I'm beginning a new project on Japanese sexuality next year and I've been thinking of how to shoot it. For my mental illness project, I used the Canon XL-H1. This was ideal for the location and topic where I was working -- larger rural spaces, people who wanted a video camera that was obviously a video camera. This is an HDV format camera, which meant it shot on HDV tape, not flash media.
My next project will be largely urban and I'd like to get a camcorder that I can take into smaller spaces. I've been testing out the various tiny SDHC based high-def camcorders such as the Canon Vixia series, and I've been impressed with most things (except for the pain of dealing with the AVCHD file format and the limited wide-end of the zoom). So I think my next project will be entirely shot on flash media.
I'd like to use this space here to think about several options with the following requirements:
- High definition 1080p
- Interchangeable lens or at least 30mm equivalent on the wide end of the zoom
- Small / medium size
- High-quality onboard audio for times when I can't use boom or lav mics
- Relatively inexpensive flash media
- Easily usable file format (aka not AVCHD)
In my initial survey, here are some options:
Canon XF100 HD @ $3300
- Dual CF card slots, 50MBPS @ MPEG2, 1080P, dual XLR, 30.4mm - 304mm zoom
JVC GY-HM100U ProHD @ $2795
- SDHC cards, 35MBPS@ MPEG2, dual XLR, 1080P, 39mm - 390mm zoom
Panasonic AG-HVX200a @ $3595
- Dual P2 cards, 40~100MBPS@ DVCPRO HD, 1080P, 30mm - 490mm zoom
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If I put AVCHD back into the picture:
Panasonic AG-HMC150 AVCCAM Camcorder @ $2825
- SDHC cards 24MBPS@ AVCHD (H.264), 1080P, 28mm - 368mm zoom
Panasonic AG-HMC150 AVCCAM Camcorder @ $$1689
- SDHC card, 24MBPS@ AVCHD (H.264), 1080P, 40.8mm - 490mm zoom
Sony HDR-AX2000 AVCHD Camcorder @ $3498
- AVCHD....
Sony HXR-MC50U Ultra Compact Pro AVCHD Camcorder @ $1500
- AVCHD....
