What camera should I get for my purposes? HV40 still viable?

[itsthexypat]

Hi,

Seeking some information.

I have a $170 Fuji-film FinePix F505 camera that does nice enough pictures and supposedly 1080 videos but when I compare the videos to my dad's HV20 camera; the quality down right sucks in comparison; among other quality issues, etc.

I've used the HV20 before to take a 20-30 minute video before which ended up being about 25gb or so of raw data; and somehow with a free program I down-sampled it and the audio quality. For my purposes I found this whole process a bit cumbersome and given the number of videos I want to do I would run out of HD space.

I want to make personal videos for my blog, and professional high quality informational videos for products that I sell on my e-commerce site, and also post them to youtube.

I want to keep the absolute highest possible 1080 or higher quality that I can like the HV20/30/40 without spending hours using multiple software programs to format the videos; but I want a format so that I can edit, cut, and splice the videos as well.

Also, I don't have a ton of money. Amazon has the HV40 right now for $699 without the extra lenses and goodies I think...that's probably the maximum that I could dish out. Should I go for the HV40? or should I get a different or more modern model?

Ideally pop would lend me the camera or give it to me but I don't foresee that happening any time soon.

Thanks in advance for your advice and comments.

[Krane]

First, don't put the horse before the cart. You need to edit first. Also I hope your dad will let you use the camera (just take care of it) because the HVxx should do everything you need. That said, the tape medium is obsolete, so if you can get away from that you'd probably be a lot better off.

Second, you need to get a good editing software and learn how to use it. That's not difficult because there are so many good one right now. Just remember, and edition software is no better than the hardware that supports it. This will undoubtedly be your biggest obstacle (it is for most).

Just make sure you plan well before you buy and make sure that the camera, workstation and software all play good together. Don't forget ports, connection, and cables. And plug-ins sometimes too.

One not thing, the Hvxx is technically HDV not HD. Although sometimes used interchangeably but not technically the same. Just since you now.

[cgbier]

HDV not HD

What's the difference?

[itsthexypat]

That's a good point. I had used a free software from videohelp.com. What's some software recommendations or a link to a forum post already discussing that?

Thanks.

[cgbier]

What OS? Get your feet wet in Windows Movie Maker or Apple's iMovie. There's a lot of e-commerce movies edited with these packages.

Give us a sample of what you have so far and/or what you are looking for.

What camera you use doesn't matter. There are pretty good handy cams available from Panasonic or Canon available within your budget. Any of them will do, provided you have sufficient light.
The HV30 ain't bad. It's still a strong contender, and I'm sitting on the fence between tape and non-tape workflow.

Software? Sony Vegas starts somewhere around 50 bucks. There's Pinnacle Studio, Adobe Premiere Elements for about 100 bucks. All for Windows.
For Mac, there's Adobe Premiere Elements, iMovie (free with a new machine) or FCP X ($300).

If you are looking for a professional software on the cheap, look for Lightworks - Windows only right now, LINUX and Mac in the making.

[itsthexypat]

I'm using Windows XP 32 bit on one machine and Vista 64 bit on another. Might put windows 7 64 bit on one in the future.

Right now I just have videos that I made playing with the camera...haven't edited anything or tried any software yet. Seein if pops will lend me his camera. I don't have anything for lighting, just room lights, but have a tripod: Ravelli APGL4 New Professional 70" Tripod with Adjustable Pistol Grip Head and Heavy Duty Carry Bag...so far I like it.

I want something that picks up sound good and does a good filtering job because I have a very soft spoken light voice and I can't stand videos that have crackle or imperfections in them as well. Maybe a good clip on microphone or something or the video cameras microphone may be good enough.

[cgbier]

Pistol Grip? That's a photo head. Not the best solution for video. For video you want a pan/tilt head. Never mind them 3-way/ball/pistol heads.

Depending on what you are doing, there is a lot of low/no cost solutions for lighting. Check the Frugal Filmmaker.

Microphone? There are lav mics from Audio Technica and Azden for 25 to 30 bucks. Look into the Accesoire subforum here. These mics are discussed on a nigh regular base. Either of them would do fine for great sound. For terrific sound, you might want to cough out another 100 for a recorder from Zoom (H1) or Tascam (don't know the model now). Don't use any MP3 recorder!

[Netguru]

HVxx are great camcorders for the money. If your dad lends you his HV20, you're good to go. I have an HV30 and it has served me well. But I have to agree with Krane, if I were buying a new camcorder today I would not buy a tape-based model. So if you end up having to buy, get a flash memory camcorder.

Michael

[drapeama]

You need to edit first. [..] the HVxx should do everything you need. That said, the tape medium is obsolete, so if you can get away from that you'd probably be a lot better off.

1) Good point. You can't take the video out of the camera and put it somewhere on the internet before you've edited it (which means, compressing it for the final delivery).
2) The HVxx are plenty capable to do an amazing job. I've done a coulpe of short films using my HV40 and it definitively worth the price I've paid for it.

What's the difference?

Except the resolution difference: HDV being 1440*1080 while HD being plain 1280*720 or 1920*1080 for fullHD, I don't know!

What's some software recommendations or a link to a forum post already discussing that?

I'd recommend any version from Sony Vegas family, depending on your budget. It's easy to learn and works fine without much resources.

What camera you use doesn't matter. [..] Any of them will do, provided you have sufficient light.
[..]
Sony Vegas starts somewhere around 50 bucks.

1) Yes and no. Yes any will do with a good lighting, but no, depending what you want to do with it: frames per seconds, touchscreens or not, viewfinder...that's all depends on how you want to use the tool. But basically, or maybe more "technically", with the proper lighting, pretty much any camcorder would do a decent job. But that's the basics in video/photography!
2) Sony Vegas, for the price, is hard to beat and works fine. I like the features and the interface. But it all comes down to a matter of taste then.

I'm using Windows XP 32 bit on one machine and Vista 64 bit on another. [..] I want something that picks up sound good and does a good filtering job because I have a very soft spoken light voice and I can't stand videos that have crackle or imperfections in them as well. Maybe a good clip on microphone or something or the video cameras microphone may be good enough.

1) Nowadays, pretty much all NLE can work on both 32bits or 64bits OS. So it's not an issue anymore.
2) About sound, from what you want, you should consider "Lav and Portable recorder" solution. Hide the recorder on your talent and get the Lav close enough so you'll get a good signal-to-noise ratio of the voice: no crackles or noise. Don't use camera-mounted microphone (unless there's no other choices) if you want a good audio. Or, consider a boompole, provided you have a boom operator to use it!