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Question

Canon Vixia M40,M50,M500,R52, or R62 for 1st-person writing

Feb 17, 2015 4:18AM PST

I want to shoot myself writing in pencil into a school notebook. This would be indoors, at my desk, with the camera above me pointed down at the paper, so like a first-person perspective. No special lights except the overhead light of the room.

These would be instructional videos.

Vi Hart does something similar but with a sharpie. She uses a Canon Vixia M40. But this camera is discontinued.

Does the M50 or M500 supersede the M40 and so would be a comparable or better substitute? Since the M-series seems to be dead, what about the still-in-production R-series such as the R52 or R62? Is the main difference the image sensor size? Would this make a difference for my purpose?

Thank you.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
The Canon HF R series
Feb 17, 2015 11:10PM PST

is the current crop. The "main" difference is the newer units have wifi capability which you might not need. There may be some sublet differences in the imaging sensors, but (in my opinion) that's more about marketing than technology.

While I appreciate the lighting environment description, I would strongly suggest investigating improving the light. We don't know what that "overhead light" is in your room or its proximity to what you want captured to video. It could be as simple as a couple of clamp lights or a couple of soft boxes... Consider reading up on "Three point lighting". Low-end, entry level camcorders with small lens diameter and small imaging chip just can't do well under mediocre or poor lighting conditions. That which works well for your eyes will be at the hairy edge of the camera's capabilities.

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Image sensor size
Feb 18, 2015 4:14AM PST

Thank you. The M-series image sensors are advertised as 1/3 inch (a "pro" version) while the R-series are said to be 1/4.85 inches. So this shouldn't make a difference in picture quality for me, for focusing in on my writing and what's being written? (Your message seemed to start mid-sentence.)

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Sometimes you start in the Subject title then continue
Feb 18, 2015 4:28AM PST

here. I guess some will call that starting in mid sentence.

-> One of the recurring discussions is about light. Good lighting can turn a so-so camera into a wonderful camera.

Rather than stop at sensor size see if a review at the usual camera sites has example pictures. I like this site for that: http://www.dpreview.com/
For camcorders: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/29636108 notes the CNET site!

Almost every camera reviewed has sample shots.

For video it's getting pretty rough out there. Folk are making do with phones!
http://www.cnet.com/topics/phones/best-phones/camera/
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-phone-cameras,review-2272.html

The camcorder market is under siege.
Bob

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Lighting and image quality
Feb 18, 2015 10:50AM PST

Thank you. I'll make my decision based on my perception of image quality and leave it at that. I'll stay open to additional lighting.