start off and future upgrading questions

[Anonymous]

Hi all,
new to all this so Ill shoot from the hip. I have a little experience in camcorder functions but I reckon Id like to do some work with it, i.e. weddings & party work etc. Need to get my first camera to play around with and learn the editing side of things (been given adobe premiere pro as a present!!!). Ideally I need something really cheap but would give good results in a wedding envinronment. I plan on charging very little to start with, i.e. do a deal with a restaurant whereby they through in the service as part of their package to the wedding party! That way I can get away with just a cheaper camcorder, question is what camcorder would you guys suggest, at a later stage should I be good enough in the future then what camera should I trade upto. It seems that Panasonic seem to have a good range particularly their 3CCD consumer range, however, I dont think the wife will let me pay that sort of money just yet. However, should I get profitable enough my wife not hold back on me getting a pro camera.

any thoughts and suggestions on this are greatly appreciated. many thanks up front ..

Richard

[Anonymous]

What exactly is your price range?

[Anonymous]

Bit the bullet and bought a Panasonic NV GS-400, got an extra long life battery, SLIK 504QR tripod, and SLIK monopod. Now just messing around with it getting to grips with the camera and software (adobe Premiere Pro). Will be purchasing in due course additional sound and lighting equipment.

However, found that my laptop isnt powerful enough to deal with the graphics so will have to upgrade or purchase a new pc in due course as well. Its because I lack a graphic accelerator card such as a Canopus or MATROX RX.T series. I havent found any threads linked to this. What hardware are you guys using to edit?

cheers,

Richard

[Anonymous]

I can use my laptop to edit 😀 Ofcourse I am using Sony’s Vegas, which has different requirements. What are you trying to do with Premiere Pro? Get real-time performance?

Editing programs aside, a good camera for low-light situations and pretty much a staple of event videographers is the Sony Vx-2100. Ofcourse if you are looking for a camcorder to upgrade to that can last you a good 10 years, check out the HDV FX-1. I still see people using the original VX-1000 which was introduced about 10 years ago, just as a frame of reference.

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