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General discussion

What specs to look for when adding 2nd camcorder to a shoot?

by justjacks Jul 17, 2007 4:36AM PDT

I have a Panasonic PV-GS65 and want an additional camcorder for my video shoots. What aspects do I need to be aware of when choosing my second camcorder? I have been hard pressed to find another GS65 (budget, budget, budget) so I am wondering how close to the GS65 specs do I need to be and what would the viewer notice with two different camera outputs? I intend to broadcast on internet and community TV so my quality standards aren't blockbuster. This is my first query regarding this, so any knowledge/advice is welcome. Cheers, justjacks.

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3 Posts
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I have found that the most noticeable differences include:
by Kiddpeat Jul 17, 2007 4:59AM PDT

Lense focus and clarity
color temperature and gamut
color saturation
exposure

and a host of other things. Differences in some aspects of the image can be compensated for in the video editing process. However, if the video is live, additional hardware will probably be needed to adjust the output from each camera to achieve a match.

As with all cameras, it's a lot easier if you get it right in the camera, but low cost equipment does not usually offer the necessary manual controls.

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On the specifications side of things...
by justjacks Jul 17, 2007 6:24AM PDT

I have read about the distinct image differences between 1CCD and 3CCD cameras (and am inclined to go with a second 3CCD camera, same manufacturer even) but how noticeable is the difference between cameras with differing Effective Pixel Counts. Some sources claim the GS65 has an EFC of 3 x 290K for a total of 870K EFC. What would the viewer see if using a 2nd 3CCD camera with an EFC of 640K (or one that would be higher, for that matter)? Does any of this EFC stuff matter anyhow when viewing via TV/Monitors? Cheers, justjacks.

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From my experience, the pixel count is not
by boya84 Jul 17, 2007 6:45AM PDT

that big of a deal... or maybe it is the mix of cameras we're using.

I was on a shoot with my Sony HDR-HC1 a couple of months ago. Also shooting were 2 Canon XL2, a Panasonic HVX100 and a Panasonic HDX200.

We all set to 4:3. We all set to 1/30 shutter and we all white-balanced off the same card at the same time.

The [very experienced] editor cannot tell which camera shot which footage.

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