Which camera?

1. compusolver
   Member

   
   From an email:
   

   I saw a response you gave in a camcorder forum so I thought I would email you a question...I hope you don't mind. My son will begin playing football this year and I want to video his games, edit them, and then place them on the internet so his grandparents can watch. I am struggling with what type of camera to buy. I am considering the Sony DVX 2100. Would this be a good choice for someone who has never owned a digital camcorder before? If not, what camera would you recommend? Video quality is important as I also want to create training DVD's (classroom style) for the company I own. I really appreciate your help...David Scott

   
   
   Dave, the VX2100's strength is its lowlight capabilities. I don't know if your son's football games are played at night, nor do I know if stadium lights are sufficient for most camcorders - so I'm not the best one to answer this.
   
   You basically have two opposing needs -
   
   1. An event camera for fast-moving sports, possibly under lights, for producing web-based video.
   2. A camera for corporate video, usually done under near studio conditions with controlled light, and where 24p may be a big plus.
   
   Web video is usually done at about 320x240 with fairly low resolution. Nearly any consumer camera can easily do that. Corporate video is much more demanding.
   
   You may need to buy your camera based upon one type of usage, then just deal with things as you use it for other kinds of use.
   
   Hopefully others will chime in with more useful info..

   Posted 5 years ago #

2. cadestran
   Member

   
   Thanks for the input...Do I really need 24P for my training video's? Also, what about manual focus? Is it necessary for filming football games?
   
   Thanks again,

   Posted 5 years ago #

3. compusolver
   Member

   
   manual focus, manual exposure and manual white balance are mandandory for all serious videographers.

   Posted 5 years ago #

4. On a Roll
   Member

   
   What hank said :D
   
   But seriously, manual controls are your friend. It's even better if you can get good manual controls, like focus and even possibly zoom rings. It makes handling the camera a lot easier when your eye's strapped to the eyepiece. If the manual stuff doesn't make sense at first, just master the most important manual first - the instruction manual :)
   
   If you're going to do training videos, having 24P would be a nifty feature. That gives your video a "film look" because the frame rate is the same as a motion picture. But honestly, I rarely use progressive capture on my cameras in my line of videography. It's not as much a necessity for wedding and event videographers as it might be to those who like to go for the film looking effects.

   Posted 5 years ago #

5. cadestran
   Member

   
   From your replies, it sounds like the Sony VX2100 will satisfy both of my needs. What accessories would you recommend?
   
   thanks again,

   Posted 5 years ago #

6. compusolver
   Member

   
   Though 30fps interlaced dropframe is the NTSC standard for broadcast, 24p is the default for DVD players. If you're producing video for DVD, you can squeeze more video and better quality onto a single DVD using 24p than with 30i.
   
   Other than that, the VX2100 probably has you covered. It's MY camera of choice - but then I do weddings and events, mostly.

   Posted 5 years ago #

7. cadestran
   Member

   
   What if I stream my training video's through a company intranet site? Would I then be ok without 24P?
   
   I really appreciate your feedback!

   Posted 5 years ago #

8. compusolver
   Member

   

   What if I stream my training video's through a company intranet site? Would I then be ok without 24P?

   
   Sure. Nothing really requires 24p originals, not even transfering to film.

   Posted 5 years ago #

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