What kind of camera should i get?

[mattportner]

I am going to be using Final Cut express for my editing.
I have an Intel iMac.

My price range is about $1,000 to $2,800.

Any suggestions would be great.

Edit: VIDEO CAMERA.

 

[banjomamo]

definitely look into the canon hv20. its only $1000 but if you know how to soot you can get some pretty nice footage outta this cam. it shoots 24 fps at 1080p. of course if you just want to shoot SD you could do a lot worse than the panasonic AG-DVX100B. it costs a lot more though - $2700-$3000.

 

[zioxide]

You could be a little more specific. Do you want HD or SD? Consumer camera or a "prosumer" camera? Manual or full auto? Give us some background info about your experience with cameras.

 

[mattportner]

Preferably HD.
Not professional. But not a tourist vacation camcorder.
Not full auto. Not full manual either.
I make short films and skits and have used a video camera all my life.

 

[banjomamo]

you may be better off doing a cheaper cam like the hv20 and using something like this:

http://www.redrockmicro.com/

you can get pretty killer results if you have some lenses laying around or if you find a steal on ebay.

ive heard and read good things about the panasonic hvx200 as well.

http://www.panasonic.com/business/provideo/hvx200microsite/index.asp

 

[mattportner]

i want something better than the hv20

 

[zioxide]

The HV20 is the best HD camera you're going to get for under $3000.
If you can go up to like $3500-$4000, you could get a camera like the Canon XH-A1 or Sony HDR-FX1, which are great cameras.

Or if you want to go SD, you can get a Panasonic DVX100 or a Canon GL2 for like $2000 iirc.

 

[marioman38]

For SD, the VX2100 shouldn't be overlooked... (Rated 4.6/5 by customers at B&H)

It recieved great reviews: camcorderinfo.com/content/sony-dcr-vx2100-camcorder-review.htm

and can be found new at B&H within your budget: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/303956-REG/Sony_DCRVX2100_DCR_VX2100_3_CCD_Mini.html

For HD,

the HDR-FX73 is a great prosumer camera (4.5/5 at B&H): http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/459129-REG/Sony_HDRFX7_HDR_FX7_3CMOS_HDV_1080i.html

 

[banjomamo]

actually we keep linking to them but most of the guys at b and h are pretty knowledgeable - call them up and see what they say.

 

[mattportner]

and the Sony DCR-VX2100 will work flawlessly with iMovie and Final Cut Express?

 

[banjomamo]

it should. sony cams have those i-link ports which are just 4 pin firewire ports in disguise.

 

[Rod Rod]

The HV20 is the best HD camera you're going to get for under $3000.

Used Sony Z1Us can be had for ~$2500.

The JVC GZ-HD7 would be a great choice IF the OP didn't mind the extra step of doing conversions with MPEG Streamclip and having a good data backup strategy.

edit: For Macintosh users, the GZ-HD7 also includes plug-in software that works with Apple iMovie and Final Cut Pro. --- which means it'll work with Final Cut Express as well.