This has been my first season filming, I really like it and want to upgrade for next year. But first, I would like to try and get an idea of what kind of camera I can get within my price range. This year I used a Canon VIXIA HF R30 mounted on a Velbon fluid head with a Muddy Outfitter Arm. Idealistically, I would like to keep the camera itself around $1,000 and then add a nice shotgun mic, probably Rode, a lanc remote and better fluid head. In your opinion, what is the best camera for the money? I've had my eye on the Sony HDR-FX1 but I'm not aware of the pros/cons of tape vs. SD Also, what are your thoughts on buying a factory refurbished camera?
I would surely suggest staying with a headless camera (records to SD, not tape). How much optical zoom are you looking for? The Canon HFG30 is a bit higher in price than $1000, but it has LANC input, 20x optical zoom, manual focus ring, and can attach a shotgun mic. The HFG20 is 10x optical zoom if you are OK with that, and it is less than $1000... Food for thought. I most likely will be upgrading to the Canon XA20 or HFG30 before next season, coming off a Canon GL2 that uses tapes. I don't have the proper equipment to easily transfer my recordings from the tapes to the computer. Also, with SD you can transfer the video off of the card and re-use the cards.
Thank you for your input. I looked up both cameras and really like them and really wouldn't mind spending the extra $2-300 on the G30. One more question..how is optical zoom measured?
