Need Camcorder advice! Under $450, Works well with Mac/FCPX and records in 1080p?

[maf2k8]

So i am currently in the market for another camcorder. My budget is no more then 400-450. I currently have a new 27" i7 512ssd iMac and Do all my video editing with FCPX.

I do product reviews on YouTube and record in 1080p.

At the moment i use a Sony HDR-CX150 camcorder as my main recording camcorder. So all my facetime video clips and all my up-close and personal video clips are recorded with the same camera.

The problem is, i am tired of having to move and relocate my camera/tripod every video for the facetime parts and then for the up-close parts. So i decided to invest in a 2nd camera, That way i can have one strictly for the facetime parts of the video and then a 2nd one strictly for the up-close parts of the video.

My Sony HDR-CX150 plays nicely with my Mac and FCPX. So i am looking to possibly upgrade (thats if 400-450 will be enough ) and i want something that plays nice with Mac/FCPX, Records in 1080p and it MUST have a HDMI or mini-HDMI output so that if i need to monitor what i am recording, I can run a HDMI cable from the camera to a HDMI display.

Can anyone recommend me something? Should i stick to a camcorder since i will ONLY be using it at home for recording video reviews? I know some people like to use digital cameras for videos but i am not that familiar with specs on digital cameras, I dont wanna end up with something that is WORSE then my HDR-CX150.

So my requirements as i said...
under 450
Record in 1080p
Plays nice with Mac/FCPX
Must have a HDMI or miniHDMI output so that i can monitor if needed

Thanks for your help

 

[eRondeau]

I bought a Canon Vixia HF-R50 after Christmas and it meets your requirements. So far I'm very happy with it. You can usually find it in a $299 package deal with a case, SD card, and spare battery. I'm using mine with an external bracket-mountd shotgun mic; low-priced camcorders tend to skimp on audio in favour of video quality. So far after a bunch of test recordings and one live band I'm very pleased with the results. It seems to have the same brains as Canon's "prosumer" G20/30 camcorders including selectable AVCHD / MP4 compression. Recommended.

 

[maf2k8]

I bought a Canon Vixia HF-R50 after Christmas and it meets your requirements. So far I'm very happy with it. You can usually find it in a $299 package deal with a case, SD card, and spare battery. I'm using mine with an external bracket-mountd shotgun mic; low-priced camcorders tend to skimp on audio in favour of video quality. So far after a bunch of test recordings and one live band I'm very pleased with the results. It seems to have the same brains as Canon's "prosumer" G20/30 camcorders including selectable AVCHD / MP4 compression. Recommended.

Yeah i have been looking at that camcorder. One question that maybe you can answer. Are you able to live stream video thru the HDMI port on the camera? Meaning can i plus a HDMI cable into the camera and my LCD TV and view what is being recorded on my TV? Can you disable all the on-screen icons so that when your viewing it on your LCD TV/Monitor, All you see is video?

The reason i ask is because i like to run the video signal from my Sony HDR-CX150 via HDMI into my BlackMagic mini recorder into my iMac and record directly into quicktime. I have the option to disable all the screen info on the HDMI output and i can just turn the camera on ( not press record on the camera ) and then i can view the stream in QuickTime and record via QuickTime.

Is the same possible with the Canon Vixia HF-R50?

I am not concerned about audio quality because since i record directly into QuickTime, I use a Blue Yeti mic and my microphone source, I just select my BlackMagic mini as my camera and my Yeti as my mic, So it works out perfect.

 

[ChrisA]

I bought a Canon Vixia HF-R50 after Christmas and it meets your requirements. So far I'm very happy with it. You can usually find it in a $299 package deal with a case, ...

This is good but the EXACT same camera but with no intrnalmemory or wifi or other not-needed features is the Canon Vixia HF-400 that sell for under $200. Image quality is identical

For a second camera to be used indoors on a tripod these camera product great images if you have enough light. If you must hand hold them the optical image stabilization works well and they have a microphone input and headphone jack. However I would use an external audio recorder

 

[eRondeau]

Just tested the Canon Vixia HF-R50 and YES it absolutely does stream live Video + Audio out over the HDMI port. Note however that it uses a "Mini-HDMI" jack on the camera, but Canon supplies a short adapter cable. You will probably need a longer one, or some sort of go-between adapter depending on your cable run.

 

[Unami]

what about another sony hdr-cx150 (used)? you'll get an identical looking picture from it, if you use the same wb/picture settings and don't have to match your cameras in post.

 

[ChrisA]

Just tested the Canon Vixia HF-R50 and YES it absolutely does stream live Video + Audio out over the HDMI port. Note however that it uses a "Mini-HDMI" jack on the camera, but Canon supplies a short adapter cable. You will probably need a longer one, or some sort of go-between adapter depending on your cable run.

Thanks for testing that. Does this mean I might someday be able to capture uncompressed video from an under $200 camera? Or is the HDMI only as good as the data being written to the memory card?

The base model Vixia is the R400 and sells for $170. Same image as the R50.

 

[loby]

I have the Canon Vixia HF R400 and it was the best at the time for the price. The only one that had an audio AV in and out as well as an HDMI out. Picture is great in HD.

Chose it over the Sonys at that price point. Had a Sony like the one you had, but took it back for the Canon. Yes, the picture seemed a little better, but the mic picked up the camera's machinery (noisy) and every other camera at $250 price point at the time did not have the outs. I think it goes for around $170 now (was new in 2013).