I'm new to camcorders but experienced with cameras. I'm familiar with
ISO, white balance, SLR lenses, lighting, bokeh, rule of thirds, etc.
I prefer simple processing: Photoshop Elements + Noise Reduction SW.

I carried around an HC1 today for 30 minutes. It felt good, but I read
its low-light performance was poor, and I want good indoor videos. I'm
mostly buying this for personal videos of my family and friends.

At the moment, I'm planning to buy a VX2000 from Ebay for $1700 rather
than a VX2100 from Adorama for $2300. I can afford whatever, though I
prefer to spend less of course. Is buying a new one really worth it,
assuming the Ebay seller is well-rated?

As far as accessories go, this is what I planned. Is this about right?

  + I have a laptop with 6GB free disk, 512MB RAM, 1.6GHz CPU, USB2.0
  + Tripod
      $350 Manfrotto 3221 Tripod w/ 501 pro video head
  + Camcorder-Laptop interface, Converter, Editing Software
    $140 Plextor PX-M402U
  + DVD Burner
    $150 Sony DRX-810UL   
   + Extra Battery
    $100
  + Carrying case + UV Filter
    $50

Yikes, $800 in accessories! Any ideas appreciated. Thanks in advance.

  -- CameraGuy in San Jose, CA

Show quote Hide quote It depends.  The VX2000 doesn't let you determine head hours -- a high head
hour camera will have a limited life.  Also, you won't get the benefit of
Sony's warranty.  Sony has a flat fee of around $600 to repair a VX2000.

What do you plan to do with the laptop?  6 GB is nowhere near enough for
editing.

I use Bogen 3444D sticks with my VX2000 because they're carbon fiber and
therefore very light, and fold up quite small.  The 501 is a good head, but
on the heavy side.  Everything depends on what you plan to do with the
camera.

What is a "camcorder-laptop interface"?  You simply connect the
1394/Firewire/iLink connector on the camera to the 1394 port on the laptop.
However, as I said, you don't have anywhere near sufficient space on the
laptop for editing.  DV25, which is the standard used by miniDV, needs
approximately 13.7 gigabytes of storage per hour of video.  Add to that the
additional space required for rending transitions, titles, corrections,
etc., and you'll be able to manage, maybe, 15 minutes of video before
filling your hard drive.

Definitely not needed.  Why would you want to take what is already in
digital format, use the camera to convert it to analog, only to capture as
analog and re-digitize?  The VX2000/2100 will take an analog signal via
composite or s-video and digitize it.  You have absolutely no need for this.

These days, a burner is a burner is a burner.  I picked up a Memorex
dual-layer 16x burner for around $60.

Get more than one.

When I need a case, which is rarely, I use a Loews aluminum tool box that is
fitted with foam.  It cost $20 and is as good as any hard case on the
market.  Don't scrimp in the UV filter.  There are lots of cheapies around,
but make sure you get a multi-coated one or you'll pick up unwanted internal
reflections.

You'll probably want a wide-angle lens, as I've found that the VX2000
doesn't go wide enough for some of the work I do.  Century makes a good one
for around $400.  I use an Optex, which costs $300.  Cheap glass will result
in poor quality images.

Show quoteHide quote

Nice to know.

Ahh, would not have guessed.

  + $150 Western Digital 120 GB / 7200 RPM / 8MB cache, 1394a ext. HD

I prefer lighter tripods because I tend to carry then more. The 3444D
or 190MF legs plus a 700RC2 head seem like better matches for about
the same price point as what I originally mentioned.

Apparently, sales-speak from the Best Buy I visited. I would never buy
a camcorder from there, but it's a good place to test-drive a few.

- $140 Plexor PX-M402U.
+ $90 Ulead VideoStudio 9 (I prefer simple editing, I use Elements)

Great! Often when I ask for camera advice people say "Buy lens XXX"
which of course costs even more money. Your advice costs less, so far.

Ok.

Ok.

Drat, I knew that was coming. I'll probably do without for a couple
months. Deciding what add-ons to purchase next will be easier once
I've shot / edited / burned / watched a couple home movies.

I really appreciate the help. I now have a better idea what to buy and
expect. I'll think more on this over the weekend.

--- CameraGuy

I have had (and other people have reported) problems when running a hard
drive on the same 1394 bus as the camera. You might want to try the drive on
a USB bus.  Also, 5400 rpm is, usually, more than adequate for capturing
DV-25 format video, which has a maximum sustained rate of 25 mbs.

The 700RC2 is a good head for a VX2000/2100.  I used one for a while, but
wound up selling it because the quick release plate would work with a
bracket that I use with my still camera.  Now I use a 3160.  However, if I
didn't have the still camera concern, I would have stayed with the 700RC2.


Just don't listen to the sales people at all.  The really don't know what
they're talking about.

For simple editing, I suppose either would be fine.  You might want to
consider, though, that with a VX2000/2100, you're turning out exceptionally
high-quality video.  There are things you can do in the more expensive
packages that you cannot do in thinks like VideoStudio or Elements.  Some
examples:

- I like to turn off the tally light (small red light on the front and back
of the camcorder that goes on when you're recording), as it makes it easier
to get candid video of people, and is less obtrusive.  Sometimes, I'll turn
on the camera by accident, and everything gets reversed, i.e. when I think
I'm starting the camera, I'm actually stopping and vice-versa.  I did that
last month at a fountain and light show in China.  All my carefully-composed
shots were lost.  However, I had held fairly still when I wasn't shooting
(but the camera was), and had held the camera under my arm.  As a result, I
got some reasonably stable, but heavily-tilted, footage of the fountain and
light show.  In Premier Pro, I was able to rotate the frame to straighten
out the tilt, but I was then left with blank, white triangles in the
corners.  I did a garbage matte, matched the background color to the color
of the sky in the shot, then through in some Gaussian blur at the transition
point so I didn't have a hard line.  The result was that I could salvage the
sequence, for which I otherwise would have had no video record at all.
Easily done in Premiere Pro.  Impossible in lesser programs.

- I like to integrate digital stills with my video.  Though outdoor white
balance matches up pretty well between my digital still camera and my
VX2000, indoors and, particularly, under flourescent lights, there is a huge
white balance disparity.  In Premiere Pro, I can match white balance between
shots by using a filter called color match -- I just click on the places
which are supposed to match in each shot and the program automatically
conforms them.   I use the same trick when I'm trying to color match video
shots, e.g. B-roll shot at a different time of day, or shooting into and
then away from the sun.  Easily done in Premiere Pro.  Impossible in lesser
programs.

- I like to do interesting openings for my videos, and this always involves
compositing of some sort.  Premiere Pro allows, I think, an infinite number
of video tracks (or, at least, far more than I've ever used).  This makes
animation and compositing simple.  Easily done in Premiere Pro.  Impossible
(or, at least, extremely difficult) in lesser programs.

I think of burners as commodity items.

I picked up batteries on eBay.  If you're careful of the seller (and make
sure you're buying Sony, and not 3rd party), you can get a good deal.  I
rely, primarily on NP-F750 batteries, which give me 4-5 hours per charge (I
carry two, one on the camera and one in my camera bag or pocket).  I have
one NP-F960, which is good for as much as 9 hours, but it's 50% larger and
heavier than the NP-F750.  The VX2000 is, already, a heavy camera to tote
around, and I rarely have occassion to shoot more than 60 minutes in a day,
to the NP-F960 is usually overkill.

Show quoteHide quoteIt all depends on what you're shooting.  I do travel video exclusively, and
find there are times when I have to go wider to get the shot I want.  I have
noticed, however, that, the more I shoot, the less I rely on the wide angle
lens to get the shots that I want -- the wide angle lens can be a crutch
(but, as a still photographer, you already know that).  Also, note that
using a wide angle lens throws off the image stabilization.  The VX2000/2100
uses a very effective optical image stabilization process (I think Sony
calls it "Super Steadyshot" or some such).  It is, however, calibrated for
the built-in lens, and its effectiveness is diminished significantly when
the wide angle lens is used.

Show quoteHide quote

Instant playback???
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