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guangzhou
Dec 14, 2009, 2:56 AM
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I am considering a digital video camera. Someone recommended the Cannon HV-20 and the Sony HDR-HC7 as two good options. Anyone here have a Video camera they like and would recommend. needs good resolution, something that can be seen when out through a projector and shown on a screen. (Like a slide show). Needs to be easy to carry, mostly shooting climbing. Plan on editing using I-movie, but don't know my about video. Researching for now. All advice welcomed. E
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yodadave
Dec 14, 2009, 3:05 AM
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this is a presumption but if your using iMovie i figure you might be a mac user and if so be careful cause a lot of digi cameras don't like macs
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guangzhou
Dec 14, 2009, 4:19 AM
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yodadave wrote: this is a presumption but if your using iMovie i figure you might be a mac user and if so be careful cause a lot of digi cameras don't like macs Thanks for the ehads p. I didn't know that.
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nattfodd
Dec 14, 2009, 8:21 AM
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yodadave wrote: this is a presumption but if your using iMovie i figure you might be a mac user and if so be careful cause a lot of digi cameras don't like macs I'm calling BS on this one. Many, if not most, video directors use Mac. For any maker to build a mac-incompatible camera would be to shoot himself in the foot. It's true, though, that depending on what exact codec your camera is shooting, it can be troublesome/time consuming to convert to something easy to manipulate, so do your research before buying anything.
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bennydh
Dec 14, 2009, 8:39 AM
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In reply to: I'm calling BS on this one. I'm calling BS on that.
In reply to: Many, if not most, video directors use Mac. For any maker to build a mac-incompatible camera would be to shoot himself in the foot. That isn't so true, various brands of the hd camcorder still shot hybrids were pushed to market to make black Friday 2009 distributions to retailers. Some of them required firmware updates after being sold to be fully compatible with both mac and other OSs. The rest of the quoted statement is presumptive.
In reply to: It's true, though, that depending on what exact codec your camera is shooting, it can be troublesome/time consuming to convert to something easy to manipulate, so do your research before buying anything. +1 This is good advice.
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JasonsDrivingForce
Dec 14, 2009, 2:31 PM
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I had heard that AVC-HD wasn’t working with Macs until a few months ago. However, I haven’t heard about any problems since. Specifically what cameras still have problems? You said all suggestions are welcome so here are mine. You also mentioned doing slide shows so you will need to have a camera that takes good still pictures. Panasonic DMC-GF1 http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/PanasonicGF1/ I use this camera and it is extremely good with fast lenses in low light situations. Here are some samples. http://www.youtube.com/user/mpgxsvcd Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 This is the big brother to the GF1. It allows a lot more control over video settings and it has a lens that is “supposed” to be better suited for video. http://www.dpreview.com/...ews/panasonicdmcgh1/ Here is a sample 1080p shot from this camera. http://www.youtube.com/...;index=29&fmt=37
(This post was edited by JasonsDrivingForce on Dec 14, 2009, 2:33 PM)
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guangzhou
Dec 15, 2009, 12:38 AM
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JasonsDrivingForce wrote: I had heard that AVC-HD wasn’t working with Macs until a few months ago. However, I haven’t heard about any problems since. Specifically what cameras still have problems? You said all suggestions are welcome so here are mine. You also mentioned doing slide shows so you will need to have a camera that takes good still pictures. Panasonic DMC-GF1 http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/PanasonicGF1/ I use this camera and it is extremely good with fast lenses in low light situations. Here are some samples. http://www.youtube.com/user/mpgxsvcd Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 This is the big brother to the GF1. It allows a lot more control over video settings and it has a lens that is “supposed” to be better suited for video. http://www.dpreview.com/...ews/panasonicdmcgh1/ Here is a sample 1080p shot from this camera. http://www.youtube.com/...;index=29&fmt=37 Thanks for the reply. I am looking for a dedicated video camera, not a combination. For slide shows, I already have a still camera, My Nikon D90. The slide show reference was more about how large the video needs to be seen at. I'd like something I can project across a room/auditorium. Both camera you recommended are nice, but neither are quite what I want. Eman
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JasonsDrivingForce
Dec 15, 2009, 2:06 AM
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Cool, I understand that some people just want that classic camcorder feel. Have you ever tried the HD video on your D90? Some of the best Climbing footage I have ever seen was done with the D5000. Check it out here. http://www.youtube.com/...;index=24&fmt=22
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guangzhou
Dec 15, 2009, 3:35 AM
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I plan on playing a bit with the HD during my trip to Malaysia next week. Eman
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akornylak
Dec 18, 2009, 7:56 AM
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Thanks Jason - the interview for Brutus was shot on a D5000 but the actual climbing footage was stop motion from a Nikon D3. Eman - The Canon HV20 was and is still one of the best consumer HD cameras out there. Its kind of a cult classic, shoots 24p with some finessing in post and uses MiniDV tapes. They go for about $250-$500 used, and are not made anymore. Every detail of their use has been discussed online so that is a plus. The updated versions are just as good with more features. HV30 adds PAL formats which may be useful to you in China and Malaysia, and the HV40 adds native NTSC 24p. I haven't used those, only HV20. I like shooting to card though, it simplifies the workflow a little and lets you share cards with your still camera depending on the card type. A great new camera with professional style controls that shoots to SD card is the Panasonic HMC40. Might be a good match for your D90.
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JasonsDrivingForce
Dec 20, 2009, 7:13 PM
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akornylak wrote: Thanks Jason - the interview for Brutus was shot on a D5000 but the actual climbing footage was stop motion from a Nikon D3. I am not sure what you mean by "Stop Motion"? Are those still frames pieced together in sequence? Man, that is incredible if it is. I didn't realize the D3 could shoot stills that fast. Still would love to know what your workflow and post processing entails. Your editing is definitely a notch above everything else I have seen.
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akornylak
Dec 20, 2009, 7:23 PM
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Actually I call it "Stillmotion" but that seems to confuse people. It's basically just stop motion but with the intent of getting a high enough frame rate with stills to approximate video. I gave an in-depth explanation of one stillmotion piece here: http://robertbenson.com/...deo-to-make-a-video/ Its kind of a ludicrous way to do video, but its fun, and maybe has some advantages so, there you go!
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JasonsDrivingForce
Dec 20, 2009, 7:34 PM
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akornylak wrote: Actually I call it "Stillmotion" but that seems to confuse people. It's basically just stop motion but with the intent of getting a high enough frame rate with stills to approximate video. I gave an in-depth explanation of one stillmotion piece here: http://robertbenson.com/...deo-to-make-a-video/ Its kind of a ludicrous way to do video, but its fun, and maybe has some advantages so, there you go! Wow I had no idea that you were doing that. I was trying to figure out what you were doing that produced such sharp video. It makes sense now that it came from stills. Cool thanks for sharing. Does the camera refocus automatically for every shot?
(This post was edited by JasonsDrivingForce on Dec 20, 2009, 7:37 PM)
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akornylak
Dec 20, 2009, 8:00 PM
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You can use autofocus shooting this way up to 10FPS on the D3, but I am usually shooting at 11 and manual focusing. Usually I am not just following a target, but I have specific plans for where the focus has to go, so manual is the way to go. But you'll have shutter blackout the whole time, so you just have to mark it off and focus blind. Or just get lucky, or sloppy :)
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chanceboarder
Dec 20, 2009, 9:09 PM
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JasonsDrivingForce wrote: Man, that is incredible if it is. I didn't realize the D3 could shoot stills that fast. 9 fps in FX mode and 11 fps in DX mode.
(This post was edited by chanceboarder on Dec 20, 2009, 9:10 PM)
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