Look, T2i all the way. It has a bigger sensor, has the option to change lenses, and packs greater detail quality in your image. I know it's a lot bigger than the webcams, but its pros are hard to beat on webcams. That's my opinion.

Rioforce makes some good points. You should probably listen to him(: Haha I can't help it, I'm a DSLR purist (to some extent)

You could most certainly do all the stuff you listed (minus to <$200, but no one should expect to pay that little for a DSLR) you'll just have to get more creative with your solutions to the problem.

In the first example, you could potentially build a similar rig around a camera tripod so that the camera maintains similar flexibility and can pan around the shot. You'll have to put it beside a table and add some support around it, but you'll still be able to get the exact same shot.

As for the second one, I don't really know why you're referring to a tripod. Most stop-motion animators, even when you get up to the big leagues at Laika and whatever, will tell you that a dedicated camera dolly is the way to go for these shots. This tutorial shows you how to make a servicible one on the cheap. You can also make a really good dolly out of LEGO, but I can't find the link to the thread made about that right now and I'll edit it in when I've found it.

Youtube @TheRealSonjira I consider it a personal defeat if my pee is not perfectly clear every time.]

Hmm. Is there anyone else who has had problems with the C910/20 being grainy? If this is a recurring problem I'll use the T2i.

Thanks for all the input, guys, it's really helpful.

--Mighty

I have a bit of trouble with my C910 on occasion, but it's inconsistent.
Over-exposing the video just a touch and using brighter-colored sets gets rid of all the grain, which is why I've done that several times. But trying to get darker lighting, especially on dark sets, is really tricky, and at that point I have three options.

1, Keep messing with it. For some reason unplugging the camera for an extended period appears to help. That and
   rearranging the lights. Half the time I can get it improved with time and effort.
2, Film with brighter lights and darken in post. Haven't done it much, but it does work.
3, Give up and let it be grainy. I've done this a lot more than I like to admit, but people don't comment on it, so I guess it's ok.

I'm pretty sure this issue has been addressed fairly well.

DSLRs are multipurpose. You can use it as a camera and as a video camera, and for stop-motion. It will pay off (maybe not with money, but with value) with just a few pictures. You'll love it. Not all DSLRs are over 400 dollars. I bought my Nikon D3100 kit (refurbished on Adorama) for a little over 300 last Christmas. In September, I bought a 50 dollars lens (which was not entirely necessary, because it came with a lens). It is better than I even imagined. I love my DSLR, and if you get a camcorder, you'll probably regret it.

But now I'm looking at HD camcorders, and they are considerably cheaper, but I'm not sure it they would be worth it. They are like a large webcam, and probably don't have much software to support it. Also, I'm afraid that the age of camcorder stop-motion is over, because a lot of the time, the reason for using a camcorder instead of a point-and-shoot was because camcorders had tape, which could be run in other things without having to compile your frames. Now-a-days, it's all digital, so I'm not sure if the camcorder would be good or not. (I have not used a camcorder for years, because I had a point-and-shoot and a webcam. Now I have a DSLR, and I love it, as you can see above).

Also, the investment part might be as big of a deal as you think. Looking at your list, you say you will need a power adapter and extra lenses for a DSLR. Not true. I only use my battery, because power adapters for Nikon are about 60 dollars. I just charge my battery when it goes dead, and at meal times when I'm not animating. As for lenses, I waited 9 months to buy a new lens, and it was very affordable, but that wasn't not even necessary, my lens worked fine, but it had issues with light flicker. But of course, it's your budget, and I understand how hard budgets are...

Last edited by rioforce (December 11, 2014 (03:08pm))

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"Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." - 1 Corinthians 10:31b

I'd go with the C920, or C910. Osom said it can be grainy, and he was correct in saying that I've had an extensive history of it delivering horrible, grain-filled images. He was also correct in saying that webcams have limited capability when running on a Mac, but I'm pretty certain that you can get some really great quality when running with a Windows machine. I also agree with togfox in saying that you can get some pretty sick shots when using a webcam that you most definitely cannot achieve when using a T2i, or DSLR for that matter.

GHB and RedBrick1, thanks for the webcam input. What I'm doing right now is comparing different cameras to compare them and see what I can/can't work with. I set up a dark scene with some lighting, which is what I have quality trouble with using the QuickCam, I took my QC, my sister's T2i, and my friend's soon-to-be-borrowed C910 and shoot the same set with all of them.

I've taken the QC and T2i test shots for comparison, and I'll add the C910 shots when I borrow that (so far the T2i completely obliterates my problem, but we'll see if the C910 works with my setup [and, if so, I will go with that; I would not mind sacrificing the really high quality for maneuverability]).

Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000

Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Logitech C910

I accidentally took this at 720p instead of 1080p, and there is MUCH less grain when I'm shooting in full quality.

Last edited by Mighty Wanderer (December 18, 2014 (08:19pm))