GL2 Alternative

[jdwright]

Heyas all,

I'm a teacher and techy for my building. I often need to film myself or others teaching in their classrooms. We have used a Canon GL2 in the past and have been extremely happy with the results, (both video and sound) but that camera has become unavailable. Sadly, I don't keep track of this stuff like I used to and I'm sure there is some new technology that probably rivals the GL2 for much less money.

So, I've come to you folks. I've always gotten good advice here and it is much appreciated. If it's not too much to ask, I'd love some recommendations =).

Justin

 

[rivan]

What's your budget and what's your primary intended use?

 

[jdwright]

Ideally, I'd like to stay around $1000. Again, the camera will be used primarily for classroom filming - usually by a teacher and often on a tripod in the corner of the room. Wide angle would be nice, but not a priority. Good sound reproduction (one of my favorite things about the GL2) is a must. Solid video under bad light (fluorescent most times) is also important.

Thanks for the reply =)

J

 

[rivan]

I'd think one of the new breed of small HD camcorders would more than do the trick, especially with the addition of an external mic. I have the HF100 and the picture quality is exceptional and should be superior to the GL2's quality in most situations. It records to SDHC cards, which is also light years ahead of convenience over MiniDV but requires AVCHD compatible software to edit. The zoom's not as long as the GL2 but the wide end (which you probably want) is roughly equivalent.

I'm not a video professional, but your budget's more in the prosumer range. I'm assuming you need the whole package for ~$1000 (camera, tripod and possibly mic and/or memory, etc), and the items I linked should put you well within in that range.

 

[randomlinh]

wow, would an HF100 really outshine a GL2?

 

[rivan]

Originally posted by: randomlinh
wow, would an HF100 really outshine a GL2?

The jump from SD to HD makes me say yes. It's like comparing an old Leaf 2-megapixel digital back on a Hasselblad to a RebelXTi. Yes, the glass on the Hasselblad is far superior, and so are the mechanicals, and just about everything else about the camera. The capture mechanism is just that much better in the newer model.

A number of people mirror that feeling here, although their comments are about the HV30, which I believe is either very similar or identical to the HF100 optically.

I'd think the GL2 will probably perform better in some situations ? like low light or high contrast scenes ? with it's higher quality glass and presumably higher quality sensor. I think that will be outweighed in his situation because classroom filming isn't much of a challenge for a camera.

All that aside, his budget precludes buying anything on the level of a GL2 - the glass alone kills his budget. Unless he goes used, that is.

 

[jdwright]

Thanks for the info folks! I have a couple of things to add and hopefully I can narrow the field a bit. First, I could probably extend the budget a bit if I knew it would be a big difference$1300-$1400 could be doable, but that'd be really pushing it. Also, I'm concerned about the AVCHD. I use Premiere 2.0 for editing and have held off on buying cameras in the past for this reason alone. Are there any cams that record compressed, but in a different format?

I know this changes my question significantly, but it took me 2 months of research to settle on my Nikon D80 and I just don't have that kind of time =P.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

J

 

[rivan]

Originally posted by: jdwright
Thanks for the info folks! I have a couple of things to add and hopefully I can narrow the field a bit. First, I could probably extend the budget a bit if I knew it would be a big difference$1300-$1400 could be doable, but that'd be really pushing it. Also, I'm concerned about the AVCHD. I use Premiere 2.0 for editing and have held off on buying cameras in the past for this reason alone. Are there any cams that record compressed, but in a different format?

I know this changes my question significantly, but it took me 2 months of research to settle on my Nikon D80 and I just don't have that kind of time =P.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

J

On AVCHD: There are conversion and support options available/becoming available. Premiere CS4 supports it. That format is what makes recording to cards feasible - and cards remove capture time entirely - I won't suggest MiniDV to anyone personally anymore.

That said, since you appear not to be bothered by MiniDV, Canon's HV30 is the one I referred to above, and records HDV to MiniDV instead of avchd to cards. I'd still recommend an external mic.

There's not much in between the $1000-2000 range, so pushing your budget to $1400 probably wouldn't do much.

Honestly, I'd recommend this: if you're in a place where you can, rent one of these smaller HD camcorders. See if it works for you. Canon and Sony both make solid products in the segment (I hear less about Panasonic but it's generally positive as well) - I prefer Canon for a number of reasons. Sony tends to be slightly more expensive for the same level of performance.

Better to over-research than under-research

 

[jdwright]

Well, I think I've settled on a Canon HV30 with a Seinheiser boom mic and an extra life battery. Supposed to be very high quality video on tape (works with my existing PPro 2.0 setup) and a bit future proof. I don't think I have the computer horsepower to work with the AVCHD files in Premiere and I'm hoping this will be a happy medium. And at under $1000 for everything, that's not too shabby =).

Let me know if I'm being an idiot, or if you just think I might do better with another combo.

J