Good HD Camera - Budget 500$
 

Are there any good, or really good HD cameras for around 500$ that anyone could recommend?

Also, is it worth considering Flash DRM?

No one???

I heared nothing but good comments about Canon HV30 (might be HV40 now, not sure), for its price range, should be around $800 though

Try a yard sale.

I got myself a Canon HV20 used for $500 and really love it. I added a wide-angle lens, a Rode Videomic, and a steadicam to it. I had a few really nice videos on youtube but the fascists decided to delete them. :321GFY

:thumbsup though myself, I want to move more towards a tape less work flow.

The HV30 is a beautiful piece of machinery. Check ebay.

Thanks for the tip old timer. But nowadays we use that there internets for thems kinds of things. :thumbsup

Tapeless sounds nice, but Id rather have a tape backup for now. :2 cents:

Your opinion of Flash DRM? You recommended this to me when I inquired about it a while ago... Didn't decide to go with it back then, but I'm considering it now, for a new HD production

Then try a virtual yard sale if you want one that cheap.

I have the Canon HV30 its awesome.

:2 cents:

regarding the tapeless point, among the cheaper HD cameras (500-1000 new or used), hv30 tapes are the upside, because most of the tapeless cams use some internal codecs to compress the vid a bit and squeeze more footage on each memory card or drive.. hv30 keeps it as is, sorta raw.. at least thats what I've read on istock video forums.

I picked up a Canon Vixia HF100 last Christmas for about $530 and I love it. Granted ours is just for personal use, but it shoots beautiful full HD (1080p). It's a flash based camera. The HF100 comes w/ no on-board storage and just uses SDHC cards. Other models in the Vixia line do have some on-board storage - but for the price difference it's not worth it. Besides, I couldn't see any real advantage to having on-board flash memory vs just going w/ SDHC cards.

I was able to pick up 3 16GB Transcend SDHC cards for < $30 each when I bought the cam. With SDCH cards so cheap these days, they're a pretty close match to tape as far as backup/storage is concerned - except they are a lot easier to work with and store.

I can get just over 2 hours of 1920x1080 w/ each 16GB card.

:2 cents:

My opinion is don't call it drm :winkwink:

I bought a Canon Vixia HG20 recently. I used it in conjunction with a green screen to record the video on this page. (I know, it's ridiculous ;))

I'd stick with tape, if for no other reasons than the "instant backup" mentioned by stickyfingerz and the internal compression. I'd rather do my own compression however I want it, thank you.

And stay away from cameras with internal hard drives, I've heard all kinds of fun stories.

I also have the HF100, and it certainly does produce stunning footage one one condition... you have to have a solid work-flow and know how to get the most out of the footage from Point A to Z. I have to admit I was a little intimidated by the process at first, but after about a solid month of testing, rendering, testing and more rendering... I finally figured out what works better than anyone's current workflow :)

But one thing... it doesn't do 1080p. It inserts progressive 30p footage into a 1080i stream, or does 1080i 60i. I have found that using the deinterlacing method "blend fields" to provide the best final product from the footage from this camera.

Canon Vixia HF200 is very good one, but a bit expensive than $500

Looks like you have some nice M-Audio studio monitors. But you've got a Westinghouse LCD? Interesting choice :)

Reviews say HF100 is better than HF200.

Those reviews contain close to zero information. Basically CNET consists purely of some $8/hour dipwad saying it's pretty and has nice buttons. What the fuck good does that do someone who buys a video camera for the quality of footage?

since i'm not a camera snob, what i like about cnet is not necessarily their reviews, but the user reviews, plus they list a ton of places to buy the item in question with the prices and shipping included for easy comparison...making it easy. JFC!

OOOHHH found one of my clips that hasn't been deleted:



Keep in mind that this was recorded using cheap work lights before I knew how to properly light a scene. IMO even the cheapest camcorder can produce good footage with good lighting. HV20...

Canon HV40 Rocks, Look on youtube for samples of the HV40 quality video

add a 0 if you want a good one.
Duke

Heard good things about the Sayno CG10 HD camera. It's 1280x720p. Its not Full HD, but still looks good. Check youtube for some reviews.

Its around $250 - $300 USD.

Ahhh thanks for the correction. I was a little hesitant as I put that 'p' on there. :winkwink:

I'm far from a video geek and have tried to decipher the vid-speak before, but gave up and now just follow some guides that "Eugenia Loli" has produced on working w/ this cam and Vimeo - which if I recall does what you said - deinterlace using blend fields (and a few other tips). It definitely produces great results - even when ya don't know what the hell you're doing (like me!). :1orglaugh