Guitar Gear Forum

I'm looking to get a "cheaper" HD video camcorder...I have loved Canon DSLRs, so I imagine I'd enjoy those.

It looks like the Canon Vixia HF R400 is 250 at best buy right now...Is this a good camera??

Help a brother out...If you have other suggestions, I am interested in those too.

Thanks,
Bryan

What are you looking to do with it primarily?

homestar_kevin wrote:What are you looking to do with it primarily?

Recording clips, recording band stuff, etc...

Not going to be producing feature-length films or anything

Do you happen to have an iphone?

I actually just got a Canon Vixia HFR42 for my boss a couple weeks ago from Best Buy. It's pretty nice.

And failing the iPhone, a newer Canon DSLR with video is about the highest quality you'll get aside from dedicated production equipment. What Canon body do you have right now?

I have an iphone, I dig it, but I just want something dedicated to video. My iphone pisses me off when I use it for videos...

oh yeah, I don't have a canon DSLR at the moment, but used to have a T1i when they first came out, and I've played with a 60d and some other full bodies...I just dig the controls, and understand the menus.

mitsu13gman wrote:And failing the iPhone, a newer Canon DSLR with video is about the highest quality you'll get aside from dedicated production equipment. What Canon body do you have right now?

Truth. DSLR's can produce some down right awesome video BUT, they are a good bit harder to use than a regular HD camcorder. The Canon Vixia line are really good. I'm not familiar with the particular one the OP mentioned but I know the HF M500 is great and can be found for just a little more than that price. If you are wanting to record band practices, find something with a 3.5mm mic input and cold shoe to mount it. That way you can add a nice mic on later and get really good audio.

What about something like the Zoom Q2HD which is made to do exactly what you want? I would think you would get better sound quality with this.

hwy1 wrote:What about something like the Zoom Q2HD which is made to do exactly what you want? I would think you would get better sound quality with this.

Without owning it, I am still going to say ^This. I love my Zoom R16 recorder. Simple interface and you get out what you put into it.

I guess I should mention...for some clips, I'd rather combine the video with the sound of my DAW So I'm really not too concerned about sound quality, though it would still be nice if it didn't sound like shit

I'll check out the Zoom as well!

Thanks

What's the diff in the q2 and q3?

The DSLRS can give you what you want, and if you understand them/like working with them already, definitely take a look at them.

You can get a t2i or t3i for so cheap now and they do great video, especially if you're syncing sound with another(better) source in post, as the on camera mics are really just good for a scratch track in most instances.

That said, the DSLR's have NO autofocus in video mode and don't have a lot of other easy features that camcorders have.

Check them out and see if it's worth it to you to deal/adjust to the workflow.

I've been using my dslr for filming for over 3 years now and it's been great.

My 5D Mark II has contrast-detect auto focus in video mode. I'm not sure if the Rebels do or not, but I know for a fact that at least some Canon DSLRs do.

It has it, but it's god awful. Try using that on anything you actually want in focus. It won't get you very far, certainly nowhere near teh territory of a camcorder with autofocus

Actually, I've shot quite a bit of video with it, and it works very well. It is not a continuous-tracking autofocus, but no cinema cameras have that, either.

When I'm shooting video, it's for production, so I use a loupe and focus manually. But for getting a quick spot-focus, the AF works well and quickly enough. It's not an ENG cam and never will be. But I like my f/1.2 glass for shooting bands, and I'll work to get the better footage.

If all he wants to do is post clips and such, the AF on the 5D2 would certainly cover that.

mitsu13gman wrote:Actually, I've shot quite a bit of video with it, and it works very well. It is not a continuous-tracking autofocus, but no cinema cameras have that, either.

When I'm shooting video, it's for production, so I use a loupe and focus manually. But for getting a quick spot-focus, the AF works well and quickly enough. It's not an ENG cam and never will be. But I like my f/1.2 glass for shooting bands, and I'll work to get the better footage.

If all he wants to do is post clips and such, the AF on the 5D2 would certainly cover that.

Bros...I don't want a DSLR...I want a legit Camcorder. I loved the video on my T1i, but I don't want to be holding a DSLR shooting video with it...Just want a camcorder that gets quality video...I will be using it for recording my nieces dance stuff too, so it's not just for clips and bands, though that will likely be the primary use.

Besides, you guys are WAY out of the price range of the Vixia R400

That's what I was afraid of... Sorry for the derailment.

In that case, I can't really help - I'm waiting for the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera so I can start shooting RAW video. Definitely the opposite direction to what you're looking for.

Happy shopping! :-)

mitsu13gman wrote:That's what I was afraid of... Sorry for the derailment.

In that case, I can't really help - I'm waiting for the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera so I can start shooting RAW video. Definitely the opposite direction to what you're looking for.

Happy shopping! :-)

Appreciate the input regardless man! If I could afford a 5d I'd have one But for this, I just want something I can hold in one hand, etc...

Well, I can't help you with a SPECIFIC camcorder, but I can at least ask some questions that might help you steer your search.

You want to shoot amp clips and you want something handheld.

Do you need a zoom lens? How much recording time do you need before changing a battery or a memory card? What level of quality are you looking for - is it just going to end up crushed to death on YouTube, or will you maybe burn a DVD for family here or there?

What software do you have to edit? And what platform, Mac or PC?

Is low-light performance important? How about super-bright light?

I know that all of these points have burned me here or there, so hopefully picking what you do and don't need will help people narrow things down for you. For example - could you get by with a GoPro maybe?