Help choosing a camcorder

[lbochs]

I have been doing a lot of research on several used prosumer camcorders. For example: Canon xl1, xl2, and gl2, and the Panasonic dvx100.

I want to stay in the $1,000 price range. I intend to use the camera primarily for youth sports applications. I know these cameras are probably overkill for that application…

I’m trying to decice if I should go that route, or just go with a good new hand-held model like the Canon Vixia HF S21, which allows you to shoot in 24p, 30p, or 60i. (just like the dvx100).

I also don’t want to invest a ton of money in NLE software.

Please let me know if I’m going overboard with the prosumer models I’m considering, based on what I can get with a newer model and my limited budget for video editing software. If it helps to know, my laptop has 1.86 GHz and 1 GB of RAM. No idea if that’s good enough.

Thanks for helping to educate a real newbie!!!

[monroevideo]

For what you are doing I think you would do just fine with one of those Canon camera’s. Now the thing I always tell people is that it’s not the equipment or the editing that makes the videographer/editor. You have to have the eye for it and know the type of shots your looking for. If you are just starting out then the Canon camera should be fine. A good editing software is Adobe Premiere Elements. It’s a great editing software and should do everything you need and only cost about $100. For your computer you might want to look into upgrading it as well. Again don’t think you need a $10,000 camera or editing software. I have seen so many videos that have been done by supposedly pros that look terrible and I have seen great videos done by people with movie make. Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Jim

Houston wedding videography

[hmueller]

I recently acquired a Canon HF S21. The quality is amazing.As myshotgun mic did not fit the smaller shoe, I bought a flash bracket. It turns out that it actually helps making the camera more steady when using it handheld- an unexpected plus.

The reason for the good video I believe is the large lens, the same size as the GL2.My view is that thiscamera is really prosumer, in spite ofits small size.

[Liber]

Hey! I happen to be selling an XL1 on Ebay right now. All the details are there. It works great.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Canon-XL1-case-and-accessories-/150517870277?pt=Camcorders_Professional_Video_Cameras&hash=item230b906ec5

Here’s a sample video I did with it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i4CYPvFAWE

Thanks for looking.

[Author]

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