Want a new camera, but I’m stuck on what to get

Hi scrode – I just watched the Battle of the WUs – great shots and a fabulous edit.  But yes, I think you need a new camera.

Going to a Canon 5D Mark III from a camcorder is probably not a good idea, in my view.  The camera has no XLRs, no power zoom, no autofocus and no viewfinder.  You can buy accessories to fix the mic input and viewfinder problems – but you can't fix the lack of autofocus or power zoom.

If you want a large sensor camcorder in the $3000 price range, I have a couple of recommendations.  The first is the $2725 (after $600 mail in rebate) Sony NEX-EA50.  It is a real camcorder with XLR inputs, autofocus and a power zoom, but it also has interchangeable lenses, if  you have a low light situation and need faster glass.  It also has a built-in shoulder mount, so it will be easier to carry around the gym.

Here is what it looks like:

And here is what this camera can do:

Outdoor Sports:

Commercial:

Short film:

If you don't want to carry around a shoulder mount camera – or you don't want to deal with interchangeable lenses, I recommend the little $1298 Sony RX10 with its 1 inch sensor and built in 8.3x constant f2.8 power zoom lens – plus a $798 Sony XLR adapter to give you pro mic inputs.  This camera produces amazing 1080/60p video in a very small package.

The photo on the right shows what it looks like with the XLR adapter (and a monitor) on it:

Here is what this camera can do in the gym:

Outdoors:

Outdoors:

Hope this is helpful!

Bill

Hybrid Camera Revolution