HELP: Thinking about going video..need advice.

[DalTexDiver]

I have been taking underwater shots for about 5 years. Started with film. Moved to digital and now thinking of going video.

I have done a little research and the "experts" are recommending Sony as it seems to be supported by more housing manufacturers. Also, I am reading there are various formats used in video with digital being superior to other formats.

I don't really know much about the topic as I have never owned a video cam in my life.

Any thoughts from the old salts on where to start, what to buy? I usually like to start on the upper end of the moderately priced products and go from there. At least that has worked so far on dive gear.

Any thoughts for a total newbie to video?

Thanks

 

[sharksdelight]

You really should have a feeling for how deeply involved you think you may become. Getting into videography is like getting into photography or even scuba. There can be a heavy committment in terms of time, money spent and personal involvement. I have been one of the organizers of the San Diego UnderSea Film Festival since its inception, was on crew for The Deep Blue Sea and have been involved with filming and editing for many years. In that time I have also seen many changes in the filming community.
For a beginner like yourself, I would recommend getting a used mini dv system with a Sony 3 chip cam. This will produce excellent results in the dv format at the same time providing experience with both shooting and editing. On the editing front you will have to decide what software to learn dependent upon whether you are a Mac or PC person. Good editing software and the computer system to match is also expensive.
While HDV is the latest and greatest, it is also more complex with the HDV editing codecs a bit more complicated to work within which may be frustrating to the new user. In addition, I doubt that there will be many used HDV systems out there for awhile. Most new housings cost more than the camcorders themselves, lights are very necessary and also can run up some money. When you have found out whether you enjoy producing films( and I'm sure you will) you can then upgrade to a HDV system without losing too much on the resale of your investment.
And that's my 2 cents-Steve:14:

 

[robint]

yes, video is a commitment. The camcorder is just the beginning. I just got a camcorder (Sony HC-42=$500), housing with mirror(Ikelite=$800), and also a new computer (Dell with 2 hard drives and video card=$1300) to run the editing software (Pinnacle v10=$99) that I had to buy in order to make videos. Oh and then there are cables and tapes and dvds and..... So I spent over $2500 in a matter of 2 months.

Am I glad I did it - yes, but it is an investment. Time and money.

robint

 

[DalTexDiver]

Thanks for the feedback. I am a toy freak and computer equipment junkie, too. It does not take me long to go from thinking about something to going to the store and buying things. I had the same experience with buying a DVD player for my TV. The $200 DVD ended up as a $4,000 home theater system.

Maybe I ought to stick with still digital for a while.

Thanks