PROFESSIONAL CAMERA CHOICE

I am in the market for a new camera and just wanted to here from a few of you that may use these cameras why you might like them or not, my choices have been narrowed down to buying the Sony PMX-EX1 XDcam pro HD camcorder, the JVC GYHD200U 16x fujinon lens and the Panasonic HVX 200A P2HD camcorder, yes I know this is a discussion board for final cut but I also know that alot of you who work on final cut use alot of this camera's! Thanks for your time and forever great information I may receive from you all.

Bill,
Mind what Steve said, this is not about where and when you get the chance to test cameras but whether you want to do that before you spend your money.
Furthermore it would be good if you know what you are going to use your camera for:
Are you a one man crew production?
Do you shoot documentaries?
Do you edit? Are you aware about the hassle that editing HDV can bring? DVCPRO HD is conversely dead easy to edit and offers better colour space to colour grade (4:2:2).
How good built in lenses and focus pulling counts to you (EX1 v JVC200) HVX looses this particular battle but wins many others.
I could carry on with questions and I have no problem stating again that HVX remains my favorite.
That's a choice but not the choice of a video-maker though.
Go and bother dealers to death (or hire the cameras) by asking them to handle the cameras, check camera and menu features, how you feal handling them...Figure out which one is serving you best ergonomically, technically.
Go get your hands dirty but most of all know what you are going to use it for. If you are shooting guerrilla style P2 cards workflow is not the ultimate solution.
G.

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Camera choice help

Hi all
I'm putting things in place to start a business and was wondering for some help and advice on camera choice.
I'm going to be filming weddings and corporate events and editing in FCE/FCP
A friend in the photographic business has suggested the Sony HVR-HD1000E (£1,200)would that be suitable? I could push to £1,500 if necessary. Are there any other strong contenders to this camera?
Also what are the big differences between FCE/FCP is it a big enough difference to go for the FC Studio bundle. Do bear in mind I already have Logic Studio 8 so I have STP and Compressor already?
Thanks for any comments
M

A lot of the UK Wedding/Corporate folk use something like the Sony Z1e or V1e which record MiniDV, DVCAM or HDV but are above your price level. If you're on a tight budget, the basic minimum you could go with is FCE and a second hand 3 chip camera such as the Canon XL1 (the later model Canon XL1s is better) Panasonic DVX100, Sony PD150 all of which record in miniDV (the PD150 also records in the more robust DVCAM format). All of which have decent low-light qualities - essential for weddings.
Check out the used kit at Preston's:
http://www.videokit.co.uk/cgi-bin/store1/commerce.cgi
You will also need a decent tripod such as the Manfrotto 503 or Libec LS38
For weddings you will also ideally have a wireless Lavalier mic.
If you decide to go for the HDV format, the costs for equipment go up quite dramatically and you'll need a faster computer.
Once you get some work under your belt, then you can think about upgrading your kit.
The UK based DVDoctor site is populated by friendly and helpful pro's and has a +Weddings and Events+ section you may find of use: http://forums.dvdoctor.net/index.php

Why streaming video stuck in professional camera?

i am new to the flash builder i have been made the project in the flash with the help of the Google and stack overflow and with adobe only so i want to know that why streaming video is been stuck in the professional camera is there any reason that it stuck..!!!
plz help me out as possible as early..!!!

Move this post to this forum

HT204655 Photos for Mac does not support semi professional camera Nikon D7000!

Since Nikon does not support USB storage mode, the (semi)professional line of Nikon cannot be used to import pictures!!
This is a serious flaw in the program. Aperture supports Nikon D7000, Image Capture supports the camera but the latest and greatest has forgotten all about supporting market leader's camera's?
The main and only reason NOT to use Photos... Or did I miss something here?

Sorry guys, forget all about it. I switch my camera off and on again (while it was connectoed to the Mac) and it appeared in Photos.
No idea what happened, but I can import my pictures.
Cheers,

Camera Choice for Slow Motion

I have a choice of two cameras to do the type of work I want to do. This work would involve slowing down a fly fishing rod and adding graphics. (or golf club)
The two cameras are the Cannon XHA1 and the Sony HUR-VIU
I intend to shoot at 30p and use Adobe to slow the image down. I have been told to be careful about which camera I should use, but I am unclear as to the reasons one camera would be more suitable than the other is.
Could someone help me?

Between the Canon and Sony, I would go with the Canon.
Panasonic's HVX200a would be the superior choice, but is about $1,000 to $1,500 more. Plus, your options are MiniDV tape for DV25 or P2 card for all the myriad HD options plus MiniDV. But...there's no tape option for HD (like HDV does) so that may affect your purchasing decision if you're going the HD route. It comes with a 16 GB P2 card, but you may need more than one card if you're shooting a lot of footage and won't have time to offload the files to a computer.
The next option you may want to consider is the Panny HPX170. Similar in many ways to the HVX200a, but the main difference is no tape drive, only P2 slots.
Then there's the HMC150, which shoots AVCHD onto the little SD (or SDHC) cards. There's also no tape drive here, but the SD cards are relatively cheap and from what I'm reading so far, the quality of the HD is comparable to the HVX200a when shooting 720p at the highest quality setting (PH I believe...?). That camera is available for about $3,500, so that should definitely fit your budget, and give you a little extra cash to buy more SD cards.

Good semi-professional camera with higher picture quality?

Hello,
I am developing a series of videos for a state's legal system. As of now, we have no camera. Does anyone have any good reccommendations for a semi-professional, affordable camera with a higher picture quality than a normal consumer camcorder would have? Obviously, price pays a factor in this. If I can't find a volunteer videographer, I will have to do the filming/taping myself, and I am not a videographer by trade. I will also be planning to edit the footage using a final cut editing system. And if I have to do the videographer, I would like to use a camera that isn't too complicated.
Thanks a lot!

the reason is that many of the online stores are scam artists selling grey market cameras with no extra parts and no warranty
as well if you try to order the "$1600" camera and don't want any of the extras they will force you to get (which come included with cameras from reputable dealers) suddenly the camera is out of stock and they don't know when it will be in, but you can get the US model (which is what the reputable dealers sell for 3000-3600) for about 4000, plus shipping
to get an understanding about GOOD realistic prices check out http://www.bhphotovideo.com
DAVE
www.proapptips.com

Workflow & camera choice

I'm considering purchasing the Panasonic AG-HMC40. However, the idea of shooting in a native FCP format (like the JVC GY-HM100) strikes me as a fantastic idea.
On the other hand it costs 50-75% more. (Cost is always an issue, no?) After you trick out the Panasonic with some of the things included with the JVC, though, the gap in price is smaller.
Have any opinions you'd like to share about the two? How would the conversion time and/or space requirements affect an Intel Mac Pro with plenty of space and RAM?
Lastly, if two cameras were identical in every respect but one shot in a native FCP format and the other didn't, might that functionally compensate for a, say, 50% higher cost?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

With the JVC GY-HM100u, when you import files, you can no longer use the Log and Transfer process.
Correct. You use the faster process of copying it to your media drive, then simply dragging it into your project, or going FILE>IMPORT. Boom, the footage is there.
If you want to preview a file, you have to load it in FCP or open it in QuickTime.
What is easier that previewing in QT? That's FAR easier than needed P2CMS for P2, or the Sony XDCAM EX Transfer Tool for XDCAM EX... or needed to use FCP's Log and Transfer for AVCHD. Simply click on the file you want to see, and press the space bar. Instant preview. Up arrow or Down arrow for the next clip. Couldn't be easier.
If you want to rename it, you have to rename it on the hard drive. I
Or you can rename it in FCP, and use the RENAME option in the MODIFY menu. Media to match clip. I do that often. VERY easy.
I'm finding that the editing process now takes me longer, because there is no Log and Transfer
Longer? Simply drag and drop into the project....done. Darn fast.
Major drawback. Great camera, but more work in the prep process when using FCP.
You are doing something way wrong if you think that bringing in a QT file already in an editable format that FCP deals with right from the camera is slower than the log and transfer process.
Shane

Best camera choice for shooting basketball and football.

We are comparing the 7D, 60d and rebel T4i. We are novices but are willing to learn and realize we will need to invest in lenses. Any opinions would be appreciated.

Unless the basketball is played in VERY good light the 7D is the only option in that list. It has a far better AF system than the others when it comes to action. The 7D rivals earlier pro bodies designed & used to cover sports & fast paced action, and from using both I can verify it was up to the task most of the time. (I didn't get to use the newest firmware update before selling my 7D).
Lens choices will be highly influenced by the lighting, and faster lenses will rule in low light. Football is normally an outdoor sport so lens choice is a bit less demanding re a wide aperture.
"A skill is developed through constant practice with a passion to improve, not bought."

Which is the best professional camera? let me know the configurations.

hello all
I own a construction company that is Mls Roofing. I have uploaded some images in my site. But, i am not satisfied with them. When i compare those images with other websites. My images are a little deem. Why?

I agree with all the above.
That said, I thought your webpage looked fine (other than the "About Us" page is broke), for its purpose. I don't expect professional level photos of the men working on a roof. It just wouldn't do anything for me, and I'm a photographer. The little photos you have serve their purpose, they provide some illustrations of the services you provide. I want you to be good at those services, I couldn't care less about how good of a photographer you are. There's one or two that are blurry, but a simple point and shoot is sufficient for that. The picture of the roof tiles is good enough. It's simple and to the point.
Now, if you want to put a large picturesque photo of say a house on the main page, I could see that looking nice. I wouldn't focus on a roof, just a nice photo of a house. It's a generally pleasing image for most people (everyone loves their home) that relates to the work you do. But truthfully I'd just get a house picture off a stock photo site. They're dime a dozen.
All that said, if I was to fix your website, I would focus on the wording, not the photos. Maybe it's because that's what I do, but many of the sections are written poorly, like they went through an online translator. I find that more off-putting than the photos. I'd recommend having someone with a good command of English just give it a quick once over. It's not terrible, but I noticed it more than the photos. There's also some simple layout issues with the webpage.

Digital Video Camera Choices

I am in the market for a new digital video camera. Can anyone provide advice as to what cameras will work with my iMAC G5? I would like to purchase the Sony DCR-SR100 but it is unclear to me as to whether it will work. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

what cameras will work with my iMAC G5?
well concerning iMovie, the rule is:
iMovie is a video edit app meant to work with firewire connected miniDV camcorders
as mish mentioned, any other format needs an unconvenient process of conversion, mostly accompanied with loss of pic quality.
if you want HiDef, get a miniDV HD camcorder, as Sony offers too…
if you want to use a Harddrive-corder, you need $$$$ FinalCut, which handles such devices and formats.... but very different in usage, compared to iM...

Flash player not detecting Usb attached professional camera

Hi,
Details :
Our application uses below snippet of Flex 4.5 sdk code for detecting flash players :
var camera:Camera = Camera.getCamera();
                if (camera) {
                    camera.setMode(640,480,60,true);
                    camera.setQuality(1000,10000);
                    videoDisplay.attachCamera(camera);
                else {
                    Alert.show("No Camera found with your computer");
Above code is fine for the Logitech webcam which am using, We have a requirement to detect Canon EOS digital cams to be recognized as well to detect with the flash player.
but its not recognizable in flash player.
Any help is appreciated!

Any inputs on this please ? Is the getCamera not designed to detect external cams? or is it available in any other sdk versions? am using flex 4.5.1.x

Beginner Professional Video Camera?

Dear Canon Community,
I am looking to buy an affordable professional video camera that has zooming, zebras, peaking, focusing, iris, shutter speed, custom white balance, audio monitoring and everything else found on a video camera.
I am looking do video journalism and videography. I want to practice and improve my skills in videography and video journalism. I am a beginner and will be a first time user.
Thank you.

I am looking for a prosumer camcorder that 100% full manual control and has the following features:
-Full Manual Control of all features
-Peaking
-Zebra
-Shutter Speed
-Iris/Aperture
-Zoom
-Focusing ring
-neutral density filter
-XLR cables (Input 1, Input 2)
-gain
-custom white balance
-good battery life
-audio monitoring/headphone jack
-playback options
-hotshoe mount for wireless mics and light kit
-dual SD card slots (I am not sure if I will use CF Cards in the future)
-variety of recording options: 1080/60i, 1080/60P, 1080/30i, and so forth
-all other features found in most professional camcorders
-Affordability
I intend to use a professional camcorders for broadcast news style videos/television news / television videography/ broadcast journalism/ video journalism for the Internet and on-air television use.
Please inform me of the prosumer and professional cameras that meets all and most or some of my specifications. Please also provide a list of camera models.

New Camera Raw Update

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1007 has the links and details:
Requires iPhoto 09, 10.5.8 or 10.6.2 and the added cameras are
Hasselblad H3DII-50
Leica M9
Leica X1
Olympus E-P1
Olympus E-P2
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
Pentax K-7
Pentax K-x
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
Regards
TD

"But in all fairness, it is kind of a nightmare for Apple to keep up with the many cameras it probably has to keep up with. My guess is that Olympus is less likely to be used by pros and since Aperture is pro software, Olympus and Argus, etc. take longer to add in."
Two comments:
Yes it is kind of a nightmare, but E3 support came from Adobe 3 months before support came from Apple. What makes it less of a nightmare for Adobe?
The camera choices continue to be idiosyncratic. Hardly professional-but that criticism can also be leveled at Adobe somewhat as well. If Aperture were made for professional by professionals there would far more communication. This is where the Lightroom beta 2 model truly shines.

How can I use the built-in Isight camera with an external camera (usb/firewire) at the same time?

How can I use the built-in Isight camera and an external video camera at the same time?
I'm wanting to stream over Oovoo/Skype/etc. using 2 cameras.
Thanks

Simple question with a not so simple answer.
(a) If you mean that you want to run multiple apps simultaneously using a different camera with each app, you may encounter computing power limitations. Digital video is processor intensive. The only way to know if your Mac can do this it to try it. If the video does not work together but each app works when it it the only app running, you are likely overloading your Mac's ability to process and/or move all the required data in your data bus. You can get a better indication of whether this is the case by watching your Activity Monitor utility while running the apps you want to use.
(b) If you mean that you want to have more than one compatible camera connected to your Mac simultaneously for ease of changing between video sources, some, but not necessarily all, apps you are using to operate your camera(s) allow you to select between your cameras.
How you select among connected cameras depends on which application you are using. Here is how camera selection works in a few examples:
(1) For iChat, you can choose which iSight you use in the "Camera:" choices bar in iChat > Preferences... > Audio/Video that appears when more than one compatible camera is connected. Although your camera choices will be different, the choices bar will look something similar to the Preferences settings shown here:
If you cannot see the "Camera" choices bar, your Mac is recognizing only one (or none) of your cameras. In that case, consider the suggestions fromhttp://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090 for iSight problems or refer to your other camera's documentation for help.
This particular choices bar solution applies ONLY to iChat. Most other applications also have settings that allow you to choose which camera to use. However, they do not all work the same way.
(2) For instance, iMovie HD's camera choice is NOT set via Preferences. When you have more than one compatible camera connected, iMovie6 HD uses a drop-down menu choice something like this (depending on which version of iMovie you use):
Note: Because I had no built-in iSight connected when I made this example, and because my external iSight was not connected, the drop-down menu showed only "Time Lapse." Because your Mac has a built-in iSight, your built-in iSight would show in the drop-down menu even when no other camera is connected. Connecting an additional Mac compatible webcam should allow you to choose either camera.
Other iMovie versions work slightly differently.
iMovie 9 (from iLife '11) uses a different camera choice button shown in this article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iMovie/9.0/en/mov39f84285.html
iMovie 8 (from iLife '09) is slightly different as explained in this article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iMovie/8.0/en/10172.html
In general, you can use your Mac's help for the application in use to find out how to select among more than one connected camera.
(3) Photo Booth in Snow Leopard 10.6.x and later uses the Photo Booth > Camera menu command to select which camera to use.
Note for readers with older Mac OS X: The previous version of Photo Booth that came with Tiger (10.4.x) is such a simple, basic app that it offers no menu selectable choice. Unless your built-in iSight is already occupied as the camera being used by some open application before you launch Photo Booth, Photo Booth will use ONLY your built-in iSight.
However, you can use the trick from ¶ 4 of http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302781 to let Photo Booth use an external camera.
(If you have an external Firewire camera connected, it may be used in preference to any USB webcam. If that is a problem for you, merely disconnect the problem Firewire device.)
(4) For FaceTime, launch the app and click the Video menu item.
If your Mac recognizes more than one connected compatible camera, a "Camera" section listing the cameras from which you can choose will appear there. Clicking on the desired camera name will let you select the one you want as shown in this image from my Mac Pro and LED Cinema Display:
If your Mac recognizes only one compatible camera, the "Camera" section will not appear in the Video menu, but FaceTime will automatically use the connected camera that is recognized by OS X.
(5) I do not use Skype oir Oovoo. For those or other apps, see Help for each app for info on how to select your desired camera.
Message was edited by: EZ Jim

Bad DVD quality. Camera or Settings?

Hello.
I've recently finished a DVD for my high school's drama department. I'll fess up right away and say my camera (a Sony HDR-HC3 HDV minidv... 5 years old) isn't the best to film in extremely low light conditions. It doesn't look ungodly on my computer however (im sure the macbook pro's glossy screen helps this).
When put onto a DVD and played back onto the 46 in HD TV, it looks pretty bad.. i guess its passible for a high school show DVD, but im hoping to get into more professional settings (school for video production), and this would be mocked and i'd never have a job again.
The project, was quite long (about 136 minutes) so when i was finished editing within FCP (and color correcting the footage to reduce graininess with an external monitor) I rendered, then exported as a reference file. Imported to Compressor, applied the 150 DVD Best. I upped the bitrate to around 5mbps (just enough to fit the video onto a 4.7 gb DVD) and set the deinterlace filter to Best.
So camera quality, bad/dark lighting, inconsistent lighting vs. DVD compressor settings?
I would like to lean towards the camera/environment. I'm saving for the Canon XA10 AVCHD HD Pro Camcorder which has great low light picture quality.. im hoping this will help the quality of my DVD's.
Any insight?
Thanks!

That was harsh..
Okay, there's obviously things I could have done differently. I wasn't really aware of being able to rent equipment (for cheap) in my area. I've seen stuff advertised online for lower end professional cameras but those still run around more than a $100.00 per day, and my budget isn't what I would consider to be flexible. Also, I was literally asked by the director to film the show the day of the performance. There wasn't much room for obtaining better equipment, BUT I will keep that in mind for the next time.
The tapes, okay I was idiotic. But I think its best to know you did that was stupid in order to never do it again.
As far as the video that was shot, i'm not sure how I could have made it look better given my lighting conditions. I used what manual controls I had, and it made the scenes with the lighting scheme I was adjusted to look good, but it had issues adjust to rest. My biggest problem was artifacts and graininess in the black areas. Im not saying there isn't much i have to learn about getting the shot, but i feel like the camera was limiting in its low light capabilities. Of course, I should have rented something better.
As far as the editing portion of it goes, that is my strongest point and the area I want to focus on in college. I filmed the show on 2 nights and combined footage/audio bits from both nights. This included cross dissolve shots between near and far shots (from 2 different nights) and matching them so they appear to have been from the same show. This also involved mixing the audio in a way that one couldn't tell when the "transition" from audio night 1 and audio night 2 took place. During the orchestra bits there were parts where they messed up on one night, and played it perfectly the next night, so I combined orchestra audio and had them fade into eachother. The end product makes it seems like the orchestra played perfectly. So in some ways i don't lack the creative ability to work with what i have.
I burned a couple more test copies and it looks fine on a standard def TV, and the sound is the best i've ever had. It doesn't look the way i would love it too on the 46 inch, but its better than previous theatre projects since i went through and color corrected all the clips.
Like i said, its a learning experience.. sometimes being harsh is what gets one to learn.

PROFESSIONAL CAMERA CHOICE

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