Gear - Cameras
Camera ranges and models change so fast, it’s hard to keep on top of things. So here’s some general advice about types of cameras, with example models as of December 2008. If you’re looking to buy something, feel free to drop us a line for a copy of our latest recommended equipment list, and check the Equipment section of the SciCast blog for anything we’ve spotted recently.
The best source we know of for camera reviews is Camcorderinfo.com. They post excellent reviews, and while they’re not fully comprehensive, they do a good job of picking the cameras that are most likely to be interesting or useful.
Check your cupboards
The best type of camera is… whatever you’ve already got. Most schools have a camera of some sort kicking around, or perhaps you can borrow something from your local authority. It’s also worth exploring your stills camera — many digital compacts and even some digital SLRs now have video modes, and they can be excellent — and don’t forget your mobile phone. Some recent Nokias, particularly, can record remarkably good video.
This film was recorded on a Nokia N95. OK, so it’s a bit blurry — I’d only had it for a day or two and hadn’t found the ‘macro’ setting — as was this. Actually, that’s blurry too, but the camera/phone was dangling from a kite, what do you expect?
Cheap flash-media cameras
These new-fangled gadgets have suddenly appeared in the wake of YouTube, and they might be the perfect thing for SciCast. Small, light, and from around £80, their main advantage is that getting your video out of them is dead easy. You yank out the memory card and bung it in a card reader, just like a stills camera, or lever a USB plug straight out of the camera. Recent versions of editing software should handle the recording formats just fine.
Drawbacks? The perfect camera would produce excellent pictures in poor light, would handle well, could record for ages on a set of batteries, and would capture crystal-clear sound. No camera in this bracket does all those things at once. You can’t beat the convenience and price, but you will run into limitations. These cameras will get you started, but they’ll also frustrate you.
As of November 2008 we’re particularly impressed by the Flip range (for classroom use, the Ultra is the model to go for) and Canon’s FS100 (review). The Flips are cheaper and better in poor light, but the Canon works like a proper camera and has a microphone input. Tricky choice.
miniDV cameras
Tape is robust, reliable, and cheap: miniDV may be old, but it still has its place. You pull the video off the camera via FireWire (Sony calls this ‘i.Link’, and it’s also known by the snappy name ‘IEEE1394’, just to confuse everyone). You’ll need a FireWire socket or card in your computer (£20, if you haven’t got one), and the right sort of cable. Be aware that there are several different types of FireWire plug — check both ends of the connection and buy the right sort of cable to join them!
Once you have all the bits in place, miniDV and FireWire tend to be the most reliable and least-taxing way of moving video around. It’s very established technology, and all video editing software can handle the format, so once it’s working it tends to stay working. Also, it’s easy-going on your computer — you don’t need the latest and greatest to edit miniDV.
As for the cameras, you get what you pay for, more-or-less. Starting from about £150 you’ll get something pretty basic, but choose carefully and you might find a microphone input — look particularly at the Canon and JVC ranges. From about £400 you’ll start seeing ‘3CCD’ models that offer better picture quality, particularly indoors — Panasonic have some excellent 3CCD models.
For all its benefits, miniDV is going out of fashion, mostly because tape feels old-fashioned on the high street. This is a shame, because it works. SciCast’s workshop cameras are decade-old broadcast miniDV cameras we bought used, for a song, and they’re still going strong.
DVD cameras
Lots of people already have these, and there are some good models. But if you’re buying new, look elsewhere. The convenience of recording onto DVD sounds attractive, but the compromises are severe, and the video format on DVD discs isn’t easy to edit. The discs are fragile and expensive, and the cameras tend to be cheap, with very poor low-light performance. You can still get good results out of them, but there are much better options.
High-definition cameras
There are several ‘high-def’ formats, including ‘HDV’, which shares tapes with miniDV, and the newer ‘AVCHD’, which is recorded onto hard drives or flash media. High definition video taxes your computer more, and you’re likely to run into problems with your editing software, particularly with AVCHD.
The picture quality, however, can be startlingly good, and these sorts of cameras tend to come with microphone and headphone jacks, manual overrides for exposure, and all sorts of other neat tricks. Cameras like Canon’s HF100 (review), HG10 (review), and HV30 (review) are hard to beat, but see the linked reviews for good round-ups of the competition.
High-definition cameras tend to be quite pricey still, but we’re starting to see cheaper models too, like the Flip MinoHD (not available in the UK as of December 2008, but it should appear soon), Kodak Zi6 (review), and Samsung HMX20 (review). These all suffer their compromises, however: notably, they lack microphone inputs.
Money no object
Got the filming bug very seriously? Or perhaps you’ve won the Lottery?
The High-definition cameras above are a good starting point for truly creative filming, but if you’re interested in hard-core cameras, look around for the Canon XH-A1 (HDV, about £2500), Sony Z5 (HDV with optional flash media, about £3000), and Panasonic HMC151 (flash media, about £2600). These are terrific cameras… but they’re only the starting point for professional equipment. Good professional dealers include Mitcorp/CVP and DS Video.
Also worth a look is Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II (£2200 without lens). A stills camera, this also shoots beautiful high-definition video. It has its problems as a video camera, but the raw quality is as good as anything this side of £10,000. And if you’re spending more than that, (a.) why are you reading this?, and (b.) we’re unspeakably jealous.