camcorder recommendations @ ~USD1500 please

[Frank Marshall]

Hi all,

I've been asked to pick your collective brains and experience in coming up with the best bang-for-buck miniDV camcorder at the USD1500 price-point.

The camcorder will be used for making corporate videos and since its for a land development company there'll be plenty of outdoor location shoots. The camcorder will need to be a PAL unit.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions,

Frank

[Ted222]

You are about $500 short of my pick a Canon GL2. I finally ordered one.

Ted

[Frank Marshall]

Thanks Ted,

Perhaps they'll shell out a little extra if its worthwhile. There's also talk of bringing a camcorder in from Singapore duty-free.

[Ted222]

How cool is that......fantastic....get one for me too...

have fun,

Ted

[Hulk]

Another vote for the GL2 if you can swing it. The other 3 CCD camera to consider would be the Sony TRV 950. It's seems to be a bit less expensive than the GL2. I personally like Canon models with a progressive scan mode. Video recorded in that mode looks great on a TV, stills are not blurred (with sufficient light and fast shutter), AND, most importantly, no interlacing artifacts when the video is viewed on a computer. Obviously, everyone has different priorities. Those are mine. I've found that in the same general price range the image of most camcorders depends more on available light than anything else. And remember, a lot of the money you spend on a camcorder is in the glass! Go for good optics. Another plus for the GL2 is optical image stabilization.

Ted -
Have you become addicted to the progressive scan mode of the Pi? I know I have. I'm pretty sure my next camera will be the GL2. The Pi is great and will then serve as a great back-up camera. Besides the image quality improvement of the 3 CCD GL2, I'm hoping it has a nice smooth zoom (Pi is quite twitchy), and, finally, manual audio levels! Please let me know how the GL2 compares to the Pi after you receive it.

[Ted222]

Mark,
I haven't really used the progressive scan mode on my Optura PI very much. The quality of the video is so good in regular mode that I shoot mostly in "auto everything". I did make direct comparisons to other digital (single CCD) video cameras and my Opura PI pretty much blew them all away. I almost purchased another Opura PI, but instead opted for an upgrade to the GL2.

I will let you know how I like the GL2 when I get a chance. I should have it in about 3 hours according the the UPS tracking site.

Ted

[Tapeworm]

I LOVE my GL-1, and I've generally been pleased with the GL-2 I've played with. It's definitely in a different league than the $1,500 cameras, and would probably rival the XL for what it sounds like you're doing.

All the improvements to the GL were exactly what was needed to bring it to a low pro level for a tiny camera. I wish they'd kept it the same length as the original (they extended the mic equal with the hood now). I had a folding hood that let me put the GL in a leather Lowe Pro shoulder bag that didn't resemble a camera bag. They also changed the color to generic silver, while the white used match my XL.

Not a bad trade-off for great audio (no BeechTech required) and a 20X 1.6 meg still camera, but they could have left the cosmetic changes alone.

Brooke

[Ted222]

Well, I got my GL2, and here are my first impressions:

-its much lighter than I would have thought (should be very easy to shoot extended scenes with)

-the audio features are awesome (really like the sound level meters)

-the controll locations are very logical and easy to use

-progressive scan mode appears to be the most flexible for setting up special needs, but the full auto mode is going to be where I stay most of the time.

-auto focus is a little sluggish in low light

I went to Walmart and picked up a plastic 4 Pistol Case. It had 3 layers of foam inside, which were easy to cut into a custom fit for the camera and accessories. Oh, and the case only cost $7.97.

Now, on to campare video sequences with my Optura PI....

Ted

P.S. Sorry, didn't mean to hog this thread, but I got a little carried away...

[Tapeworm]

Congratulations!

I'm amazed at the smooth handheld shots which can be achieved by that little camera with it's good stabilizer. Like I mentioned, the only weak points were the audio and digital stills, and now they're resolved.

I generally shoot in the auto-preferred mode, rather than full auto because it's easier to override focus and white balance quickly, while still concentrating on content and composition.

Some of the better (non-Canon) remote zooms are really good if you're looking for more toys. I also find that 3 of the Lenmar 924 batteries will cover anything I want to shoot, and balance nicely on the camera.

I don't know if it's kosher to promote other sites, but the creativecow.net has a bunch of help on their Canon forum.

Have fun!

[Frank Marshall]

Thank you

Thank you all for your help.

I guess I'll wait and see if they can afford the Canon, otherwise its back to the drawing board.

Cheers.

[Tapeworm]

Sorry to keep harping on a camera that might be out of your budget range.

If I were picking, I'd probably either go with a sub-$1,000 Canon (preferably with the optical image stabilizer vs. electronic) or I'd even consider a clean, used one, if that's an option.

[Ted222]

I agreen on the Canon's as being my favorites too, although some of the Sony single chip cameras are very nice too. For outdoor shoots you should look at your "optical" zoom needs when looking at camcorders - where some of the Sony Digital-8 camcorders do very well.

Ted