After a long hard summer working....

[pradouk]

ive finally saved up enough money to buy my first DV cam so that i can start my guerilla film making, but before i go out and splash out my hard earned money can anyone suggest a good cam. i have ?800 burning a hole in my pocket and am not worried about having a small or sexy cam, just high quality images.

any advice is welcome.

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[adjcahill]

I personally have a thing for Sony's TRV 900, maybe in conjunction with a beachtech audio adapter. Maybe it's just me.

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[ozymandiz]

Like the other guy I?ve got about ?800 ($1200) and I want good quality images to create a semi-professional aesthetic. That Sony TRV900, seems a bit old (launched in 1998), surely with the trend of cycles of new technology there must be a newer cam with the same functionality for approximately the same price? I?m a student film-maker so I want to ensure that I?m getting the best I can for my money because it?s a big financial commitment for me.
Any advice or input is appreciated


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[tim.callaghan]

800 quid won't get you much in the high end DV department. If you want a 3 chipper, you will have to go for 2nd hand and then they're still not cheap, with the TRV900 coming in at just about the best value 2nd hander.

If your a student, I recommend going the hard way and shoot on Super 8. The cameras cost next to nothing so your inital outlay will be minimal. But of course it will cost more to own in the long run, but hey it's film. By shooting film you will learn so much more than video, because of the challenges that are involved in shooting film. Film cmaera, Lighting for film, syncsound, splicing, and so much more you will pick up.

It's so difficult to say what to get, but one thing is for sure. The longer you wait the less time you will spend filmaking, so go get a camera.

Tim



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[Spoon boy]

You might be better off getting a bog standed D8 camera,(saves some doh up for the future when you want that film camera) the camera is'nt going to make your films any better, it's what you do with it.

I'm using the bog standed D8 cam (dcr-tr8000e) along with my brother on my first short, which has a black and white view finder. For more info check out the site.

a D8 cam doesn't have many manual features who cares, if your clever you can get over that.

So what if it doesn't have Dv in, just buy a widget.

In full light a D8 is almost as good as a VX1000.

D8 tapes are quite cheap too, which is nice.

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blackfrogproductions.com
The majesty of media

[ozymandiz]

Thanks for the suggestions but i really need to have a DV Cam, my lectures in Uni are based on DV Cams and the p.c editing suites designed for them so i really need to be looking at DV cams.

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[Gwailofilms]

Damn! Where do you go to Uni! My place just had right old shit! And we pretty much had to learn all the technical stuff ourselves.

Lucky sod...

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The future is here:-
www.gwailofilms.co.uk

[pradouk]

we go brunel in london. they have amazing facilities. top spec macs, loaded with dvd-rs and all the latest software, all hooked up to a 200gb array. we also have access to some great DV cams, lighting etc.

but theres nothing like having your own kit

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