Camera's and such

[blackstorm]

I noticed that the guys on Film Riot use the Canon XL-H1 for shooting. I hear it is a great camera, but the idea of shooting to tapes bothers me. The time spent converting the tape over to a digital file just seems like it would take forever.

I'm looking for a camera that records to a hard drive or some type of flash memory. I'm looking for a camera that has the look and feel of a professional camera. Obviously, I want something that records in, preferably, 1080p.

I've been looking at the Sony EX1 and EX3, but I don't want to drop $8000 on a camera at this time. Any recommendations for a camera about $2000 - $3000 that records in 1080p and records to a HDD or solid state? If it's a little more, let me know some options, so I can make an informed decision.

I'm also curious about lenses. I know the lens is the "make or break" part of the camera. A crappy lens will make the video itself look crappy. What lenses do you recommend for a newbie in the industry? (I know about the Letus Extreme and plan to get one. Just curious about the actual lenses.)

Where is a good place to buy everything at? I have a local Ritz Camera (unless they went out of business) =/ I also work at Best Buy and can possibly get some wicked discounts on lenses and maybe even come cameras. Do you buy things online a lot or is there local specialty shops that you go to?

One last thing. When buying this stuff, do companies usually offer some type of extended warranty on them? Like I said before, I work at Best Buy. I always get the Geek Squad Black Tie Protection (GSBTP) on everything I buy. (I know a lot of people think I'm retarded for doing that, but to each his own. If I want to waste my money, don't worry about it. It's my money to waste. =P ) Is there something to look for for some type of extended warranty or do most retailers assume nothing will break on it?

Sorry for the massive post, but I have been meaning to ask over the last month or so and just kept forgetting. =/ So, I posted it all in one lump sum! =)

- Dustin

[nextgenxbox]

Since I only own the Canon HV20, I can't comment on more expensive cameras, but I will say that it doesn't take a long time to capture the MiniDV tapes. It is real time. So if you have 36 minutes of footage on the tape, it will take 36 minutes to capture.

And what I tell everything looking to get into video making is, it's about the story first, and the gear second! Just remember that. You could shoot a movie with the RED camera but if the story sucks, then no one will give a damn what equipment you used.

Example: Film Riot. They don't use very expensive gear, yet their shorts/commercials are very enjoyable!

[blackstorm]

Thanks nextgenxbox for your reply. =)

As for the DV tapes, I know it transfers in real time, but I guess I didn't want to spend 4 hours capturing 4 hours of video. =/ I could just hit capture and walk away or start on something else while I wait. I'm sure I could get into the swing of things as I go. Also, I want to keep a hard copy of the files for future proofing myself. I'm planning on burning backup DVDs (4.3GB or 8.5GB DL) and putting the videos on an external HDD. If I had an HDD/flash camera, I could burn the raw data files.

Any idea how much space an hour of full HD footage would take up if I captured it from a MiniDV tape? (I know it depends on the codec, bit rate, etc. but kind of like an average) I know the Sony EX3 at 1920x1080 35Mb/s takes up about 16GB for an hour of footage.

I understand about the story and such. That's why I was looking for a $2000 - $3000 camera and not the EX3 at roughly $8000 =/ I'm first planning on shooting weddings and some community videos for the Best Buy store I work at to start getting the feal of things. While doing that, I'm planning on working with a few friends to help make short movies and/or skits. Maybe even an internet show. =)

- Dustin

[maver]

I realize this is a bit old, but I figure maybe someone out there could use the info.

Maybe you should get one of those reasonably price and still do harddrive, try one of these

http://www.mcetech.com/quickstreamdv/index.html

We use a system like that, we record both tape and harddrive, so we have a backup incase something went wrong.