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17 December 2011
A question we are often asked is: "what type of video camera (aka camcorder), should I buy..." It would be easy for us to simply reply "... the best you can afford...", but it's a little more complicated than that. There is no point in spending upwards of $7000 if all you want is to shoot the occasional family movie or a friend's wedding. Conversely, if you have aspirations to become a pro videographer, spending $399 on an entry level model will not get you very far. Below is a list of the three broad categories you should consider. We suggest that you buy a full HD model, which is currently (as at July 2011) is the highest resolution available.
Entry Level Video Cameras: Price range is $350 - $700. These are entry level in price only, in every other respect they are very impressive indeed. The video quality would put professional video cameras of only 5 years ago to shame. Technology has come such a long way that the results you get are breathtaking. They are suitable for the occasional videographer, for family movies and non professional wedding videography. Some feature SD memory card slots, others have hard drives. There is no clear advantage between one or the other. Brands to consider include Canon, Sony, Panasonic and JVC (listed approximately in order of popularity).
Mid Range Video Cameras: With a price range of $700 - $2000, these units are ideal for advancing videographers. The image quality is similar to that of their entry level counterparts, but you also get an external microphone jack and in the more expensive camcorders, a headphone output too. These features are important if you would like to record the audio track using external microphones, which are typically of higher quality than the inbuilt mics.
Many independent film makers opt for these camcorders because of their excellent price/performance ratio.
Semipro / Prosumer Cameras: Price range $2000 - $7000. You would only buy a camera as advanced as these if you were a fairly advanced videographer. The image sensor is often similar to that of the less advanced offerings (which is to say, it is of excellent quality), the main additions are full manual controls to give you control over focus, aperture and shutter speed and XLR microphone inputs that offer superior sound recording. These video cameras are used by wedding videographers, corporate film makers and advanced hobbyists.
Recently, Digital SLR cameras have made a foray into the video camera market. Most offer video quality similar to the units listed above. The flexibility as far as the large range of lenses available is intriguing. The main disadvantage compared to dedicated video camcorders is that most DSLRs do not offer continuous autofocus. This is quite a disadvantage when trying to film action. If your needs extend to more than filming fairly static scenes, such as interviews, you might want to consider a DSLR.
Editing Software: Perhaps the greatest advancement in video in the past 10 years has been the emergence of nonlinear video editing. The pros use Final Cut Pro (only available for Apple platforms), or Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas for PC platforms. Lesser mortals use cheaper software (under $100) like Pinnacle or even the free Microsoft Moviemaker. Whichever software you choose, you will have at your fingertips the kind of editing power that Steven Spielberg would have only dreamt of when he started his career.
Naturally, it's all good and well to purchase all this good gear, but it takes a lot of hard work and experimentation to get the most out of it. If you would like to fast track your learning curve, please call us for info on our group and private courses in videography and editing.
Article written by Joe Klein of Photo Professionals
Group and Private Photography Courses.
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