HD video camera-buy now? Or buy a 3CCD camera?

August 9, 2005 12:02 PM

HD camcorder- buy now? Or wait? Or buy nice 3CCD camera?

Next year I will be directing two plays a week. I want to be able to record those shows for posterity and to be able to edit them into a fancy looking demo reel.

I'm trying to decide whether to buy a HD camera now or wait. Or should I just buy a nice 3CCD camera (I've got my eye on the Canon GL2) and not worry that my camera is behind the technology curve?

I'm looking for any recomendations for specific cameras or advice on buying these prosumer cameras. Or if you know a really good looking consumer camcorder, my grad school budget would thank you.

All I know that I need is a high resolution, easy to carry, well-built camera that has good sound and video. Is there anything else that I need to be looking for?

Also, I'm a Mac user, so no weird PC-only formats.

posted by geryon to technology (5 comments total)

Shooting in HD is hard, shooting well in a well-established format is not. You can get a 3CCD HD camera for about $5000. Keep in mind that getting correct lighting and making sure sets are perfect is important in HD. If you are willing to take the time to really practice shooting in HD and getting down the quirks to make it look good go for it. Keep in mind that there exists no way I know (short of having them lend your camrea), to get HD material to someone else.
posted by geoff. at 12:47 PM on August 9, 2005

I'm assuming you're talking about HDV and not HD - that is HD on a DV tape.

There are all of three/four cameras on the market. 2 by JVC, two by Sony. They run from $4-5k.

How will you be showing the footage is the real catch. The HD DVD spec is sketchy right now (although DVDSP4 is the only thing out there supporting what's going on today.)

iMovie HD + iDVD can handle HDV and downconvert to a standard DVD, but I'll warn you there's a quality hit and it's way slow.

If you're going to direct play(s), why not get two or three DV cameras and use FCS (final cut studio, particularly FCP5 which has multicam) to edit. This will mean you can have one camera wide, and two other cameras set up to match the blocking of the play in medium shot.

DV is going to be around for years to come. Years + years.
posted by filmgeek at 12:51 PM on August 9, 2005

Thanks guys!
So, now judging by the response, I'm leaning towards the 3CCD camera. Any thoughts on the Canon GL2?
posted by geryon at 1:32 PM on August 9, 2005

Excellent choice.
posted by plexiwatt at 2:28 PM on August 9, 2005

the defacto standard mini-DV camera for documentary filmmakers is the panasonic AG DVX100A. we got ours from B&H in new york. if you live nearby, you can go into the physical store and test out the quality of all of the cameras. the DVX-100a is easily one of the most "filmic" miniDV cameras on the market, and i'm surprised how well it can perform, even in suboptimal conditions. but, of course, since you'll be in controlled circumstances, you'll have greater flexibility in coaxing the best performance out of whatever camera you purchase. making miniDV look good means spending time on lighting.

and do not forget to consider all of the other stuff and accessories when budgeting money for a video camera: carrying case, tripod, wide angle lens, extra batteries. are you going handheld or on a tripod? who will be operating the camera? do you need equipment insurance? how much control will you have over lighting? will you need to buy a lighting kit? also, do you have budget for external firewire drives you will need for editing?

don't forget high quality tapes. you can save if you buy in bulk, and online. i like taperesource.com

also, if you are serious about sound quality, you won't be using the on-camera sound. how is the sound handled for the play? do you have access to high quality mics? maybe wireless lavalier mics (the kind that hook onto your shirt collar) since this is going to be a play?
posted by kathryn at 2:30 PM on August 9, 2005