SoulLover
I was hoping youâd recommend a camcorder for my gym. The catch is since I am new to this I donât know exactly what features should I be looking for in a camcorder which is making the research and selection process go uphill for me.
The purpose of the camera will be to make clips for uploading to youtube and posting on our website, to play in the projector we had installed and on the tvâs we have installed inside the gym. Some clips may require specific camera features and since I want to buy only one camera I was hoping youâd recommend one that fits my purpose, for example spinning and pole dancing classes are low light environments which I have read could be a problem for some cameras. I am guessing a wide lens may also be an advisable feature.
We have a heated pool and weâd like to make some underwater clips of the baby swimming lessons.
Also, since a lot of the classes are performed using rather loud music, I would prefer a camera that has good sound recording and possibility to connect an external mic (if you could also recommend a mic that would be great too) since we will be conducting interviews to our featured trainers every week.
We are also setting up programs for serious athletes and weâll need to film them to better study the bio-mechanics and help them improve their performance faster, for this I understand there are some slow motion controllers in the market but I also understand the Sony CX-130 has some slow motion capabilities so I was wondering if any other cameras had them.
At least in the beginning, I will be doing all the editing myself so I would prefer a camera that provides easier to edit file formats or works with friendly user software. My computer is windows based and performance wonât be a problem. I am a total noob on the subject but I am a quick study. Still, since I need to run the gym Iâd appreciate editing software or file format which didnât take as much time.
Hope that makes sense. Almost forgot, our budget is $3,000, with accessories included I guess we could go up to $5,000. I am aware the underwater housing can easily cost 1,000-2,000 but I donât need to buy it right away so I figured as long as the camera has the optional accessory I can get it later. The whole idea is to buy a camera that will last at least 5 years, that is easy enough to use as a novice but will have enough features I can grow into as I learn without having to buy a different one.
Iâll list the models I have been looking into so far but any additional suggestions will be greatly appreciated:
-JVC GY-HM150U
-Sony NEX-VG20
-Canon XF105
-Sony HVR-HD1000U
-Panasonic AG-HMC80
-Canon XA10
Answer
Thank you for doing some homework and giving us a realistic budget.
Low light means the camcorder should have large diameter lens system and large imaging chip - better yet, a 3CCD or 3CMOS imaging chip system.
"Good sound recording" means the camcorder needs to have manual audio control. Best if these controls are on the outside of the camcorder - not buried in a menu.
The consumer grade HDR-CX130 can do limited "SmoothSlowRecord" (aka: "Golf Shot"). If you require a sequence of more than a few seconds, this is not what you need. It does not have a mic jack for external mics.
I always cringe when someone says "my computer won't be a problem for editing video"... but just to be sure: a fast multi-core processor, minimum 4 gig RAM; more is better and external drives (at least separate from the start-up drive) for the video files and editing projects. There is no useful software in the box with the camcorder (except the Canon XF codec). Sony Vegas or Adobe Premiere (in the CS suite) are fine editors - they have a bit of a learning curve.
All camcorders can be "point & shoot". As you learn to use the various manual controls, just move from auto to manual.
A decent tripod (Bogen Manfrotto, Davis & Sanford... lots of others - but expect to spend at least $300 - The legs & head should be weight-rated to be about 3x more than the camcorder's weight).
Handheld mics (less expensive) and wireless mics - some clip-on lavaliers, or shotgun... there is no single "best" mic. On the pro side, use XLR connectors. Shure, Audio Technica, Sennheiser, and BeyerDynamics (they make the mics used by lots of field news folks) are all decent. Budget between $100 (Shure SM58) to $500. The batteries in the box with the camcorder are not great. Get a couple of high capacity rechargeable batteries from the camcorder manufacturer. A couple of LED light panels on stands will help a LOT - even a small camera-mounted LED panel will be useful. Learn to use the white balance. A Pelican 1500 or 1600 case.
A LANC will be VERY useful and decent headphones to monitor the audio being recorded.
High compression and fast motion do not get along.
Back to your camcorders...
JVC GY-HM150 captures natively to MOV files. It also has a smallish lens and smallish imaging chip.
Sony NEX-VG20 - the interchangeable lens system is cool but no XLR audio connectors so use a XLR adapter (juicedLink or BeachTek). AVCHD compression.
Canon XF105 - single 1/3" imaging chip is OK, the medium lens filter diameter is not too bad. You are paying for a lot of stuff you do not need with the Genlock/timecode BNC terminal.
Sony HVR-HD1000 is miniDV tape based - while shoulder mount, the lens filter diameter and single imaging chip are consumer grade. Plus, it has only a 1/8" stereo audio jack so a XLR adapter is definitely required. But more on this in a moment.
Panasonic AG-HMC80 does AVCHD and smallish (43mm) lens filter diameter - but is a shoulder mount with XLR connectors
Canon XA10 does AVCHD, has XLR connectors, and a single 1/3" chip.
I am not real thrilled with any from this list - mostly because of the AVCHD other than the Sony HVR-HD1000 and Canon XF105. BUT, with a budget of $3,000 for the camcorder, the HD1000 is well below your budget. The Sony HDR-FX7 is another possibility. Look at the Sony HDR-FX1000. It is miniDV tape based, like the HD1000 (and FX7), but the FX1000 has a 72mm lens filter diameter and a 3CMOS 1/3" imaging chip system which will dance circles around the other camcorders on your list related to low-light behavior. As miniDV tape based cams, your computer must have a firewire port, but since you said you had the computer covered, most of the higher-end computers (even Windows based) have a 1394 port - or one can be added if there is an available PCI expansion slot.
There is a perception that miniDV tape is somehow not as digital as flash memory and this is just not the case. Digital tape stores the zeroes and ones just like flash memory - but in a different format. And if you REALLY get into it, there are external flash memory recorders that connect to the firewire port of the camcorder (they are expensive - from Sony or FireStore from Vitec/Focus Enhancements).
If I can only pick from the list you provided, then I guess the Canon XA10 or XF105 (you'll need an editor that can handle the special XF codec).
Thank you for doing some homework and giving us a realistic budget.
Low light means the camcorder should have large diameter lens system and large imaging chip - better yet, a 3CCD or 3CMOS imaging chip system.
"Good sound recording" means the camcorder needs to have manual audio control. Best if these controls are on the outside of the camcorder - not buried in a menu.
The consumer grade HDR-CX130 can do limited "SmoothSlowRecord" (aka: "Golf Shot"). If you require a sequence of more than a few seconds, this is not what you need. It does not have a mic jack for external mics.
I always cringe when someone says "my computer won't be a problem for editing video"... but just to be sure: a fast multi-core processor, minimum 4 gig RAM; more is better and external drives (at least separate from the start-up drive) for the video files and editing projects. There is no useful software in the box with the camcorder (except the Canon XF codec). Sony Vegas or Adobe Premiere (in the CS suite) are fine editors - they have a bit of a learning curve.
All camcorders can be "point & shoot". As you learn to use the various manual controls, just move from auto to manual.
A decent tripod (Bogen Manfrotto, Davis & Sanford... lots of others - but expect to spend at least $300 - The legs & head should be weight-rated to be about 3x more than the camcorder's weight).
Handheld mics (less expensive) and wireless mics - some clip-on lavaliers, or shotgun... there is no single "best" mic. On the pro side, use XLR connectors. Shure, Audio Technica, Sennheiser, and BeyerDynamics (they make the mics used by lots of field news folks) are all decent. Budget between $100 (Shure SM58) to $500. The batteries in the box with the camcorder are not great. Get a couple of high capacity rechargeable batteries from the camcorder manufacturer. A couple of LED light panels on stands will help a LOT - even a small camera-mounted LED panel will be useful. Learn to use the white balance. A Pelican 1500 or 1600 case.
A LANC will be VERY useful and decent headphones to monitor the audio being recorded.
High compression and fast motion do not get along.
Back to your camcorders...
JVC GY-HM150 captures natively to MOV files. It also has a smallish lens and smallish imaging chip.
Sony NEX-VG20 - the interchangeable lens system is cool but no XLR audio connectors so use a XLR adapter (juicedLink or BeachTek). AVCHD compression.
Canon XF105 - single 1/3" imaging chip is OK, the medium lens filter diameter is not too bad. You are paying for a lot of stuff you do not need with the Genlock/timecode BNC terminal.
Sony HVR-HD1000 is miniDV tape based - while shoulder mount, the lens filter diameter and single imaging chip are consumer grade. Plus, it has only a 1/8" stereo audio jack so a XLR adapter is definitely required. But more on this in a moment.
Panasonic AG-HMC80 does AVCHD and smallish (43mm) lens filter diameter - but is a shoulder mount with XLR connectors
Canon XA10 does AVCHD, has XLR connectors, and a single 1/3" chip.
I am not real thrilled with any from this list - mostly because of the AVCHD other than the Sony HVR-HD1000 and Canon XF105. BUT, with a budget of $3,000 for the camcorder, the HD1000 is well below your budget. The Sony HDR-FX7 is another possibility. Look at the Sony HDR-FX1000. It is miniDV tape based, like the HD1000 (and FX7), but the FX1000 has a 72mm lens filter diameter and a 3CMOS 1/3" imaging chip system which will dance circles around the other camcorders on your list related to low-light behavior. As miniDV tape based cams, your computer must have a firewire port, but since you said you had the computer covered, most of the higher-end computers (even Windows based) have a 1394 port - or one can be added if there is an available PCI expansion slot.
There is a perception that miniDV tape is somehow not as digital as flash memory and this is just not the case. Digital tape stores the zeroes and ones just like flash memory - but in a different format. And if you REALLY get into it, there are external flash memory recorders that connect to the firewire port of the camcorder (they are expensive - from Sony or FireStore from Vitec/Focus Enhancements).
If I can only pick from the list you provided, then I guess the Canon XA10 or XF105 (you'll need an editor that can handle the special XF codec).
How good are camcorders?
Coco
If I were to purchase a camcorder that says 'HD quality videos', is it actually HD? My digital cam says 720p but the video quality does not look anywhere near that good. Will a half decent camcorder keep up well with motion and produce a good quality video? Also If I were to put the camcorder down to film me doing something such as jumping my horse, will the screen go dull? Or will leaving it unattended while filming affect the video quality in anyway? It's just whenever I put my digital camera down while I film myself jumping my horse, the screen goes really dull and I can hardly see myself. Thanks!
Answer
Hi Corina:
First, the easiest thing to address is your wondering about the "screen going dull" when you set the camcorder down. From what you are describing, it's not the recorded video image changing, but the "viewing angle" of your current camera's LCD screen (you can get this same "dulling" effect if you set an LCD computer monitor high on a desk or shelf & then sit or bend down low (or put the screen too low and then stand up to watch). The liquid crystal pixels (the "LC" part of "LCD") use light diffraction to work, so they can be limited in the amount of "off axis" viewing angle without the image going dark or odd-colored (almost like a film negative).
This is why good camcorders & DSLRs have hinged or articulated LCD view screens, so you can view an accurate angle from almost any angle.
The other possibility you are describing is auto-exposure or auto-iris which can be "fooled" when you set them down on the ground or on top of a table or fence without properly aiming them. The sky or a random reflection (like from a white fence post) can make the camera think the scene is brighter, so it changes the exposure, and makes the image dark or "dull".
Try buying a simple (around $25 or so) camera tripod, since you aren't needing to pan your camera after you aim it and walk over to your horse. And be careful not to shoot into the sun-side of the sky when you set up to record your horse jumps. If your camera/camcorder has "manual settings", learn what they are and use them to keep the exposure from changing after you leave the camera alone.
As far as "HD quality", that can be a subjective thing, as long as the camera can record at least 1280x720 pixels. But the actual image "quality" can depend on a lot of factors, too numerous to really go into here. You can understand that a $50 WalMart "bargain" HD camera won't give you as good-looking an image as a TV station's $20,000 3-chip camcorder, even when both are recording in 720p HD. You'll even see a big difference between any under-$100 camera/camcorder and something in the $300-$500 range (like the GoPro action cameras, some of the better point-&-shoots like Canon's PowerShot S100 series, and the better Sony, JVC, and Panasonic consumer models).
As far as capturing fast motion, the best camcorders for this use videotape (miniDV & HDV models, for consumer price ranges) since they use the least amount of "video compression". Compression can be the enemy of fast action capture, since individual frames are discarded and then "interpolated" (mathematically guessed-at) by the image storage electronics. That's why you'll see jerky or blocky images on YouTube action videos shot by low-end digital cameras.
For more-specific tips or help, feel free to use the "Additional Details" link on the Action Bar below your post (mouse-over the "blue pencil" icon Edit menu), and tell us exactly what brand and model camera you now have. If you want something new or different, then give us your budget range, since cameras & camcorders
hope this helps,
--Dennis C.
Â
Hi Corina:
First, the easiest thing to address is your wondering about the "screen going dull" when you set the camcorder down. From what you are describing, it's not the recorded video image changing, but the "viewing angle" of your current camera's LCD screen (you can get this same "dulling" effect if you set an LCD computer monitor high on a desk or shelf & then sit or bend down low (or put the screen too low and then stand up to watch). The liquid crystal pixels (the "LC" part of "LCD") use light diffraction to work, so they can be limited in the amount of "off axis" viewing angle without the image going dark or odd-colored (almost like a film negative).
This is why good camcorders & DSLRs have hinged or articulated LCD view screens, so you can view an accurate angle from almost any angle.
The other possibility you are describing is auto-exposure or auto-iris which can be "fooled" when you set them down on the ground or on top of a table or fence without properly aiming them. The sky or a random reflection (like from a white fence post) can make the camera think the scene is brighter, so it changes the exposure, and makes the image dark or "dull".
Try buying a simple (around $25 or so) camera tripod, since you aren't needing to pan your camera after you aim it and walk over to your horse. And be careful not to shoot into the sun-side of the sky when you set up to record your horse jumps. If your camera/camcorder has "manual settings", learn what they are and use them to keep the exposure from changing after you leave the camera alone.
As far as "HD quality", that can be a subjective thing, as long as the camera can record at least 1280x720 pixels. But the actual image "quality" can depend on a lot of factors, too numerous to really go into here. You can understand that a $50 WalMart "bargain" HD camera won't give you as good-looking an image as a TV station's $20,000 3-chip camcorder, even when both are recording in 720p HD. You'll even see a big difference between any under-$100 camera/camcorder and something in the $300-$500 range (like the GoPro action cameras, some of the better point-&-shoots like Canon's PowerShot S100 series, and the better Sony, JVC, and Panasonic consumer models).
As far as capturing fast motion, the best camcorders for this use videotape (miniDV & HDV models, for consumer price ranges) since they use the least amount of "video compression". Compression can be the enemy of fast action capture, since individual frames are discarded and then "interpolated" (mathematically guessed-at) by the image storage electronics. That's why you'll see jerky or blocky images on YouTube action videos shot by low-end digital cameras.
For more-specific tips or help, feel free to use the "Additional Details" link on the Action Bar below your post (mouse-over the "blue pencil" icon Edit menu), and tell us exactly what brand and model camera you now have. If you want something new or different, then give us your budget range, since cameras & camcorders
hope this helps,
--Dennis C.
Â
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