Any cheap 1080p camera recommendations? Ixus 115?

[Spanky Deluxe]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any experience with cheaper cameras that provide good 1080p video recording?

I'll be getting married in a couple of weeks and we want to buy a few cameras for the father of the bride and some of the ushers to use to film throughout the day - behind the scenes type stuff mainly. Then we can edit it together for a fun piece afterwards.

So I'm looking for camera recommendations. It looks like cameras rather than camcorders might be a better bet although the main requirement is good quality 1080p video recording. Still shooting features aren't important - I take most of my photos with my iPhone or D80.

Canon currently have some IXUS 115 HS cameras on their eBay refurbished store for a bargain price of £59.99 (albeit in hot pink) so I'm quite tempted by these (seeing as I'm looking to buy 3 or 4 cameras). Has anyone got any experience of using these to capture video? There's also the benefit that Canon do a waterproof case for these for only £50 which could be fun to use whilst snorkelling on our honeymoon.

 

[mmoto]

GoPro's would fit the bill.
Buy the flat port housing for snorkeling.

 

[ctyhntr]

Check out the Kodak Playsport series. I had a zi8, loved it so much that the following year I picked up some refurb zi10s for $50 a piece. Go to Youtube, and check out the 1080p footage. At 1080p, its comparable to my Canon Vixia M301.

 

[killerrobot]

I'd recommend this one by GE. It's a few quid more but it's already waterproof (5M), so you wouldn't have to buy another case. It's downfall is that it can only record 29 minutes at a time.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/GE-DV1-Pock...1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345651977&sr=8-1-fkmr0

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

First, would those guests have iPhones 4s? If so, they've got 1080p cameras already on hand. Ask them to shoot video with those.

Second, a wedding is a one-time event. Do you want to trust getting good video of it from cheap cameras? For what you'll spend on it, you could probably rent a video team who would bring quality cameras and shoot your wedding. Odds are high you'll get much better video that way. Even some ads on craigslist would likely help you find people with quality cameras willing to do this for less than what you would spend on several cheap camcorders.

If you can fully trust the people you want to equip with cameras, consider renting quality camcorders and distributing those to these people. Again, this is likely to yield better quality video of a one-time event. Yes, that means you won't be giving them a gift but you could always give them something else if part of this is a gift-giving goal.

Just some alternative ideas. Personally, for one-time events like this, I'd never pin much hope of "cheapest" equipment. Instead, I'd take aim at the best quality stuff I could afford. You can't easily recreate the day if some cheap cameras let you down.

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll look into the GE and the Kodak camcorders. I've always had the impression that cameras with recording function tend to film better due to larger and improved optics.

As much as I love the iPhone 4S' camera, it is nowhere near wide angled enough. When I film with mine, I find that a cheap wide angle lens adapter from eBay drastically improves the video. Besides, getting video from lots of different people would be tricky logistically and for the holiday, I'd quickly fill up the storage space with video. I won't be taking the desktop computer my iPhone is synced to with me so once it's full, it's full.

Darryl, we don't want a professional video team there. For one, they tend to get in the way. For another, we would have to pay a very steep licensing fee to have videographers there. Also, having seen videos of other people's weddings, the ones professionally filmed tend to be a bit dull whereas the ones filmed by just the father of the bride with his camcorder have been fun and entertaining as they capture all the backstage fun and excitement. Hence my plan to build on the "father of the bride with a camcorder" scheme by ensuring that he and two ushers are equipped with HD cameras. I'll make sure one of the ushers films the actual service but I really want them to concentrate on behind the scenes stuff.

We've got a professional photographer though for the wedding photos.

 

[abercrombie]

Nikon Coolpix S9100 refurb only $105, from probably the biggest online camera retailer in the U.S.A. 1080p with stereo audio.

 

[Menneisyys2]

Nikon Coolpix S9100 refurb only $105, from probably the biggest online camera retailer in the U.S.A. 1080p with stereo audio.

Unfortunately, Nikon P&S cameras are known for sub-par video recording quality - as is the P300 linked to above. I certainly wouldn't get it.

 

[gnomeisland]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any experience with cheaper cameras that provide good 1080p video recording?

I'll be getting married in a couple of weeks and we want to buy a few cameras for the father of the bride and some of the ushers to use to film throughout the day - behind the scenes type stuff mainly. Then we can edit it together for a fun piece afterwards.

The Sony HX9V (and if you want water proof TX9V) have amazing 1080p video quality considered by some to be equal or better than what you'd get from a DSLR (http://www.eoshd.com/content/2930/sony-hx9v-vs-canon-600d-dslr-gets-beat-by-compact-in-video-mode for example). My wife is using it to shoot various interviews and B-roll for a documentary she is working on the quality (in adequate light) is astounding. Now in dim light the blacks can get crushed and the image gets pretty grainy but I bet it would be on heads above any of the cameras you mentioned. You really need a large sensor (DSLR, ILC, or 3CCD) camera to do much better. It is great for run-and-gun style filmmaking.

Plus it has some pretty great stabilization--not a full steady-cam rig--but pretty awesome for a camera you can fit in your pocket.