Cameras!!

[lowkster]

Hey everyone!!! I'm a new independent film maker here in Minnesota. I'm so new to this field that I don't even own my own camera yet. I'm currently a writer and director for Ziegler Motion Picture.I'm fine with that but I really want to start my own production. I'm in desperate need for advice from experienced film makers. I guess the first thing I want to know is what camera I should buy. At this point I'm looking to buy a camera between $1200-$1700.
I've looked at the canon gl2 and the canon xl2. I'm looking for a cheap pro camera that has a movie look. Can anyone help me?

[miker]

"cheap pro camera" is an oxymoron I'm afraid.

[lowkster]

Well.. your right. Let me rephrase that. Im looking for a good camera that will get me on my feet. Any suggegstions?

[lowkster]

Record sound?...lol.. I dont know . I have ideas but what do you think is best..a boom mic?

[miker]

For my money, today, I'd get the camera discussed in this thread:

http://www.hostboard.com/cgi-bin/ult...c/f/410/t/6748

Purely based on it's picture quality and solid-state system. I suspect there's better cameras out there, but I'm a workflow pragmatist (I'd have to check how H.264 edited in FCP). Cameras are getting like computers, improving every year so that - especially consumer grade cameras - are out of date and losing value as soon as you open the box.

Don't forget that picture is only 50% of your movie. How will you record sound?

[Tard]

I think what miker meant was in-camera sound vs. seperate audio recording (when you need a clapboard to sync the audio when editing in post).

I use a battery-operated flash memory WAV recorder. The portability is nice when location shooting as the thing is only about the size of a pack of cigarettes (WARNING! it's size is a detriment when first opening the package. Likely to depress & anger you for spending $600.00+ on a recorder & mic & flash memory card when you see how tiny the whole setup actually is!). Sturdy & silent because there are no moving parts to make noise or wear out. A lil 2gig card (about $20.00US each) saves a couple hours of 24bit 48000Hz wav files, which carries audio frequencies your dog probably couldn't even hear! I use a stereo cardoid mic with a windsock. It serves its purpose well, so haven't needed to buy extra mics or accessories (yet!)

[lowkster]

I have decided that Im going to buy a canon gl2 video camera. I will be shooting in the field alot but Im making movies. I see alot of people using a RODE mic connected to a boom. Is that my best choice? Im looking for something that will void out the random muffles that I may face. The wind and etc are my biggest worries.

[miker]

The R?de seems to be a popular choice for camcorder mounted mics, it should certainly be better than the built-in mic.

Don't expect to get excellent sound with a camera mounted mic. It will likely be "just about passable".

Having said that I foolishly shot my entire documentary with a camera mounted ME66 because I simply couldn't afford a sound department. You can listen to the result here:
http://www.ratemymovie.co.uk/

Three years later and I have invested in some serious sound recording kit. Worth every penny [weep].

[lowkster]

When you say camera mounted mic does that mean a mic that is mounted on the video camera but can be taken off as well? If you took a mounted Rode mic and connected it to a boom pole wouldn't that produce good sound. Can you elaborate more on the term "mounted mic?" By the way I watched the first 20 minutes of your movie...I love it..lol...lol

[miker]

yep, when I say camera mounted, I mean set in a suspension and mounted on the camera's hotshoe, or mic clamp.

once you start booming the mic and leaving it cabled to camera you can potentially get better sound if your boom op has a clue. however, without a proper return it can be difficult to monitor the sound and you'll probably end up using autogain which can also sound awful for different reasons.

it's also possible to do all special effects in-camera, but not many people bother with that, you can also edit in-camera too. in fact, the camera can do everything, who needs a crew! wait, i think that was Rod Shuffler talking .....