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Originally Posted by Tokolosh
I gather that you're looking for a camera to film your own vids, so I would recommend getting a 3CCD camera with an interchangeable lens system (preferably). The Canon XL H1 is a bit expensive, but performs well. It films in full HD and SD on MiniDV tapes.
(Let's not forget that HD works way better than SD, in low light situations).
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the xl h1 is way too expensive, about 20 times what he's thinking of spending (if im doing the math right, i havne't had breakfast). however, a used/older model standard def 3CCD should do fine. 3CCD however is not all that matters, i just bought some dvc20 pannys that are 3CCD and reportedly entry level "pro" yet lack good manual aperture controls to be any kind of pro anything, it's just a consumer camera on a shoulder-mounted shell. the CCDs are a mere 1/6" and they do ok but just ok.
the xl h1 doesn't really do full HD-- that's kind of a myth of prosumer cameras. that they do. they all take shortcuts with resolution & color. int he case of the h1 the cmos are 1440x1080 and have mpg audio.
if you want a real uncompressed hd you gotta get a cine alta. $$$$.
the red scarlet is threatening to other prosumer cams out of the water when it comes out. the red one (the current, pro one) is pricey and for digital filmmaking only. but the beauty of the red system (for what i understand) is that you decide frame size, framerate, and basically everything. i have friends who have attended live demos with the camera and unfortunately i wasn't able to be present at one. the other advantage is that it uses 35mm sensors & it takes advantage of having interchangeable cinema lenses.
anyway, resolution is not all that is cracked up to be; so for someone who wants to shoot little movies i'd rather recommend a GOOD standard definition camera with real controls. and fuck low light, learn to light a scene properly is what i'd tell him.
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Originally Posted by Tokolosh
Another important feature to look out for, is a camera that has a DV terminal with in/out.
Handy for when you finish rendering your film and want to make multiple backups on tape, alongside the harddrive master.
I wouldn't count on any software you get with the camera. Most are too simple and unstable. Go for the real deal.
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real deal needs not be expensive, final cut express lets you edit fine for $100, so does premiere elements.
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Originally Posted by Tokolosh
As for the Red, !@#$%!? Looks like a very nice Hi-end camera, but I can't find all the specifications on it to decide if it's worth the $$.
Besides, rendering anything above 3k is out of the question if you don't have the right hardware to handle the terabits of footage.
I can understand getting one of these if you're Bill Viola or someone working for a studio that uses the IMAX format.
Not your average consumer product.
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well the xl h1 is hardly your average consumer product either. i'd pick the sony ex1 over it, but it's still $7K! but with the red scarlet coming out at under $3,000, it's going to blow the competition out of the water. and again for what i understand (i might be mistaken) you don't need to shoot at 3K with it, you can go smaller.
the red
one, which shoots 4K, costs about 1/3 of a cine alta, so i'd say hell yeah it's worth the money for someone looking to get into digital filmmaking in a serious way, it's making huge inroads at the moment.
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Originally Posted by Tokolosh
Oh, and Final Cut rules above all. If you don't believe me, got take a look at what they're using in most professional film studios.
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i use both, avid is way better for me, less dumb, more fine control, more options, better color correction tools, and it's better for a lot of film studios too. the latest batman was edited on avid for jeeves sakes. avid has a huge range of solutions for film & tv production that are industrial strength and can handle any size workflow. final cut works fine for small quick projects but when you have massive footage, avid works well. when you have 30 hours of footage avid kicks fcp in the ass.
fcp is
nice, and convenient, but it's just another tool.
see for example:
http://www.avid.co.uk/company/press/...asp?taxID=3646
last king of scotland, the queen, pan's labyrith, babel, children of men, united 93, casino royale, pirates of the caribbean--edited on avid
and here's the latest feature on batman:
http://www.avid.com/showcase/the-dark-knight.asp
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however for small amateur DV/HDV movies you can edit FINE on final cut EXPRESS without forking out a fucking fortune on PRO. it's almost identical to FCP minus the high resolutions and other high end tools.
http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/
anyway, he can do fine with little money just making a few smart choices.