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Camcorders
Kusuguttai
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So I think I might bite the bullet and get a fairly decent camcorder.
What's a good one for the 200-400 dollar range?
If the general consensus is that I should hold out for something more expensive, what's a good choice?
What's a good one for the 200-400 dollar range?
If the general consensus is that I should hold out for something more expensive, what's a good choice?
Kusuguttai on
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my friend and I are thinking about starting to film "for real"
not like hi-tech stuff, mind you
just mainly dicking around, but in a serious type way
i have a bunch of short scripts that we've been working on putting on film
Also, if you wouldn't mind going up to the 500-600 price range, Sony has a few sexy choices for you. I haven't tried them personally, but the reviews are pretty positive.
[url] http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/sony-handycam-dcr-hc96/4505-6500_7-31649785.html?ar=o&tag=pdtl-list [/url]
[url] http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcorders/sony-handycam-dcr-hc96e/4507-6500_7-32306415.html?tag=nav [/url]
I have the default macbook editing program. Is that enough for just basically fooling around with it?
Well iMovie is a pretty good to start with (it's how I started :P) but if you want to do some precise, frame by frame editing, you'll want Final Cut Pro (or Express since it's cheaper. They removed some features from Express that I took for granted in Pro though...).
I 100% encourage you to try it out and either learn from toying around with it or buy a book to learn the basics. Once you learn how to use Final Cut Pro, you'll never want to return to iMovie.
I don't know what video editing is like on PCs, but I know that I could never return to using a Windows machine because of how attached I've grown to Final Cut Pro.
Since you are just starting, I'd just go for the highest specs you can get for around 500$, and then save up for a high definition camera. They're only getting cheaper so you'll be able to get a hot camera by the time you've amassed the funds for it. The cheaper camera will also allow you test out the hobby to see if you really like it. You can also worry less about the quality of the picture, and more on the quality of the shot and the content of your video.
It really all depends on how far you're willing to take this, whether you're going to treat it more as an art, as a form of expression, or as a way to screw around with your buddies and film yourself getting intoxicated (Both are valid in my opinion :P). Right now I own a pretty low-grade consumer camera and while the video quality isn't always good, the content is actually interesting, so people don't end up caring about the video quality.
So to shorten all of this... get a cheap 500$ camera and save up for an HD camera for when your editing and camera work have come to par with sexy HD resolution.
In terms of a cheap camera to start with, it won't really matter what you get, because it's not going to be good quality anyway. Sure, you could spend $500 and shoot something with it, or you could spend like half that, spend some of that money you saved on books about cinematography, lighting, and sound, and end up with something that will at least aesthetically look better than not.
So there's my advice. You're starting out, so don't bother with FCP yet. Don't dive into the shallow end with a camera that's too mid-range to do anything all that well. Keep your investments at this point cheap (blah blah blah $500 is not relatively cheap, shut it). A lot of making a movie look good isn't in terms of what the camera itself can do, but what can be done in front of the camera. Lighting and sound, although minor adjustments, make a world of difference in terms of quality. I know it sounds sucky and everyone hates doing more homework outside of school, but I honestly recommend hitting the books a lil about, most importantly, cinematography and lighting.
Vote for my film! (watching it is also an option)
wii friend code: 7623 9955 2119 1775
For "highish quality video" look for anything with a 3 Chip CCD system. They can sometimes start as low as 1000 or so, and can achieve at least basic HD.
here's a list to kind of start with
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&Subcategory=205&Description=&Type=&N=2070050205&srchInDesc=&MinPrice=&MaxPrice=&PropertyCodeValue=1800%3A26657&PropertyCodeValue=1808%3A12334
Vote for my film! (watching it is also an option)
wii friend code: 7623 9955 2119 1775
I was personally tired of fighting with the iMovie timeline, which is why I started using Final Cut Pro. Not to mention how much hard drive space iMovie uses up when you start cutting the clips, since all the smaller clips retain the size of the original clip.
Anyway, that's why I said start with iMovie, enjoy its simplicity and if you want more, go ahead and try Final Cut Pro. :P