I need to choose a camcorder « Videomaker Community Forums

NONXPRT
Member

Hi.. I need your expertice help..
IÂ´m new in videographer bussiness.. Non expert.
My primary jobs are weddings (low ligth conditions), school events (indoor and outdoor) and even some times, comercial promos (amateur quality) IÂ´ve been working with GL2 (in rental) a good camcorder i think.. but itÂ´s time to buy my own.

What am I thinking about the camcorder
1.- Technology (HD or SD)
Mybe i donÂ´t need the HD for this moment.. but IÂ´m thinking in the future.. I dont want an obsolete camcorder in 1 or 2 years. I wonÂ´t buy a new camcorder at least in 3 years
I work with FC express, sometimes in iMove HD and maybe in a few months move to FC Express 3.5 HD

2.- If I donÂ´t have HD, think in my job.. weedings, school events. I already have a Bescor Video Ligth 50 watts dimmer light with 7MM battery (i dontÂ´care use an extra light)

3.- Features. I mean.. I donÂ´t know what is my future in this bussiness. Maybe IÂ´ll need some features like 24P or cinema look-- i really donÂ´t know, but I want to cover as many features as possible.

I spent 7 days looking an advice to choose a camcorder. I live in permanent headache trying to choose one.
IÂ´ve been compare:
SONY VX 2100
Canon XL2
Sony HDR FX1
Canon GL2
Pannasonic AG-DVC60
Panasonic AG-DVX 100B

I like shoulder mount camcorder like PannyDVC60 or XL2, but i donÂ´t want to choose one considering only that feature.
Can anybody well experienced give me and solid advice...?
If you can order the list above in your preferences
Please. give me a choice ilike you are in my shoes.. what camcorder will you buy????

Posted 5 years ago #
compusolver
Member

My advice hasn't changed, and most people here seem to agree with me - for weddings and events, you can't beat the VX2100 or Sony PD-170 (its big brother). If you want hi-def, the FX1 is the best for this category.

Posted 5 years ago #
On a Roll
Member

Personally, having used the VX-2100 and the GL-2, I'd say they're both fine cameras. I don't think either one is going to be "obsolete" soon, either.

Your budget and your desires would define which one to get, I suppose. The GL-2's are great cameras in general, but can get grainy and lose color depth in dimly lit churches. On the flip side, with the $250 mail-in rebate going on for the GL-2, it's about $650 cheaper per camera than the VX-2100. But you have to keep in mind that a lot of your savings will have to be spent on lighting to make up for the deficiency of the GL-2, and some couples don't like lighting at their weddings.

The VX-2100 has less zoom range, and can be a hair more basic in some regards, but all in all, it's a pretty slick camera. Plus, it's good down to 1 lux, so in the least lit ceremony you'll get good picture. Again, more expensive, but then again, you won't need to drop a grand on a lighting setup.

If you won't be doing a whole lot of low-light stuff, I'd say stick with the GL-2's. I like em. I own three of them. If lighting is a concern, and you're willing to pay a little more, the VX-2100 is for you. I've also got one of these, and I am very happy with it.

EDIT to add: Don't bother with Hi-Def yet. For what you described yourself as doing, you're not going to need it.
Hope that helped some.

Posted 5 years ago #
tpainter
Member

You have a lot of different cameras on your list there -- with money not so much a factor, I would drop the GL2 and ag-dvc60 off the list.

If you are not sure what you will want to do or just starting out, I would leave HD aside for now. There is so much to do and learn about SD right now, to keep you quite busy for a while.

The XL2 is a great camera for interchangeable lenses, and it has a solid user community. However, I don't see it much as an event type camera.
You will also hear nothing but great things about the vx2100.
I have the dvx100b and I absolutely love it. The dvx100 has better audio connections and more features like the 24p and other formats, that will enable a great deal of flexiblitiy -- but it does cost more, of course. (There is a rebate going on right now, too)

Of course, I am going to be biased towards my camera - but I honestly do not have anything bad to say about the others.
Check out http://dvxuser.com/articles/shoot3/ for a comparison of the dvx100b, the XL2 and the FX1. (Note: it does come from dvxuser.com, so you might expect a little bias there. It really does seem to be objective though).

Shoulder mounting is doable on any of the cameras - e.g-- look at http://www.spiderbrace.com for a cheap alternative.

Posted 5 years ago #