[NA] HD Video camera suggestions

TangoWhiskey

TangoWhiskey

Touchdown! Greaser!
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I'm in the market to upgrade my video camera before Oshkosh. I want 16x9 HD format; all digital (with SDHC cards) would be great, to break the tape cycle; the optics method must NOT have the 'funny prop' effect that some cell phones produce; the only other 'requirement' I have is that it have a mic-in jack that I can do my 'earbuds-in-the-headset' technique with. Battery life is important, of course, but not as critical of a factor unless it's REALLY short, then it's a deal breaker.

Any suggestions on what's out there, what features to look for, what to avoid?
 
Almost all modern video cameras will have the "funny prop" effect. It's caused by the rolling shutter used with current technology. Until you get up into pro gear, you're going to find that very hard to get rid of.
 
denverpilot said:
Almost all modern video cameras will have the "funny prop" effect. It's caused by the rolling shutter used with current technology. Until you get up into pro gear, you're going to find that very hard to get rid of.
Click to expand...

See, that's good to know. :yes: When looking at specs, is there a way to identify which ones use that technology and which don't? A key phrase to look for? If it says "CMOS sensor", is that the ones that exhibit this behavior?
 
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denverpilot said:
Almost all modern video cameras will have the "funny prop" effect. It's caused by the rolling shutter used with current technology. Until you get up into pro gear, you're going to find that very hard to get rid of.
Click to expand...

My cheap Samsung camera doesn't have that problem - but it doesn't do HD and doesn't have the external mic input. And the audio shuts off when you change zoom.:dunno:

7:07 of your life you will never get back:
http://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyThorpe123#p/a/u/0/t9aECqTYBV8
 
Oh, being able to set focus to 'infinity' is important as well, to prevent inadvertently hunting focus on plexi scratches or approaching clouds.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
My cheap Samsung camera doesn't have that problem - but it doesn't do HD and doesn't have the external mic input. And the audio shuts off when you change zoom.:dunno:

7:07 of your life you will never get back:
http://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyThorpe123#p/a/u/0/t9aECqTYBV8
Click to expand...

Nice LSA! Love the performance you get out of those. The power-weight ratio, and thus takeoff distances and climb rates, surprised me in the Evektor SportStar with only a 100 horse ROTAX.
 
TangoWhiskey said:
See, that's good to know. :yes: When looking at specs, is there a way to identify which ones use that technology and which don't? A key phrase to look for? If it says "CMOS sensor", is that the ones that exhibit this behavior?
Click to expand...
Probably best to check the camera review sites. The key, as Nate mentioned, is the "rolling shutter" and I believe it is most commonly found with CMOS image sensors. I don't know for sure, but cameras with 3 CCD sensors might fare better...
 
TangoWhiskey said:
After reading a bunch of reviews, I ended up going with a Canon HF M301 bundle.
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I've talked to a number of people who like the little Canon's. I believe it will suffer from the scimitar-prop effect, but it's hard to avoid these days.

Someone pointed out that their Standard Def camera doesn't do it. That's also common. Different tech.
 
Hmm, how'd you get the instant rebate? I stuffed one in my "cart" and it still showed the original price.
 
SCCutler said:
T-Roy -

Does it have an audio-in plug?
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There were comments on the link that said the advertisement forgot to mention that it *did* have an audio jack. (I can't say I've seen one myself, just passing along that I saw that.)
 
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denverpilot said:
Hmm, how'd you get the instant rebate? I stuffed one in my "cart" and it still showed the original price.
Click to expand...

Discount will be applied when you check out... here's what I saw:


Subtotal: $349.99
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Tax: $24.75
Less Coupon Applied: ($50.00)
Order Total: $324.74
 
denverpilot said:
I've talked to a number of people who like the little Canon's. I believe it will suffer from the scimitar-prop effect, but it's hard to avoid these days.

Someone pointed out that their Standard Def camera doesn't do it. That's also common. Different tech.
Click to expand...

My Canon HV20 uses a CMOS sensor, and is HD, and does not suffer from the prop effect:


It also has a mic jack and otherwise meets all of Troy's requirements except that it records on MiniDV tape.

My next non-POV video camera will be whatever Canon's HV20 descendant is that can record on SD cards. I've been extremely happy with it.

Troy, have you had a chance to see what the M300/M301 does with props yet?
 
flyingcheesehead said:
My Canon HV20 uses a CMOS sensor, and is HD, and does not suffer from the prop effect:


It also has a mic jack and otherwise meets all of Troy's requirements except that it records on MiniDV tape.

My next non-POV video camera will be whatever Canon's HV20 descendant is that can record on SD cards. I've been extremely happy with it.

Troy, have you had a chance to see what the M300/M301 does with props yet?
Click to expand...

Nope! Haven't had a chance to try it in an airplane yet. Used it yesterday to record a glass-blowing class Teresa took. Shot great quality video; watched it on my 1080P 16x9 screen via a directly-connected HDMI cable and it was good. Ordered a couple of longer-life batteries and some larger SD cards; you get about 10 minutes per GB, so the 8GB card they sent would only hold about 80 minutes, and the "small" battery they sent with it appears to have about 90-120 minutes capacity, depending on how you use the camera (zooming or not, etc.).
 
I have about three "experiments" going on right now. Going to do some shooting with a non-HD and an HD GoPro (already know the GoPro HD suffers from the rolling shutter, but the "almost fisheye" lens is great for wide angles on both of their units).

Also going to try shooting some video with the Sony A55. If the SteadyShot stabilization is turned on, the Sony will overheat and shut down within about 10 minutes (from Internet sources) supposedly, so post-processing to remove vibration will be required.

18mm lens on the Sony should mean a pretty good wide-angle shot and *maybe*... just maybe, the sensor in that camera is good enough to handle the difference between the sky out the window and the panel, brightness-wise. Most cameras "see" the bright outdoors and crank down their sensitivity or a mechanical iris, and the panel disappears because it's too dark.

Other options might be a mount that'd hold two cameras, one pointed at "everything below the glareshield" and one pointed out the window. Then a lot more post-processing/editing to make a movie out of it.

Already going to have to post-process anyway to get audio lined up, since I'm using a separate audio recorder. So I foresee many hours in Final Cut in my future in the crystal ball. :(

Note to anyone doing audio sync... there's a reason for those "clapper" devices. If I hold hands in front of the camera and clap and make sure all audio/video devices can either "hear" or "see" that clap, syncing up the tracks in Final Cut is soooooo much easier. :yes:
 
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Shot a short clip on the ground today with the Canon Vixia HFM301.

http://vimeo.com/24539335

I DO see the 'rolling shutter' effect, but as the notes below the video say, only at low RPM, and then it's a shadow of white, not the black bars one usually sees. At higher RPM, it seems to disappear entirely (as you can see when you hear me advance the throttle).
 
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