Top line digital camcorder

[33 Cannon]

Before I come back to Pattaya next September I am looking at perhaps buying a new camcorder and would like for 'IN THE KNOW' people to let me know what the best one going right now is as far as clarity of picture,cost,and the ease you can wield it.

[Touchagrey]

Budget? Consumer = $100-$900, Prosumer = $900-$2,500, Pro = $2,500+

 

Is low light important? Shooting in the loom?

 

What's the final viewing medium: Bluray, DVD, YouTube?

 

Do you need great audio?

 

Size?

 

Will you be editing the raw video?

 

Need long record time?

 

Would you consider a DSLR?

 

Want a camera that will allow depth of field effects?

 

Yada, yada.....

[Little Evil]

Before I come back to Pattaya next September I am looking at perhaps buying a new camcorder and would like for 'IN THE KNOW' people to let me know what the best one going right now is as far as clarity of picture,cost,and the ease you can wield it.

 

Panasonic HC-V720 is a well reviewed camera that hits a sweet spot of price and slightly above average specs.  1/2.3" image sensor (larger than most in class), combined with a f/1.8-3.5 28-728mm optical zoom lens yields better low light footage than most in its class. It isn't going to produce pro-sumer or DSLR type footage, but it will give you the best bang for the buck. Most cameras in that price range do a comparable job with each other for day time footage, so it really isn't worth mentioning unless you want to get into discussing compression, distortion, and digital artifacts. Just an FYI - this is a full hand camcorder. Not sure if you had a pocket recorder in mind.

 

The best camera for LoS would be one of those old Sony camcorders that had infrared night vision recording. The ones that they took off the market because they could "see" through certain types of clothes.  

[33 Cannon]

Panasonic HC-V720 is a well reviewed camera that hits a sweet spot of price and slightly above average specs.  1/2.3" image sensor (larger than most in class), combined with a f/1.8-3.5 28-728mm optical zoom lens yields better low light footage than most in its class. It isn't going to produce pro-sumer or DSLR type footage, but it will give you the best bang for the buck. Most cameras in that price range do a comparable job with each other for day time footage, so it really isn't worth mentioning unless you want to get into discussing compression, distortion, and digital artifacts. Just an FYI - this is a full hand camcorder. Not sure if you had a pocket recorder in mind.

 

The best camera for LoS would be one of those old Sony camcorders that had infrared night vision recording. The ones that they took off the market because they could "see" through certain types of clothes.  

 

Thanks for the information.It gives me a base to work with depending on how much money I have by the end of the summer.

[Micheal]

I find MOST electronics to be cheaper in the U.S. than in Thailand.  For example... I bought a computer in the U.S. for about 22,000 Baht and the closest equivalent in Pattaya (with specs not as good) was 54,000 baht.

 

Look on the internet or places like ALIBABA and you can find good quality for a good price and cheaper than in Thailand.

[max1970]

Question for the pro's: What do I have to look for if I want a camera for creating porn? Most of the cam's I've seen are good for outdoor recordings but not for close subjects such as ladies.

 

* What are the recommended specs for the lenses? Wide-angle, macro?

 

* What do I have to look for when I want a camera that produces good quality images with dim light, such as a hotel room in the night? My movies are always "yellow".

 

Thanks!

[Little Evil]

Question for the pro's: What do I have to look for if I want a camera for creating porn? Most of the cam's I've seen are good for outdoor recordings but not for close subjects such as ladies.

 

* What are the recommended specs for the lenses? Wide-angle, macro?

 

* What do I have to look for when I want a camera that produces good quality images with dim light, such as a hotel room in the night? My movies are always "yellow".

 

Thanks!

 

 

Ha! There's a honest question.  From a technical standpoint, it would depend on what type of production. Are you talking solo filming or set, crew, rig, and lighting?  I'm assuming the former, so you'd want something fairly compact that can be either held in one hand or on a light tripod.  You'd want good low light performance, so look for low f/ numbers (lower end is important), good ISO range, and large sensors. Also, wide angle would be nice for selfies, so you aren't just getting a very narrow point of view considering how close the lens might be to the subject. So when a lens says xx-xxx, look for a low starting number. Image stabilization would be nice to have as well. Avoid cameras that have known issues with jellyroll (rolling shutter distortion), as they might have trouble with motion when shooting hand held. As for the "yellow" coloring from hotel light--that's all white balance. Just about all cameras have white balance modes. Some of the more advanced will even have color temp settings, which allow finer adjustment between modes. You probably had your camera on "auto WB", and it did a poor job. Sometimes you can force a scene WB mode for indoors or incandescent light, which will change the color temp to a blue hue, getting rid of the strong yellow color from poor lighting. That can also be tweaked in post, but better to correct it in the camera.  

[max1970]

When I check camera's in the shop, what are "good" ISO ranges and what are large sensors?

 

I have once considered a GoPro camera due to its size, but it gives a horrible fish-eye effect. Is that always the case with wide-angle cameras?

 

Thanks for the "auto WB" tip... must have been this! And yes, solo filming most of the times.

 

Cheers.

[Touchagrey]

Gopro Hero 2 and later have three field of view modes: wide, medium, and narrow. The barrel distortion in narrow mode is fairly minimal.

 

Low light shot in narrow mode:

 

Low light shot in wide mode:

 

TukCom shot in medium mode:

 

Low light wide mode still photo:

 

Outdoor wide mode still:

 

These were shot with a Hero 2 HD

[Little Evil]

Gopro Hero 2 and later have three field of view modes: wide, medium, and narrow. The barrel distortion in narrow mode is fairly minimal.

 

Low light shot in narrow mode:

 

Low light shot in wide mode:

 

TukCom shot in medium mode:

 

Low light wide mode still photo: ImageUploadedByTapatalkHD1392579805.529845.jpg

 

Outdoor wide mode still: ImageUploadedByTapatalkHD1392579970.228878.jpg

 

These were shot with a Hero 2 HD

 

I think GoPros are one of the better options for people who need mobility slightly more than absolute top tier results. They take quite respectable video, and I believe the current gen can even take a form a raw footage if you want to get all technical with color and exposure correction. Just about all video editing software can take out that slight barrel distortion on the narrow footage too. It is a tough comparison though, as GoPros are in the actioncam/wearable class, whereas other cameras taht have been mentioned are more traditional, handhelds. I think if size wasn't an issue, there are better options for low light performance. 

[Flargarble]

Question for the pro's: What do I have to look for if I want a camera for creating porn? Most of the cam's I've seen are good for outdoor recordings but not for close subjects such as ladies.

 

* What are the recommended specs for the lenses? Wide-angle, macro?

 

* What do I have to look for when I want a camera that produces good quality images with dim light, such as a hotel room in the night? My movies are always "yellow".

 

Thanks!

 

You would want a wide angle lens for sure. You'll get some distortion, but if you are filming yourself there is no other option, and it should be easily manageable. 

 

Assuming you are going with a "camcorder" and not a dslr, you wont really have a choice in the lens. Most camcorder lenses are equivalent to about a 35mm (+whatever zoom features they have). You would probably want something wider than this, or you can snag an aftermarket wide angle lens. They usually just screw on the filter mount.

 

Low light is the hardest thing to deal with when it comes to cameras. The larger the sensor, the better it handles noise (and therefore the higher ISO you can use), a lower F stop will let more light into the camera, and give better low light performance...so look for something at F2.8 if you can.

 

The yellowness comes from the color of the light itself. Incandescent light is yellow, Florescent are blue. Your camera should have preset white balance settings for both of these. 

 

 

The new go pros are really quite impressive, they are incredibly small...and can even shoot ultra high res formats. The problem is...they are incredibly small, and therefore uncomfortable to use handheld. They also dont have a viewfinder, unless you buy the attachment, or use your phone.  

 

 

If I were to be shooting porn, and wanted something somewhat easy to use that wouldn't ruin the experience for me, I'd go with something like a Canon Vixia Hfs200 with a wide angle lens. I think thats what the Backroom Casting Couch guy used as well.

 

 

All this is pertaining to gear below about $1,000. If you want to spend more, my advice will change

[JAI DEE MAK]

Hi, My friend.

 

Take a look at Go Pro I believe it will do all you are looking for and more, also you can use it in many more applications.

 

Bike, Car, +++++.

 

Also you will find it easy to sell when you are done with it.

 

JDM