• Joined: December 27, 2008

Topic: I have no idea what to look for in a camcorder...help?

Hey guys,

(Note: Wasn't sure if this belongs in Software and Hardware or here....Also, I've done searches on the forum and on Google and couldn't find anything conclusive).

To make a long story short, I plan on shooting a live-action film next summer that is very dear to me. I've been thinking about this film for over two years, and I have a very clear vision in my head of what I want.

However, I have no clue about what to look for in a decent camcorder. I do have a basic idea of what's needed, but I don't know what I should be looking for to capture that "cinematic feel" (I realize sound design and lighting is also part of capturing that feel, but I know about that stuff).

Can anyone give me a basic rundown on what I should be looking for in a good camcorder, suitable to make a semi-professional looking film? Ideally, I'd want good image quality, widescreen, a hard drive, and an external mic slot, and a price of about $500 (not sure if this is possible). Or if any of you have any camcorder recommendations, that would also be appreciated, because I don't know where to start.

Thanks for the help.

  • Dog
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Location: Nottingham, UK
  • Joined: January 2, 2010

Re: I have no idea what to look for in a camcorder...help?

Well, I'm not sure exactly what to look for...
...but I DO know that the Flip HD is a VERY good camcorder with a relatively cheap price.

Dog

http://i.imgur.com/Vghri.png
I'm back. Possibly.

Dog's Website

  • Location: New Jersey
  • Joined: August 16, 2010

Re: I have no idea what to look for in a camcorder...help?

Listen, I'll help you.

First of all, it should be FULL HD as in 1080p or something like that.
It DEFINITELY should have manual focus as well as auto. Manual focus is the BEST part of a cinematic movie.
Slow-mo feature may also be good.
If the camcorder comes with a remote control, like mine, that'll also help A LOT, especially if you are in your movie, and you don't have enough people for the camera crew, so you can start and stop recording wirelessly.
One with a giant memory would be nice, mine has 30 gigs, enough for 10 hours of footage plus 10,000 pics!
A nice long battery life would be helpful, such as 120 minutes for mine.
The standard screw thing to put tripods into would probably be in every camcorder by now, but look for it anyway.
Mine has a large LCD touch screen, comes in hand.
Nice long zoom ability.
Excellent focusing ability (mine can focus on your finger if you touch the glass! Great for LEGO brickfilming, also with manual focus) for close and far objects.
High mega pixel camera setting, mine only has 4, its old.
Bright flash.
Nightvision comes in handy.
A port to plug in an external mic, though the mic on most camcorders are good enough to record surround sound like mine.
A port to plug in an external headphone, mine lacks this, and I've suffered, but not much.
A high frame rate, thought the average 29.95 or whatever fps is good enough
Should handle different lighting conditions farely well
Should have all sorts of settings, such as black and white, exposure, gain, brightness, and other features.

Hope this post came in handy, and as you can see, I know quite a bit about handheld camcorders, and have a serious interest in cinematography and filmography/filmmaking, but alas, I'm just a teen.

If you were wondering what my cam is, its the... Sony Handycam HDR SR-something something, my cam isn't infront of me now, but its slightly old, newer and better versions have come out, just google the name I just wrote or go to SONY.

I don't know as much about the major, professional film equipement. Sorry.

Hope this helped! PM me if you need more

Brickfilmer a decade ago, now looking to relive the glory days mini/smile

DerTarchin's Website