Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Is a Canon VIXIA HF R20 suitable for creative filmmaking?

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Patrick Ur


I'm planning on buying a new camcorder, the Canon VIXIA HF R20. I'm interesting in short filmmaking (and heck, maybe not-so-short filmmaking) and the question arises, would this be a good camcorder to use? From tests I've seen, it looks good, but I want to get some other input.

P.S. I do have an external microphone, a ZOOM H2 recorder, and I use Sony Vegas Pro 10 for editing.



Answer
I think any working camcorder can be used for creative film making. It all depends on what your needs are. This camera has some serious limitations, chief among them is shortage of manual controls. The auatomatic settings on Canon are very good and for simple shots they will do most of the time. Where you will eventually run into some frustration is when you try to emulate certains shots you have seen elsewhere. Don't ;et that discourage you. You will simply need ot be creative about plannign your shots. Making sure you light properly will be even more important since you have less control over certain things. It also does not seem to have manual focus. if it does have it, it looks like it is implemented in a clumsy way that will be useless during a live shoot. Again, not preferable, but there are ways to work around this.

The biggest plus to the camera is a great image for the price. That alone makes it a decent camera to start on, but don't expect too much in other areas.

You may be better off spending a couple hundred more and getting a T2i. you will have reduced video features, but your image will be closer to cinema quality.

What are good ways to steady a video shot?




ghettostee


What are good ways to steady a shot?
I'm referring to just using a personal camcorder (Canon VIXIA HF S21) for making short videos with edits, not something too professional.
Do most people just use tripods? I find it annoying to have to set up most every shot on a tripod, especially if you do a few different takes for each scene.



Answer
Tripod.

Learn to stand still and stable while holding the camera.

Prop yourself and/or the camera against another stable object like a wall, post, table, etc.

Still, if you seriously want to make good video, you don't moan and cry about how much trouble it is to move a five or ten pound camera and tripod. This takes SECONDS to do.




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