I am highly interested in making my own home videos. Something on the level between a hobbyist and semi-professional(If that makes sense). I've been looking like crazy at camcorders/dslrs/Black Magic. I've learned that apparently HD Camcorders & DSLRs are great for different needs. However, I'm a tight budget and would like to get a "one-size-fits-all" standard of recording. So after extensive online research, and watching plenty of test footage of different high-end camcorders I think I've narrowed my choices between the Canon AX10(leaning towards this one), or the Sony HXR-NX30U. I chose these because they seem to produce high quality video and they are in my budget range for what I can afford to spend. So, I don't know if anyone reading this has any knowledge about these to camcorders, but I guess I'm looking for opinions on what people think based on the specs or personal experience. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
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Narrowed my Choices; Would like Suggestions
- Thread starter cwazytech
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I won't comment on the above just that you'll need to re-budget coz you forgot visual is 50% of the magic, the also majorly important part is audio, never use on board mic you might as well piss in someone's ear..
I fully intend on buying an external mic. For camera purposes, these are what fit my budget. Thanks for that insight though. I should have mentioned I am planning on buying a mic.
Since you mentioned budget I'll say or break it down but understand both have trade-off's. I'll start with the Canon since I own it's little brother, HF-S21.
You get some great functions that work plan and simple, dual SD slots which will piggy-back recordings plus built in memory, bonus.
I like having a good amount of manual controls and it seems Canon gives you plenty with that unit. Not sure about the Sony unit but for me it is a huge plus. I don't know about the stabilization on the Sony but I have read it's great. That said on my Canon, having the wide angle lens makes the task of run and gun a bit more of a focus for me (I'm not using any rig to help hold it, keep that in mind). The Sony gets the nod here.
I would love the XLR audio on mine and Canon did the right thing by adding it though to be fair you now need to budget in a mic of your choice which is a plus/minus score budget wise, only. I have to add in the cost factor of Sony because it has a mic (easy on the budget) the Canon doesn't and that can go from $150-$300 with tax and brand type.
The Canon seems to give really good video and in post it becomes very good if you play around a bit.
I have a smaller Sony PJ710V and I like the image a bit better over the Canon but most of all the stabilization from the Sony is really good. I have also been looking into another camera and like here it's between a Canon and Sony.
I will add for both think about some third party batteries. I never did until recently and the savings were worth the chance (bought Pearstone units from BH and a dual charger).
I will have to go back to the Sony, my memory cards give me 3hrs 05mins of recording at 60P from 32GB's but again I'm not sure if the Sony unit you are looking at can piggy-back from internal memory to a card or vice versa. Not that that is an issue for some but it can be a deal breaker to others. I get a bit longer on my Canon because it is set on 60i, not sure if that matters much for you.
The other difference is small but it was noticeable for me when I was at Niagara Falls. The LCD was brighter on the Sony with and without my small LCD hood cover I have for sunny days.
I think overall every camera has a plus/minus list as it just depends what offers more on your list for now and the future.
You get some great functions that work plan and simple, dual SD slots which will piggy-back recordings plus built in memory, bonus.
I like having a good amount of manual controls and it seems Canon gives you plenty with that unit. Not sure about the Sony unit but for me it is a huge plus. I don't know about the stabilization on the Sony but I have read it's great. That said on my Canon, having the wide angle lens makes the task of run and gun a bit more of a focus for me (I'm not using any rig to help hold it, keep that in mind). The Sony gets the nod here.
I would love the XLR audio on mine and Canon did the right thing by adding it though to be fair you now need to budget in a mic of your choice which is a plus/minus score budget wise, only. I have to add in the cost factor of Sony because it has a mic (easy on the budget) the Canon doesn't and that can go from $150-$300 with tax and brand type.
The Canon seems to give really good video and in post it becomes very good if you play around a bit.
I have a smaller Sony PJ710V and I like the image a bit better over the Canon but most of all the stabilization from the Sony is really good. I have also been looking into another camera and like here it's between a Canon and Sony.
I will add for both think about some third party batteries. I never did until recently and the savings were worth the chance (bought Pearstone units from BH and a dual charger).
I will have to go back to the Sony, my memory cards give me 3hrs 05mins of recording at 60P from 32GB's but again I'm not sure if the Sony unit you are looking at can piggy-back from internal memory to a card or vice versa. Not that that is an issue for some but it can be a deal breaker to others. I get a bit longer on my Canon because it is set on 60i, not sure if that matters much for you.
The other difference is small but it was noticeable for me when I was at Niagara Falls. The LCD was brighter on the Sony with and without my small LCD hood cover I have for sunny days.
I think overall every camera has a plus/minus list as it just depends what offers more on your list for now and the future.
My 2 cents ... the Canon XA10 is a waste of money. You can get the same exact image quality from the G10 and save almost a thousand dollars. My advice: don't buy the XA 10. Either buy the G10 and invest in other gear with it, buy the Sony (I have no experience with that) or buy something more substantial like the XF100.
The shame of the XF100 is that you really can't use it out of the box, and compact flash is really expensive.
If you can't afford the XF 100, just know that there are better competitors than Canon XA 10 at its price point. The G10 however (same image sensor) is ahead of its competition at its price point for modern HD Camcorders in my opinion.
I always forget about this camera, such a good deal and then add maybe a XLR box and a mic of your choice for audio and it's still better than the XA 10 with money left over. I also wish the XF100 still had the instant rebate going on as that would be a no brainer then to get.
Well the 5D gives you the ability to change lenses based on needs which is a plus. Say for depth of field but I have used in some situations the macro function and that works for a work around on a video camera but it's not the same. I'm not sure how well the XF100 is for depth of field but Zwhaler has some nice footage using the XF100.
I would say if you will be recording events like plays and so on you can have continuos recording using any video camera where the likes of a 5D will have a limit and then you just need to start back up recording again. That might be a minus for you, maybe not.
I think they have their places and I can not say fully because I don't have a 5D and some really nice glass to go with it.
I would say if you will be recording events like plays and so on you can have continuos recording using any video camera where the likes of a 5D will have a limit and then you just need to start back up recording again. That might be a minus for you, maybe not.
I think they have their places and I can not say fully because I don't have a 5D and some really nice glass to go with it.
Yup,
- all Canon, Olympus, Sony and Nikon cameras have a 29 or 30-minute limit, both ASP-C, 1" (Nikon 1 series) and P&S.
- Sony's newer, ASP-C cameras (as was the case with the early bird Nikon D90) can't even reach 29/30 minute in 60p mode (24p causes less overheating) - they overheat and, therefore, shut down.
- all non-European Panasonic cameras, both P&S (e.g., the ZS/TZ series) and m43 lack a limit and don't overheat. However, they are similarly limited to 30 minutes in Europe. Of them, several models can be "hacked" with Vasily's hack but I bet we end up having to wait for at least half a year for the GH3 hack. (The GH2 hack too took this long.)
Just FYI; the 30 minute limit is NOT due to overheating, it is due to importing and codec licensing fees (if a camera records 30 minutes or more in length, it is then considered a video-recorder first and thus subject to different, and higher, duty fees and/or licensing fees. This does not apply to consumer versions of cameras in most cases.)
I can sort of comment on the Sony as I sometimes use a Sony NX5U. The images are great when lighting is decent. For concerts/low light it's very noisy. The AVCHD codec is a pain to work with. (i'm now using XDCAM/Sony ex1r 
) The files are huge when transcoding into prores for FCP. What do you plan on using to edit?
I like DSLR's as the results can be amazing but it takes time to learn how to get the most out of them and they aren't ideal for every shooting condition. What do you plan on shooting?
) The files are huge when transcoding into prores for FCP. What do you plan on using to edit? I like DSLR's as the results can be amazing but it takes time to learn how to get the most out of them and they aren't ideal for every shooting condition. What do you plan on shooting?
This is why I've emphasized there's a limit in European models from Panasonic, as opposed to the versions meant for the non-European market (this is why, BTW, I've always purchased Pana cameras from the US and not from where I live, Europe).
What I referred to by overheating in Bullet 2 is that Sony's large(r)-sensor models (RX100, all NEX models capable of shooting 1080p60 etc.), while they too have the 30-minute limit because of the (idiotic) European laws, also have a tendency to overheat, preventing them from even reaching that limit. The Nikon D90 was also known for overheating - it could only record (720p) for some 3-5 minutes only.