Alright fellow NS videographers, I have come to you as a man in need of assistance. I need to purchase an HD video camera in the next few days. It will be used for the filming of my family's lodge up in Alaska, and hopefully I will be able to convince my dad to retire it to me after a summer's use. If you know as much as I do about HD cameras (very little), please feel free to look at other's advice, but I would highly appreciate it if only people who have actually used HD cameras and know what they are talking about would give advice.
My camera knowledge is for the most part limited to a GL2, which I used all of last year on the mountain (tripod, follow cam, hand shot, etc.). I really liked the handle with the controls on it, especially for follow cams. I also liked its relative ease of use and its quality for being a non-hd mini dv cam, and of course the fact that it has a manual focus. I didn't like the fact that I could barely see the lcd when I was on the mountain, so I was forced to either use the eyepiece or just guess.
What I need in the camera...
-Obviously a camera that is HD
-Something that is relatively portable (we will be using it out on the ocean on boats, and then I will be using it while skiing, so GL2 size and a bit bigger is fine, just no studio cams)
-MANUAL FOCUS option (This is necessary)
-Something that accepts lens attachments (fisheye, uv cover, extra zoom, and etc.)
-I was thinking something that accepts an external mic
-Preferably a good sized, quality LCD that can be seen in many conditions
-Also preferably a handle, and it would be nice to have controls on the handle
-Something relatively easy to use, controls/buttons are intuitive, but also has Great quality
-A built in good amount of zoom (I would rather not have to always have the zoom lens on hand, so this would be nice).
-If possible, a camera that is less likely to get fucked up by the conditions. It will be used on the ocean in Alaska and more than likely on the mountain the following year.
MONEY IS NOT A HUGE FACTOR!!! I don't want to buy anything insanely expensive, but anything between $1000-$5000 will be considered. So please, tell me what your Dream Camera is!! I need it...
That is all I can think of as of now, so please feel free to drop some advice, and reasons along with the advice would be helpful. Karma to those who do. Negative karma to NSkinner, Scott~ and possibly others.
Cheers,
Ryan
