Video Cameras

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 17 Nov 2005 21:12

Couldn't find a topic about this so thought one should exist.

When buying a video camera what kind of stuff should you look for?

Probably don't talk about specific models but just the things that are important to pay attention too - general advice etc.

cheers

NotHisRealName · Post by **NotHisRealName** » 18 Nov 2005 03:41

Obviously you're using it for filming footbag, mostely, so pay no attention to digital zoom. It just pixilates the image. Optical is where it's at.
You get what you pay for. Remember that! The more you spend, the better the machiene.
Forget about all the digital effects the camera can or cannot do. You can add most of them in during editing and, unlike the effects on your camera, you can remove it if it looks crap. If you film in B&W, you'd wanna be damn sure you want it to look that way when editing.
Look at comfort! Make sure the camera is comfortable in your hand. Make sure the zoom lever action is smooth. Make sure you can comfortably hold the camera without fingers getting in the way.
Consider manual focus. This is important when using fisheye lenses and such. And make sure you can attatch lenses.
Other than that... all digital cameras are designed with the home editing suite in mind, so make sure you've got firewire on your PC (or Mac).
Always get a spair battery! Always!
Ummm. Other than that... I'm pretty sure there's a topic like this in the video section in one of the sticky resource threads.

Yellow Watchbagger · Post by **Yellow Watchbagger** » 18 Nov 2005 04:39

my dads digital camera is wat ive been using for the past month..it SUCKS, bad quality imo.. so im thinking bout buying a nice 100 $ or less webcam so i can film easily whenever i want and since i shred right next to my computer in the basement, i can film w/out going far with the webcam..any ideas on wat type of webcam wud be best?..one that films for a short while cuz im preety sure there are some webcams that film movies right??

i want it to be crystal clear so that my 'next' footbag video will be sweet..thanks guys, and i work,have a b-day coming up, and xmas is along the way so i can afford the webcamera i just want to get the right one(i dont want a real camera cuz i only use it for footbag)

Skippy! · Post by **Skippy!** » 18 Nov 2005 05:20

Yellow Watchbagger: I really suggest not spending your money just yet on that webcam, save up, and buy a half decent digital video camera. I use a webcam, and it works, sure, but the quality leaves much to be desired. I use my webcam for the same reason you use the camera that you're using: it's what I have and it works. If I could have a digital video camera I'd prefer it a lot more. That way you can get quality footage, and not regret making that purchase.

So yeah, in conclusion, don't get a webcam simply because you wanna make some mediocre videos right off the bat. The framerate isn't really that good and you'll end up regretting not saving your bucks for another month or two and getting a digital vid cam.

EDIT: I noticed that you said you don't want a "real" camera because it's "only" for footbag. But I can honestly say right now, if you want the clearest, most crisp video, you need more than a $100 webcam, for sure.

On top of that, if you invest in a sweet digital video camera, it means you can make videos of yourself doing stupid crap and upload them onto your computer and edit them to make it sweet. And nobody can deny the awesomeness of doing stupid crap.

shredzilla · Post by **shredzilla** » 18 Nov 2005 05:30

Jeremy wrote:Couldn't find a topic about this so thought one should exist.

When buying a video camera what kind of stuff should you look for?

Probably don't talk about specific models but just the things that are important to pay attention too - general advice etc.

cheers

Why not mention brands, models, prices? Some are obviously more reliable than others and I think it's definitley worth mentioning when talking about 'what to look for' in regards to quality. Anyway, I don't know anything about dv cams, so this topic is definitely worth reading for me. But all I can contribute is the fact that I got a Samsung DV cam last month, and it has proven to be easy to use and most Samsung products are reliable. Price was decent too, $220 USD.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 18 Nov 2005 15:28

brands are obviously different to specific models. I had a look the other day and there are a lot of different specific models for each brand - I just don't think it would be useful saying the Sony DCR-HC85 Mini DV Handycam Video Camera is a good camera - but if you want to give specific model details feel free.

akalazou · Post by **akalazou** » 20 Nov 2005 13:32

i think i can help on this topic cause im in audio/visual in school and im learning to work with cameras ... the most important thing about the camera is to get that you can put the settins manualy. automatic cam = poo.

another thing you MUST HAVE if you want to make a CLEAR vid with beautifull colors, you should be able to make the white balance, and its even better if you can make the black balance (like with betacams ... betacams are about 100 000$) but its totally useless for a personnal cam hehe.

i just turned an ad for Kolo with a mini-dv cam. ill post it soon on this forum, give me about 2 weeks to edit it and my friend to make original music (copyright :-/ ). it was a 5000 - 6000$ cam, i know its alot of money .... but i think the result is gonna be cool.

_________________________________________

btw, the camera isnt the video ... to make a nice looking vid, you must have enough light on and around your subject. you must have a good programm for editing. i use Adobe Premiere at school and Avid (to expensive for someone at home). id suggest Premiere because its very easy to use (put your IN and OUT and the clip and put it on the timeline .. and add effect as you wich). im sure you can find a crack somewhere.

so i think you need:
on cam:
- white balance
- manual settings
- HD filter (to change color temperature)

outside cam:
- good light
- good editing program
- if you have the chance .... a blue screen or a green screen for an easy keying

Toby · Post by **Toby** » 20 Nov 2005 18:02

Yellow Watchbagger wrote:my dads digital camera is wat ive been using for the past month..it SUCKS, bad quality imo.. so im thinking bout buying a nice 100 $ or less webcam so i can film easily whenever i want and since i shred right next to my computer in the basement, i can film w/out going far with the webcam..any ideas on wat type of webcam wud be best?..one that films for a short while cuz im preety sure there are some webcams that film movies right?? i want it to be crystal clear so that my 'next' footbag video will be sweet..thanks guys, and i work,have a b-day coming up, and xmas is along the way so i can afford the webcamera i just want to get the right one(i dont want a real camera cuz i only use it for footbag)

Get a webcam that uses USB 2(make sure your computer has USB 2), has 30 frames per second at 640 by 480. This will work quite well if your basement is very well lit, if not, it won't be any better than your dads digital camera.

Yellow Watchbagger · Post by **Yellow Watchbagger** » 20 Nov 2005 18:38

my basement is very well lit..i'll look into gettin this type of webcam ur talking about..! thanks alot Toby

Skippy! · Post by **Skippy!** » 21 Nov 2005 06:50

Tried using my camera to film Adam Greenwood shredding last night. It basically couldn't pick up dexes and was blurry. It's an old webcam tho

jon · Post by **jon** » 21 Nov 2005 07:28

www.camcorderinfo.com

look at low light performance

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