Sadly it has come to pass that my faithful JVC HD-111 can't
quite keep up with the sort of work I find myself doing lately, and I'm in the
market for a new primary camcorder to accompany my DSLR kit. I'm sure I'll have
another post dedicated to the new camera once I decide which one to buy, but
for the mean time, here's the test video I shot with the HD-111 back when I
first bought it and a link to the sale advertisement.
The promotional video created for D.G Pictures new association with Andy Fountain Photography. For more information on wedding videography please visit my site at www.dgpictures.moonfruit.com
Andy's site can be found at www.andyfountainphotography.co.uk
Another test video here. This one's been a good couple of months in the making for two reasons, firstly I bought the camera in question so there was no reason to hurry in order to return it, and secondly it's my first venture into shooting video on a DSLR.
The Sony a57, technically not an SLR but an SLT, has joined my collection in order to keep pace with the aesthetic expected by online video audiences today. Having already owned the original Sony a100 SLR form when it was first introduced, it made sense to stick with the Sony brand as I could re-use my collection of Alpha lenses, rather than purchase Nikon/Canon counterparts on top of the cost of the camera.
In the video I use three of my favourite lenses, the Tamron 17-50mm, the Minolta 50mm f1.7 Prime and the Sony 75-300mm. I've shot the video using a mixture of 25 and 50fps, all progressive and all recorded at their respective highest bit-rates. The 50fps recordings have been slowed to 25fps to achieve the nice sharp slow motion effects.
The other day a Sony HXR-MC2000 camcorder, came into my hands through a
company I have done some work through and like always I jumped at the opportunity
to create a short test video.
The camera is certainly not 'Pro' in the usual sense of the term, with its tiny
resistive touch screen display, awkward multi function lens ring and
frustratingly few buttons. But then again professionals who demand complete
control are not the professionals Sony were targeting with this model. No the
target buyer of this model are enthusiasts and a specific type of professional,
an individual that must run a production by themselves and therefore depend
upon a cameras automatic aids, durability, versatility and reliability.
The automatic functions, which frustrated me so when shooting this test
film, are a blessing in disguise. They are the biggest factor in my cons list
for this camera, simply because they refuse to relinquish their control, the
manual controls through the sloppy lens ring and fiddly touch screen are a
nightmare. However the automatic mode when left to its own devices works very
well in most situations, and if shooting a live event where you need such
automation, there'd be no need to attempt the manual controls anyway.
The camera works:
It has an internal 90GB hard disk which you'll have a hard time filling up,
even at the highest bit rate recording setting, and even if you do storage is
expandable through inexpensive SD memory cards.
It uses Sony's infolithium L-series batteries, and with such a low power
draw, it's entirely possible to do a whole days shoot on a single NP-970
battery.
Fantastic plastic, the camera body is entirely plastic and on the most part
it feels quite hollow making it feel very light, but not flimsy. I must say the
impression it gives me is that it could easily survive falling down a flight of
stairs (Not tested of course). The price and build quality of this camera
combine to form a very 'tough and ready' feeling product.
Sony's optical image stabilisation which features in the MC2000, performs
very well. In fact the majority of the images featured in my test video were
shot without a tripod. This feature makes the camera very usable handheld or on
the shoulder in almost any situation.
It has an impressive low light performance, considering it only has a single
1/4 Cmos chip, the footage captured with minimal street lighting, or on a
crowded dance floor, is entirely usable for most live event productions.
Some drawbacks:
As I have said, if you want manual control from your camera, look elsewhere.
This drove me crazy.
16 minute clip length. For whatever reason the camera insists upon using the
FAT file structure, and therefore has a cap on the maximum size per file. this
equates to roughly 16 minutes of recoding before the camera makes a new file.
It wouldn't be so much of an issue if the camera didn't drop 2 whole frames
between switching, making shooting long takes and synchronising multiple
cameras a bit difficult.
The eyepiece viewfinder is pathetic. You may as well tear it off and save
yourself some weight, it's so small my eye takes a moment to re-focus as I
squint to make out the image. Stick to the 2 inch LCD or buy an external
monitor is my recommendation.
Zooming can be an issue if you're recording a critical moment and you want a
very slow and controllable zoom. Both the rockers featured on this can be a bit
tricky, you'll be gradually applying more and more pressure whilst nothing's
happening, then suddenly the servo will wake up and jolt your frame forward
ruining your shot.
So there we have it, a sometimes frustrating yet decent camera for a
specific purpose. You can see my test video shot with the MC2000 here:
Well I've just completed my final year film project shoot. I had the
pleasure of working with some great people whilst at the same time working with
a great camera.
Our short film Conduit was shot using Panasonic's AG AF101 coupled
with three Carl Zeiss compact prime lenses. This was the first time I've personally
shot a film using primes, quite a different approach I can tell you, but
certainly a positive one.
I was quite sad to see the kit go back after the shoot, but as it was down
to me to return the kit to the hire place I managed to squeeze a real quick
test shoot out of it literally forty minutes before the return deadline. The
video can be viewed at:
I would have loved to have taken the kit on a walk for the whole day around
my local area, but as I said I was under very pressuring time
constraints. Maybe one day I'll get my hands on this kit again.
A Panasonic HDC MD-H1 Camcorder has recently come my way connected with a
job I'm involved with. It'll soon be gone again, but as always, whenever a new
camera falls into my hands I make sure I get a Test Film shot with it before it
goes.
It's by no means what I would call a pro camera, much like the Sony MC2000
it feels like a high end handycam nestled in an oversized body. But that's not
such a bad thing when you consider there is a market for such cameras, video
enthusiasts that either don't have the budget or the need for a pro camera will
be pleased by the convenience and 'bulk' of this Panasonic.
I spent a couple of hours round my local area with the camera and have
created this short feature of the footage I took.
Just completed my second lens ever on Squidoo, not quite as personal as my first this one leans more to a review and consumer advice. But as the little pop up box said as I hit the publish button, at least my first lens won't be lonely anymore!
