build a real.

You really need to give a budget and intent for further advice.

Antithesis

Virum wrote: »

First of all, you don't think of video in terms of megapixels. Its not a still camera.

Why do you want 720p? 1080p is virtually the same frame size as 2k which is the resolution most film is scanned at for the DI process and is projected at when you go to a digital theater, and a lot of prosumer cameras shoot it now.

So essentially 1080p is really where you want to be if you are working with compositing, green screen, etc. Yeah, its more expensive, but the resolution is really needed for top notch results, which you want if you are trying to build a real.

You really need to give a budget and intent for further advice.

Why 720p? I figured it would be cheaper. And maybe easier to work with? But I do see what you mean.

I don't want to spend more than $400, and I do want to do green screen, etc...

I'm assuming that for something quality, I'd either need to spend a lot more money or rent it?

Seaborn111

for cheap and sweet, i just picked up the sony HDR CX-100.
Shoots 1080i (i think interlaced) on to an internal 8gb flashdrive as well as memory stick pro duos up to 16gb (fucking proprietary cards, but i have a PSP so fuck it)
The video is absolutely stunning on my flatscreen, and this camera has an HDMI out. this may be the device you're looking for.

oh and also, the bitch is TINY in my man hands.

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/sony-handycam-hdr-cx100/4505-6500_7-33485109.html

***quick edit

forgot price. I paid $419.99 for it online a month ago. also, i'll add that the sound it respectable for a tiny device. stereo mic and sound isolation matches zoom both mechanically and digitally (the microphones move back slightly when you zoom in, isolating the incoming sound to forward only)

Virum

OP, whatever you do stay away from anything interlaced.

As for 720p for $400, I can't think of anything I'd recommend, but I only follow prosumer tech, you are firmly in consumer land at that price point.

Dark Moon

If there's one thing I've learned from buying and selling an alarming number of cameras and related equipment, it's that it's always always always better to save up and buy higher quality than to buy lower quality because you can get it now. What will happen is:

1) You will notice the limits of the device immediately
2) This will annoy you, especially if it limits what you can do with the device
3) You will sell it within a year at a massive loss (because consumer electronics are worth less than you paid for them on the resale market within a picosecond of your card being approved)
4) You will end up buying something better anyways (Which will retain its value for long because it's not garbage)

Unless there's a truly pressing issue (I have a huge, paying job that needs completing within the next week!) rent/borrow for now and save up. Buy the 1080p video camera Virium is suggesting. Consumer land is a terrible place, filled with poorly built electronics and dragons.

Virum

The HVX200 previously mentioned can be had used for fairly cheap since its about two or three generations old and it also does 1080P (but you have to do a pulldown to get it out of the 1080i stream).

Its a good camera for the price, I shot a short film on it last summer.