Making documentaries

<p>Hi<br /><br />I have a background in journalism / photojournalism / + a little producing and I want to start making doccies this year.<br>

<br />On the technical side I am looking at investing in a Nikon P500, tripod, halo light and stand to start off with. I can always purchase a lapel mike as and when. I prefer to go the bridge cam route as shooting stills are a large part of what I do and it doesn't make sense for me to switch tools completely just yet.</p>

<p>Besides the Nikon P500; what else do you recommend? I have considered the PowerShot SX230HS and the Panasonic DMC-TZ-18/ZS8 but I'm not sure they would be of much use to me without an EVF</p>

<p>Pricing here in Israel for the P500 is around $375 and I imagine I can go as high as $400 for the camera alone.</p>

<p>Thoughts, recommendations welcome</p>

<p>thanks</p>

<p>- Russ</p>

 

<p>No RAW and I don't like IQ above ISO 400 but the HX9V does many things quite well including video, which I haven't had time to really mess with. I paid ~$270 during the pre-holiday rush...</p>

<p>http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/sony_cybershot_dsc_hx9v_review/videos/</p>

<p>Nevermind the sony as it does not have EVF... </p>

<p>The Sony is over $500 here... Leslie, Im beginning to think a tilt-screen would be of more use than an EVF, also, someone pointed out to me that there is no way to connect external mics to these little cameras...</p>

<p>Regarding mic/sound...I was told (by my audio friends) that (all) camera mic isn't very good. So, one should buy a separate recorder and sync them in post. The sony does 60p and has a few cool features though not sure if you need them. I find a tilting LCD more useful than eye level EVF...YMMV </p>

<p>ps. good (non music) sound recorder can be had quite cheap. Maybe $70-150, I was told. An extra step could be a pain but it's okay if, say, you re not into breaking news... </p>

<p>Documentary videos? Of what, for what market / outlet?</p>

<p>I recently got a Canon SX230 HS. It's a great little camera. I'm very impressed by the usable ISO 3200; the (2007) Canon A570 IS it replaces as my wife's regular camera was pretty hopeless above ISO 400, even though it is only 7 MP instead of 12 MP (which is more than plenty for anything I'd shoot hand-held with a compact digital!). The long zoom range (equivalent of 28-384mm) is convenient, and the camera has built-in lens distortion processing to fix the distortion you'd otherwise get. It allows full manual exposure and focus controls for still pictures (PASM etc.). With the CHDK firmware, it will save raw files (as DNG's or nearly-CR2's). It shoots 1080p24, 720p30, and 640x480p30 video, and the videos look good. I got it through Amazon for $219 US, and think it was a great choice and a bargain. Canon very recently announced a replacement, the SX260 HS, which has a broader zoom range (maybe equivalent to 25-500mm?) but a slightly slower lens, and otherwise seems about the same.</p>

<p>But have no illusions about what it is, and isn't. It and the other stuff you're talking about are basically consumer still cameras for people to take on vacation etc. The video quality is good, but the lack of manual controls for video is a substantial limitation, and the compressed video sometimes delivers mediocre quality under more challenging conditions. Any serious work, especially when shooting outside or with the subject(s) more than a few feet from the camera, will pretty much require external microphones, or else have poor sound. You may be able to record the sound separately and sync it later, but (1) doing so can be a PITA, and (2) you will still need to spend some money on microphones, recording devices, etc. So I'd much prefer a camera that will allow you to connect an external microphone--or much better, connect a mixer through which you can run multiple external microphones.</p>

<p>A $400 budget is going to seriously challenge what you can do. I'd probably rather get an old, used, stanadard-def camcorder that is more a "prosumer" model, a decent tripod, and at least one external microphone--not one to mount on top the camcorder, but either a wireless one or a wired on you can put on the subject. Also, some lighting or at least reflectors and diffusers would be nice. I think you can probably get one of the old Sony or Panasonic prosumer Mini-DV models within your budget, although you may need to buy a card to get the video files into your computer. Because IMO prosumer standard def with decent sound (and lighting) is much more appealing than consumer high def with built-in sound.</p>