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General discussion

NTSC 3CCD recommendations?

Jun 5, 2006 3:44PM PDT

I've gotta buy a 3CCD NTSC camcorder in the next two weeks and don't have much time to research what's out there. My budget's $2500-3000... can anyone recommend models with a good balance of video quality and user-friendliness? I work on a Mac G5 and am partial to Sony and Canon but any other suggestions will be most appreciated.

Thanks!

Discussion is locked

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Try Sony HDR-HC1 or HDR-HC3
Jun 5, 2006 11:40PM PDT

They both are perfect for your needs. And an extra HD bonus. haha

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3ccd
Jun 6, 2006 4:38AM PDT

Neither of those cams are 3ccd.
In that price range you could look at the Sony FX1.
You could look at the Canon GL2, Panasonic AG-DVC30, Sony VX2100, Panasonic DVX100B.
There are a lot of options. What features do you need??

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thanks for the suggestions...
Jun 6, 2006 3:17PM PDT

I'm not much of a cameraman so whatever I screw up in shooting I try to fix (or cover up) in Final Cut Pro. I don't use the special effects options built in the camera and have adjusted internal settings maybe three times in past three years. Based on my previous experience with the Canon XL1, I'm looking for something that handles panning better, if that's possible. I'm also about to start messing around with some greenscreen shooting, so if there is a camera more suitable for that I'd appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction.

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Sony's handle that well w/ its own editing software
Jun 7, 2006 12:00AM PDT
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Panning
Jun 7, 2006 3:37PM PDT

For panning, why not use a tripod??
If you mean the video wasn't as smooth when you panned, don't get a consumer HDV. They have terrible artifacting when panning.
I think most of the cams I mentioned are very good at smooth pans.
For the greenscreen option, any of them will do.
Green screen and chroma keying is mostly about the screen and the lighting. A quality screen and extremely even lighting is the key. (On your subject and the screen)