Best Cameras and Microphones

THREE CAMERA CATEGORIES: Quick-and-Dirty • Prosumer • Professional 

Quick-and-Dirty:

UDATED:

The Kodak Zi8:

http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=15340&pq-locale=en_US&_requestid=6884

The first pocket camera with an external mic jack.  Great for beginning video classes.  Shoots h.264 wrapped in a .mov container. Files go right into Final Cut 6 and 7.  Audio is ACC at 48khz at 32 bit.  FCP 6 only take up to 24 bit audio so the audio needs to be rendered in any sequence. I have not checked if FCP 7 can handle 32bit AAC audio with no render.  (Video geeks, if I'm missing a setting please correct me)

However, if the video is imported into IMOVIE 09' Imovie will TRANSCODE it since it only accepts ONE type of video natively.  Transcode doesn't take as long as AVCHD but there is not way around it.

With a 2GB SD card you can record about 21 minutes of 1080p footage, but the REAL sweet spot for kids will be the 720p setting which will take up less space and look almost as good.  You can get 30 minutes of 720p on a 2GB card.  The CARD does NOT come with the camera, so you will need an extra $15 or so.  The internal memory is very limited and you will only get a few seconds of record time.

In summary:

Pros:  Shoots Final Cut ready video that drag/drops into the browser /timeline but audio will need a render.  HAS much needed mic jack that can be used for interviews and tripod threads on bottom. Various cables provided to output video to television.

Cons:  Uses non-standard rechargeable battery, so NO AA's.  USB plug is flexible, good for laptops but not for desktops. Will probably want Female USB cords on Imacs so not to damage camera. (or pull SD card and use card reader).  Lens cover is not real strong, mine came off in my backpack--had to CAREFULLY glue cover back on. No CASE provided.

Recommendation: Great for beginning students. Middle school to early high school. Great for teachers to take video in class for class reflections or lesson documenting.

If we could get Canon, JVC, or Sony to make a fuller size camera w/mic jack with a better lens that recorded in this format we would have the ideal camera for high school video--one can still only dream.

This class of cameras is ideal for integrated video production in A-G types classes. Available as cheap as $100, little training required.

Everyone LOVES the Flip Cam - Check it out at Walmart 

And the quality available from an AIPTEK Camera - available for around $100

And another favorite digital cam from Sony is the S700 - 7.2 megapixels, shoots over an hour of video with a 1 gig card (about $18 extra), AA batteries and Mac ready.

CNET review: Sony S700

Prosumer:

The crowd favorite is the Canon HV-20 about $650 from Dell and B&H Photo. eCost has them for $589 as of 4/10

UPDATE: It looks like the HV 20 is sticking around for another 6 months or so. It has been re-branded as the VIXIA HV20 and sits at the $799MSRP price point $200 below the latest VIXIA HV30

Also getting a positive reaction: The Canon ZR800, now only $149 @ B&H AND the ZR800 has an external mic port (Thanks to Jackie Burger for that info)

Seth Chambers (CART)

I am extremely happy with the three we have, best for the money out there in my opinion. Comparison-wise, they are almost feature for feature with the new HV30. Only major selling point for the HV30 is that is can shoot 30P (great for online content). Other than that, practically the same….They are regularly $650 on Dell.com. Watch for their stackable coupons (bensbargains, password, techbargains, etc) and the price comes down about $100-$150!!

Patrick Wilson (McLane)

If you can find them for $500 this is the way to go, I'm pretty sure Canon will EOL them soon if not already. The other GREAT thing about

the HV 20 it has ONSCREEN audio levels which is really unheard of in this price range. UPDATE: It looks like the HV 20 is sticking around for another 6 months or so. It has been re-branded as the VIXIA HV20 and sits at the $799MSRP price point $200 below the latest VIXIA HV30. The HV20 is the way to go, built in audio monitoring, shoots DV and HDV, has hot shoe, and external mic jack.

Carl Aiello (Divisadero, Visalia) 

The Panasonic PV-GS320 seems to have two major drawbacks: no place to plug a mic into and the battery needs to be taken off (and then the camera plugged in) to get to the firewire port to capture video.

Wayne Welch (Tulare HS)

Canon ZR800 Mini DV Camcorder, 35x Optical/1000x Digital Zoom, Color Viewfinder, 2.7" LCD Screen ONLY $149 @ [http://Canon+ZR800+Mini+DV+Camcorder,+35x+Optical/1000x+Digital+Zoom,+Color+Viewfinder,+2.7"+LCD+Screen+|B&H] (limited time)

Terry Gray (Tv Studio Tech at College of the Sequoias) 

I am so excited about the Canon HG10 ($499) AVCHD Cameras. It shoots 5 hours and 45 minutes in the highest quality on it's internal 40 gig hard drive. There are a few ways to deal with this format. First, the camera is connected to the computer, open Final Cut and import the video directly into the project. Second, we most of the time have students simply drag and drop the AVCHD folder from the camera to the computers hard drive, then re-name the folder and disconnect the camera. This is a great way to archive the video and only takes about 15 minutes for the transfer. And then Final Cut will import the video from this folder. Third, these cameras can hook up to Canon's stand alone DVD burner (DW-100 @ $199) which burns as much as 40 minutes of video in HD on a standard DVD that is then playable in any Blu-Ray player but the best part is that the disc can be put into a Mac with Final Cut and import that video for editing just as if it was being imported from the camera. This is so awesome. Lastly, the camera can connect to any tape or DVD recorder with the composite connection and record a standard def (4:3) version of the footage in real time. Maybe just to pass on to view the footage on any player. This camera has loads of other features that make it great, all around camera with an awesome still picture to a mini SD card that is a HD photo that fills a Plasma screen and looks great.

Pro Cameras

The Red Cameras are looking pretty amazing:

<http://www.red.com/nab/scarlet>

RED just unleashed its promised Scarlet "pocket professional" camera at NAB 2008, and it's certainly a sight to see.

The teensy 3K resolution camcorder is based on a 2 / 3-inch Mysterium X sensor, can shoot at 1 to 120 FPS and records to dual CompactFlash cards, which can handle up to 100MB per second of REDCODE RAW HD video. You can preview your shot on the 4.8-inch LCD, and there's a 8x RED zoom lens included. HMDI, HD-SDI, FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 inputs are built in, and the device is compatible with "many" RED ONE accessories. WiFi control is also included. In typical RED fashion, the only promises about the final product is that "specifications, delivery dates and design are subject to change... count on it," but this is certainly a good start. No pre-orders are being accepted at this time, but the price is purportedly to going to be a bit under $3,000, and the release is slated for early 2009.

http://www.red.com/nab/scarlet

Red's 5k, 4k, and 3k Pro Cameras: What the Resolution Really Means [Digital Cameras]

<http://feeds.gawker.com/%7Er/gizmodo/full/%7E3/270315577/reds-5k-4k-and-3k-pro-cameras-what-the-resolution-really-means>

from Gizmodo <http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed/http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.gawker.com%2Fgizmodo%2Ffull?hl=en> 

by Jason Chen

Here's why we're excited about Red's announcements of their 3K Scarlet <http://gizmodo.com/379530/red-scarlet-3k-hd-pocket-pro-camera-under-3000>  and 5K Epic <http://gizmodo.com/379537/red-launches-5k-red-epic-flagship-camera>  digital cameras. Their insane resolution. It's one thing to talk about resolution as an abstract number, but Red has a fantastic chart comparing these resolutions to things you're actually familiar with, like your HDTV or your old SDTV. Even the Scarlet, the most affordable of their cameras, dwarfs your 1080p TV ….

[Red <http://www.red.com> ]

Microphones

From Shawn Bockoven:

Shure SM58 Interview or Vocal Mic

Price: $99.00

MXL 990 Condenser Microphone with Shockmount, Wonderful VO Mic

Price: $59.99

TecNec Professional ENG Boompole Kit

Price: $979.95

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Randy Reed (FCOE)

Any foam windscreen from Radio Shack or a music store will help. They reduce wind noise, too. If you’re using a narration mic in a studio environment, I suggest this