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Recommend me a relatively cheap HD camcorder.

Krynj

Krynj

Platinum Member
Title says it all. Looking for relatively inexpensive video camera that shoots 1080p. Looking to spend anywhere in the $300 - $400 range.

I dabble in match moving, and I'd like to get more serious with it, though that requires a halfway decent camcorder. I'd prefer 1080p, but it's not 100% necessary. Match moving relies on good clean shots that allows motion tracking software to track certain pieces/markers of the footage. So what I need is a camcorder with a good image sensor that's able to pick up details, and record crisp clean video. Like I said, I'd prefer 1080p, but I know resolution isn't always everything. So if there's a 720p camera out there that has a much better image sensor, I'd definitely jump on that one.

Here's a little something I did last year with my old Kodak PowerShot A590 IS:
http://vimeo.com/9233688

Recorded the video.
Loaded it into the camera tracking software.
And then modeled and rendered the 3D animation.

Obviously you can see the markers around the table. Without such obvious markers, the tracking software would have never been able to generate a 3D camera track due to the low resolution and blurry video. With good enough video, most modern tracking software can generate a track just by focusing on elements in the shot, and that's what I'm after.

Anyway, who's got some suggestions? Any other match movers here that can offer up some advice?

Many thanks in advance.
 
Also, maybe I should elaborate a bit more.

I'm not concerned with HDMI output. All my footage will be imported directly to my computer via USB. I have no idea if HDMI output is standard for camcorders, or if it only comes on pricier models.

I can't think of any other criteria I should outline, so feel free to ask questions.
 
Might want to take a look at a Point & Shoot camera - the Canon ELPH 500 HS for $279:

http://usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_elph_500_hs

It does 1080p @ 24fps and has a 24mm wide-angle f/2 lens, which is pretty dang incredible if you're interested in shooting little movies. The one downside I see with it is that you can't control exposure (no AE-Lock), so it's going to auto-adjust the brightness based on if you walk inside or outside etc. This isn't a full camcorder per-say (small 4.4x optical zoom, somewhat noisy zoom while filming, 14 minutes max per 1080p clip @ 4GB/clip - file structure limitation), but it fits in your pocket, is under $300, and gives you a Full HD sensor with 24fps film mode (you can also do 30fps @ 720p if you'd like).

If you're looking for more of a camcorder than a camera with video features, Canon has a couple under $400:

http://usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/camcorders/consumer_camcorders/vixia_hf_r10

http://usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/camcorders/consumer_camcorders/vixia_hf_r200

My advice is to check out lots of samples of each camera on Youtube & Vimeo to get a feel for what the footage looks like.
 
Thanks for the recommendations. That VIXIA HF R10 has some pretty impressive specs. And that's a great price. Off to read some reviews now.
 
Krynj said:
So after checking prices on these, they're actually quite a bit cheaper now than listed on Canon's website. Canon lists the HF R10 for $399, whereas online retailers list it for $275.

I did come across the HF R20, which appears to have a setting that records at 24mbit, as opposed to 17mbit on the R10. And the R20 is only $350.

Kaido, would you also recommend the R20?
http://usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/camcorders/consumer_camcorders/vixia_hf_r20
Click to expand...

For your budget, definitely. I've had good experiences with Canon camcorders in the past. The main thing is if you like the image quality - you want to get something you're going to be happy with because you'll play with it more and enjoy it more that way. The R20 has some nice bonuses over the R10 as well (SDXC for >32gb card support, better sensor, 24mbps recording, etc.) and for the price you've found it for, that gives you plenty of room to add a nice memory card and some other gear.

I'd recommend getting some cheapo batteries & chargers from eBay to supplement your kit, it's the worst when you run out of battery juice in the field (you can usually find a combo wall/car charger with a couple of batteries for about half the price of one Canon battery, with higher mAh to boot). You can also add on lenses down the road since the camera has filter threads on the front, so you can get a fisheye or ultrawide or whatever to play with. I'd recommend checking out the Glidetrack as well, it's expensive but it's one of my favorite pieces of equipment for doing film-type stuff: (you can DIY pretty easy if you're handy)

http://www.glidetrack.com/
 
Awesome. Thanks for the heads up. Probably gonna pull the trigger on the R20 tomorrow night. Hoping to find it local so I can play with it over the weekend.

Thanks again for the help.
 
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So per some stroke of luck, Best Buy actually got one of the HF R20s in stock yesterday, so today after work I went and picked it up. Not before I did even MORE research on it though. I came close to changing my mind to the Panasonic HDC-TM90, due to full 1080 recording at 60p. I was lead to believe that the HF R20 did progressive recording, but every mode seems to be interlaced, and when it's played back, it deinterlaces the footage. Not gonna work for me, so tomorrow the R20 is going back and I'll pick up the Panasonic HDC-TM90. It'll cost me an extra $130 (bringing the total investment to around $505), but it'll be worth it. An extra 8GB of onboard memory, and a seemingly much better camera will keep me satisfied.

camcorderinfo.com currently rates it one of the best consumer camcorders on the market.
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Panasonic-HDC-TM90-Camcorder-Review.htm

And it doesn't write to the dreadful MTS format.
 
That's a neat trick!
For those type of works, what is more important? Frame rate or bitrate?
If framerate is more important, Sony HX9v is sweet for it does 1080p60 but its bitrate is 28mbps. Canon only does 1080p24 but its bitrate is around 35mbps.
 
An overall decent frame rate, bit rage, and clean image are best. The video posted above was shot on my Canon point & shoot digital camera at about 640x480 @ 20fps, and I'm amazed it came out as good as it did. The markers around the table were essential to capturing a good motion track.

Most important is good clean footage throughout the shot. Don't want to have much motion blur unless you plan on manually tracking it. And interlaced video is totally out of the question, due to the jaggedness that comes with interlaced video.

The Panasonic I'm picking up tonight records at 1080p - 60fps @ 28mbit. It was almost out of the price range for what I use it for, but, oh well. It'll be good for camera tracking, and an excellent camera for general use.

Gonna make the swap on my lunch break and charge the Panny for the rest of my shift. Hoping it stays sunny outside so I can do some test shots when I get out of work.
 
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Krynj said:
So per some stroke of luck, Best Buy actually got one of the HF R20s in stock yesterday, so today after work I went and picked it up. Not before I did even MORE research on it though. I came close to changing my mind to the Panasonic HDC-TM90, due to full 1080 recording at 60p. I was lead to believe that the HF R20 did progressive recording, but every mode seems to be interlaced, and when it's played back, it deinterlaces the footage. Not gonna work for me, so tomorrow the R20 is going back and I'll pick up the Panasonic HDC-TM90. It'll cost me an extra $130 (bringing the total investment to around $505), but it'll be worth it. An extra 8GB of onboard memory, and a seemingly much better camera will keep me satisfied.

camcorderinfo.com currently rates it one of the best consumer camcorders on the market.
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Panasonic-HDC-TM90-Camcorder-Review.htm

And it doesn't write to the dreadful MTS format.
Click to expand...

Yeah one of the downsides is that Canon uses a goofy wrapper system. I upgraded from a Canon HV20, which did that over Firewire. Oh what a pain to import! I do not miss tape at all haha, other than for cheap archiving purposes.

Let us know how your new toy works out, and post some footage!! 🙂
 
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