Digital Camcorder Experts?

S

sarbuze

Contributor
Veteran XV
Not necessarily these auctions, but these cameras:

Sony DCR VX1000 VX-1000 MiniDV 3CCD Camcorder - eBay (item 230270117091 end time Jul-20-08 02:27:47 PDT)

vs

CANON GL2 MINT in BOX w/ LIGHT + EXTRAS - eBay (item 270251625662 end time Jul-11-08 18:32:44 PDT)

Those are what I've narrowed it down to. I'm going to be doing interviews, vineyard/restaurant stuff, use it for a documentary and some travel.

Is there a major difference between these two or should I go for the best deal I can find?

Thanks!
 
Sony 3 chips are really good. I'd go Sony. I have one (a little smaller than that). Battery life is great as well.
 
For a superior image/setup:

Canon HV30 (About $700) HD 24p/30p

DOF (Depth of Field) Adapter (About $300 jag35.com)

35 mm Wide Angle Lens (About $100) (For a good Nikon)

Video Rode Mic (Abotu $150 Rode VideoMic Offered by JacksMusicFactory.com - Canon HV20 / HV30 User Forum )

Dead Cat Wind Shiled (About 30)

________

This will get your some very professional film-like footage for a ridiculously low price.

Canon HV20 / HV30 User Forum - Powered by vBulletin

Footage:
Canon HV 20 DOF Test on Vimeo
Apefos HV20 and Tamron 17-35 f2.8-4 lens on Vimeo

Just search vimeo for HV20 or HV30 + DOF - It will return tons of footage.
 
SOD: awesome info man, I'm going to look into that setup- thanks!

PS- did I mention thanks! That footage looks awesome and I found the whole setup for under $1000!
 
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NP. A ton of indy/low budget companies are buying HV20's and 30's and then tricking them out with aftermarket upgrades because the image processor is extremely good, plus it does 24p, which is what film is. The one downside to this camera is the lack of manual controls, mainly that of a focus ring, but you get that back when you do a 35mm conversion, plus you then also get that really nice DOF look of film.
 
SOD: bought the HV30 today from Circuit City today for $800 (I don't mind paying a bit more for the convenience of being able to return it).

Shot some footage at a wine event today, with just the basic setup I'm pretty impressed. I'm going to first buy a mic, light, some lens filters, etc... That Jag site doesn't seem to be working but I've seen a lot of "build your own" tutorials that I'll probably just try myself. I have a good background in optics (for my research background) and don't anticipate that mod being too much of a hassle.

Once again, thanks!
 
Very cool. Join the forums on HV20.com - there are a ton of tips and tricks. For example, if you want to keep the camera from gaining up, use spotlight mode. ;)

Also you can learn from those who are making 35mm adapters and then make one your self. They pretty much have gotten to the point where there is no vignetting and minimal light loss. There is a guy that makes the ground glass focus screens and they produce amazing footage.

Finally, there are good workflows for if you want to shoot 24p.

Good Luck. If you build an adapter that works really well, let me know. I am looking to buy one soon.

ps- That jag35 website is a placeholder, you can ask any questions and learn more here;

FS: JAG35 Vibrating DoF Adapters - Canon HV20 / HV30 User Forum
 
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