Comments Off

By CI Staff, October 9, 2009 9:02 am

Price will most likely dictate the type of digital video camera that you’ll end up buying. If money were no object, we could purchase the latest and greatest and smallest and whatever else -est that would end up costing us an arm and a leg. But given that cost is very tangible for most people, it’s important that we select the right camera that is going to do what we want it to do with respect to our film projects and not fall into the trap of buying a camera that is sporting the latest this and that for a premium price.

There are several informal classifications of digital video cameras starting with the consumer model. The cameras in this category are often priced under $1000 and are designed primarily for casual use. You’ll typically find these cameras being lugged around by Joe and Jane Citizen during special events such as birthday parties, graduations, soccer games, family get-togethers and other events.

A step up from the consumer model is the so-called Pro super model. Often priced several thousand dollars more than a consumer model, equipments in this category offer all the basic consumer model features, and expand upon that by including many features normally found only on expensive professional models.

At the top of the heap are the professional models. These are not equipment that the average person would be carrying around; in fact, equipments in this class often times costmore than 10 times the average of consumer models.  In fact, it would not be uncommon to find professional digital video cameras in the six figure range.  These cameras are typically used to produce feature films and professional television shows.

Recent advances in digital technology have made it possible to produce feature films using prosumer cameras whose output can later be scaled to 35mm film for distribution to theaters.  HDV prosumer cameras are becoming increasingly available and may soon be the entry-level camera, superseding consumer models.  Most event videographers such as those shooting weddings and sporting events now utilize HDV cameras.

For starters, don’t feel like you have to shell out big bucks to get into the HDV camera playground.  choose a video camera that you can comfortably afford at this time. Keep in mind that the current generation of video cameras are light years ahead of what you would have bought a year or two ago.  Resist the temptation to go out and purchase the latest digital video camera with all the latest whizbang features.

In All likelihood an entry-level consumer digital video camera that you purchase today will be capable of producing almost professional looking results. Unless you plan on screening your creation to the likes of Steven Spielberg, more than likely the average viewer will be more than happy with the result of your creation using your consumer level digital video camera.

There is almost a direct correlation between features and price so you may want to filter out on price in order to ensure that you stay within budget. Once you have determined that price range, then you can examine all the cameras in that range and closely investigate their specifications. In a subsequent post, we will be discussing digital video camera specifications in order to help you make a more informed choice.

Most digital video camera shoppers stick with midrange products unless they have a very specific professional need which would warrant the move up to the highest quality video cameras on the market today.  Manufacturers have done a good job of integrating commonly used professional features into their prosumer models, which benefits consumers who take their video creation quite seriously.  The advancement of technology each and every year is enabling the manufacturers to continue offering top end features into their prosumer product lines.

You may recall the movie “The Blair Witch Project” which was produced using prosumer cameras with a budget of about $10,000.  The creators were the first to digitally market their product. The movie produced hundreds of millions with a worldwide distribution, despite the humble equipment used in its creation.