Video/Still Newbie

Before you buy a DSLR to use for video, find out if you can zoom in/out while videoing. On some cameras you can't do this, so are stuck at one zoom setting.

Dave Braine said:

Before you buy a DSLR to use for video, find out if you can zoom in/out while videoing. On some cameras you can't do this, so are stuck at one zoom setting.

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maybe he should get a zoom lens then (or did you mean digital zoom for focusing ?)

@crimedogg

not sure if the video-codecs of a typical dslr will work in imovie without converting. do your research there. also, a lot of dslrs limit the time you can record a video - so no 30 minute recording on them. (without pressing the record button again)

quality-wise you get a much larger chip on a dslr than you get on a consumer-grade-camcorder. so that translates into better low light capabilities and less depth of field (e.g.: blurry backgrounds & sharp foregrounds - which is often a good thing - although it's easier to mess up focus).

maybe you should also look at some mirrorless cameras (olympus pen, sony nex, panasonic lumix).

you'll probably get the best (video & photo) results with a dslr (make sure you can plug in an external mix - you'll get much better results when recording plays/performances) - but they might be harder to use than a dedicated point'n shoot cam for half the price (at least in video mode).

for the budget i'd either get something like a used canon ti2, put the magic lantern firmware hack on it, a halfway decent 18-70 zoom lens and an external microphone or - if you don't feel comfortable with converting videos, etc. something along the lines of a panasonic lumix g3 (it's avchd-codec should import directly into imovie - although imovie still converts it into AIC) with the 14-42 kit lens + an external mic & another lens (e.g. a used 70-210 dslr lens with m43 adaptor formore zoom when shooting sports)

or did you mean digital zoom for focusing ?

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No, I meant that on my digital camera, admittedly a "bridge" camera rather than a full DSLR, I can't change the optical zoom while I am videoing.

I would recomend that you don't use imovie 11 or a dslr,


I recomend to you getting a Canon Vixia HF g30



It can take great video and stills

As for editing, Get lightworks if you want to do anything more than simple inaccurate splits and cuts and effects and rendering that looks grainy as hell.

Lil Chillbil said:

I would recomend that you don't use imovie 11 or a dslr,


I recomend to you getting a Canon Vixia HF g30

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Why are you recommending something 3 times his budget?

fa8362 said:

Why are you recommending something 3 times his budget?

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didn't actually read that far to know

And there's nothing wrong with iMovie, which is free, for home movies. The basic Lightroom is free, but the Pro version(with Quicktime/DVD export) is £40/$60 for a ONE YEAR licence.

crimedogg said:

Any suggestions? Anything else I am not thinking of? Thanks.

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A good tripod, with a solid fluid head is near must for what your doing. Not necessarily needed for HBO movies if you will. But for sports, a 70-300mm lens is your cheapest bet to get quality video from a distance. Attach that to a D5200 or a T3i. Honestly, a camcorder at a price range under $1000, will leave you wishing you had a DSLR. No glass in front of a camcorder will ever match the quality of a DSLR and a decent lens.

I would probably stretch it to a Tamron 18-200. Which gives you about 28mm range on the wide end and 250mm on the long.

Other than that, I would also look into getting steadi-cam of sorts. some cheapos work well with lighter cameras, like the Opteka steadyvid pro. It says it can handle up 5 lbs, but it can't 3 max really.

I have both the Opteka and the Glidecam HD2000 and the Glidecam is worlds different, but it's also $500.

If a tripod with a fluid is too much, there are video pods, monopods for video, I'd check those out too.

crimedogg said:

First off, thanks to everyone who reads and provides advice. I am looking to buy a camera/camcorder to use with iMovie '11 to create family DVD's of both still pictures and videos....

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You say "DVD". Those are "standard" and not HD. So by not needing an HD camera you can save TON of cash. Today everyone wants "HD" because they have an HD TV. But if all you need to DVD quality then buy a USED video camera. Used Standard Definition camera are dirt cheap even really good ones.