Choosing a Video Camera

October 23, 2009
By David Gran

Its that time of year again. Time to put together our orders for next year- it always comes long earlier than it should, but that’s the story of working overseas. As a video teacher, I’m frequently asked for suggestions about which cameras to purchase. Students sometimes want to purchase their own for use in my class, or teachers want to buy cameras for their classes. I always begin by recommending to both that they figure out how much they want to spend and then look for the best camera in that price range. To this end, both Amazon and CamcorderReview.Com are useful resources. Amazon is a bit easier to navigate, and I find customer reviews often more insightful and practical than professional reviews. Camcorder Review.Com organizes its cameras buy price, brand, and media- a fantastic way of breaking down your various options.

There are a few key features to look for in buying a video camera, and these will vary depending on your own needs. First, a microphone jack. In my opinion, this is more important than video quality. Here’s why. Most cameras you can buy now, even the low end ones, will give you a decent quality video. Likely it will be less decent in low light -but that can be a good thing if you’re teaching video. I want my students to be conscious of the light they’re shooting in, and they learn a lot more about how light can affect the mood of a piece if they have to set it up themselves. A camera with poor low-light capabilities means that not working with their own lights is not an option.

Second is video quality. Ok, that sounds like a contradiction from the first point, but it really isn’t. If I have to choose between good sound and good video quality, I’ll choose good sound- as Filmmaker Robert Bresson wrote, “When a sound can replace an image, cut the image or neutralize it. The ear goes more toward the within, the eye toward the outer.” – the visuals provide contextual information for action, but sounds provide contextual information for feeling. However- a student who is conscious of lighting and sound together can only be inspired further by a high quality video image.

With video quality in mind, these are the elements that I like in a camera:

3CCDs: A short explanation; most consumer camcorders have one CCD (Charged Coupled Device) that receives all the light, 3CCDs break the light up into red, blue, and green and give you a much better image.

24p: Some newer cameras have the ability to shoot at 24 frames per second, rather than the standard 30. In this case, less is more. 24 fps cameras allow you to get that ‘filmic’ look – your videos will look more like what you see in the films and less like what you see on reality TV shows (within reason of course, 24fp doesn’t guarantee good ideas or good videography skills, nor does a Cannes nomination come in the box with the camera).

Manual Focus: This feature is great for creating an even more striking ‘film look’ through control over the depth of field.

HD: I’m a little less impressed with buying an High Definition camera for the sake of it being HD- many devices that you’ll play your video on won’t have HD capability. That being said, most cameras that have 24p and 3CCDs also have HD.

Low End: $100-$400 range
Mid Range: $400-800 range
High End: $800-1200 range

Low End: Sanyo’s Xacti
Forget the Flip.

Sanyo’s Xacti camera has three things going for it that make it a better buy:

1) Removable storage: With the flip you’re locked into 120 minutes. Although that’s more than enough for most people, with the Xacti you can swap out SD cards.
2) The Xacti goes under water. It works up to 5 feet under water, great for swimming pools or snorkeling. Word of caution though- if you use it in salt water, you must clean it by soaking it in fresh water or the salt will corrode the insides. Found that out from a friend who will be a reader of manuals from now on, I suspect.
3) Its ergonomic. I have been waiting for a camera that actually fits comfortably in your hand for years. I don’t know why this is such a difficult concept for camera manufacturers, but I long for the sort of handle that I had on my old 8mm and 16 mm camera. It just feels better in your hand. For a simple carry-around camera, its a great choice.
The drawback for this camera is that there is no external mic, and the mic that is included, like almost every other consumer camcorder, isn’t that great. If you’re teaching a video class, you’ll probably want a camera with a mic jack. That brings us to:
Low End: Canon ZR Series

I’m including the Canon ZR series in this, although their cheaper models seem to have disappeared, but you can still get them refurbished or used on Amazon. These cameras are not great. Not by a long shot. They have terrible sound (with an audible buzz) and they are horrific in low light. So why am I recommending them? It comes down to this- with these cameras, your students have to be conscious of sound and light. They need to use an external microphone and plan our their lighting. Otherwise, their videos will look terrible. If you’re teaching video and want to emphasize the importance of lighting and sound, this could be a useful little tool, especially if you’re on a budget.
However, if you really want good sound and good light and have a little more money, take a look at…
Mid Range: Panasonic HDC-HS9

STOP. Before you take my recommendation for this camera, heed the following warning. I used to recommend the mid-range Panasonic cameras because they were a great deal for a 3 CCD camera. However, for one reason or another, they’ve dropped their external microphone jack. This is a deal-breaker for me, as I want my students to have good audio, and no on-camera mic will do. However, I haven’t so far seen another camera in this price range with as good an image quality. The newer models also shoot at 24 frames per second – that’s a great addition, but not enough of an incentive for me to forget the whole missing mic jack thing. Again, finding a used or refurbished Panasonic with a mic jack would be a good way to go if you’re on a tighter budget. Camera prices have dropped recently though, so I’m not sure if I’d even recommend these anymore when you can spend just a little bit more and get a much better camera, like…
High End: Canon Vixia

With proper lighting, the kind of image you can get with the Canon HV Series looks nothing short of fantastic. These cameras have the 24 frames per second mode, HD, and an external mic jack. In addition a manual focus ring allows you to pull focus and grab some control over your depth of field. The focus ring on the Vixias is a huge improvement over their last model and gives you much more control, and allows you to keep moving subjects in focus. This is hands down the best consumer camcorder I’ve worked with.
Those are my pics, what are yours?

3 Responses to “ Choosing a Video Camera ”

  1. Tod Baker on November 3, 2009 at 5:16 am

    Your picks are my picks. You would be the first person I would turn to when I need to learn more about video cameras. Cheers!

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    • David Gran on November 3, 2009 at 8:47 am

      Thanks Tod! The market changes so quickly and there are so many different models out there though- the problem with recommendations is that they might not be relevant by the time the pixels in the reviews have dried…

      …or you know what i mean ;)

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  2. Melissa Lim on October 23, 2009 at 8:35 pm

    "Choosing a Video Camera | U Tech Tips" http://j.mp/4lMwnF

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