A Good Beginner-Midlevel Video Camera

Sceptre

This summer I'm looking to get into some independent film, and I was looking into buying my own video camera. The thing about it is that I don't really know what to look for, or what's good for a beginner. Basically my price range is < 2000 $ Canadian and I'm looking for a fairly decent video camera.

I'm new to this field, so if possible I would like to get a camera that has options for upgrades/attachments to increase the usability. Obviously I've looked around a little bit, but I would love to hear your guys' opinion on it.

Edit: I forgot to mention that I would much prefer it to be an HDD camera, and it has to has to has to work with iMovie. (If that isn't possible, I might be getting Final Cut Express in the near future.)

Crimsonmonkey

Try looking at the XL1s

It is not HDD but you should be able to find one within your price range. It is miniDV so it will work with almost any editing program.

Sceptre

I've heard macs have trouble working with miniDV's, I remember a friend bitching about it a while ago. Is there any truth to this?

Sceptre

http://www.vistek.ca/store/VideoCamcorders/234312/canon-hv20-vistek-digital-camcorder-kit.aspx

I'm thinking of perhaps getting this one. Does anyone have any experience with it?

Zephonate

Looks like a pretty solid camera, Sceptre.

Personally, I've never heard of Macs having more problems with miniDV editing than any other computer. Macs are pretty much all I've ever used for video editing (I've been making and editing movies for about six years, progressing from iMovie to Final Cut). I've never had problems with miniDV editing that weren't user-related. Since I've always been pretty much happy with them, I've never seen the need to "upgrade" to miniDVDs or SD card cameras.

Besides, some great films have been filmed purely on digital video. 28 Days Laters is a good example.

JohnnyCache

A great mini-dv you can find cheap is a Canon AG-DVX100.

It's not HD but it's a good cam for a psuedo-film look (it shoots at 24p)

http://www.dv.com/

is a pretty good link dump for this kind of stuff as well.

Big Dookie

JohnnyCache wrote: »

A great mini-dv you can find cheap is a Canon AG-DVX100.

It's not HD but it's a good cam for a psuedo-film look (it shoots at 24p)

http://www.dv.com/

is a pretty good link dump for this kind of stuff as well.

I'll second this one. Being able to shoot at 24 fps really makes a difference in trying to achieve that "film" look. It's Mini-DV I think, but I honestly think Mini-DV is still the way to go until you can start getting some REALLY large capacity HDDs built into camcorders. Mini-DV still looks good, it's cheap, and it's more efficient for large amounts of video. I personally also find it easier for editing if you go through the off-line editing process before capturing video... just go through the video and write down timecode for start and end points of your clips, and then you can enter all the timecodes into your NLE of choice and let it automatically capture just the clips you want. On top of this, it's also better for archiving video. It's much easier (and cheaper) to have a box of DV tapes than to have to fill several hundred gigabytes on hard drives.

I do think Hard Drive based cameras are the way of the future, but I personally don't think we're quite there yet. For your purposes, MiniDV would be a much better option imho, and the AG-DVX100 is an excellent MiniDV cam for documentaries and short-films.

Also, if nothing else, try to get a 3CCD camera if possible. It will make a huge difference in picture quality, and you can get some pretty cheap consumer-level 3CCD camcorders nowdays. I got a 3CCD panasonic camcorder about 3 years ago for $500, so I'm sure you can find them even cheaper now.

PorkChopSandwiches

JohnnyCache wrote: »

A great mini-dv you can find cheap is a Canon AG-DVX100.

It's not HD but it's a good cam for a psuedo-film look (it shoots at 24p)

http://www.dv.com/

is a pretty good link dump for this kind of stuff as well.

I believe that's a Panasonic camera.

Big Dookie

PorkChopSandwiches wrote: »

JohnnyCache wrote: »

A great mini-dv you can find cheap is a Canon AG-DVX100.

It's not HD but it's a good cam for a psuedo-film look (it shoots at 24p)

http://www.dv.com/

is a pretty good link dump for this kind of stuff as well.

I believe that's a Panasonic camera.

Yes, it is a Panasonic - I just saw the model number and glossed over the brand.

precisionk

Was going to start my own thread but I will post in this, not attempting to hijack the thread.

Same question, what is a good beginner video camera for road trips and home movies? Looking for sub $500.

Stick with miniDV or get hard drive based?