ThatMixedD
I have a piano recital coming up, and I need a suggestion for a fairly cheap camera with good audio recording capabilities, as the last camera we used recorded the sound absolutely horribly ( i assume it was because the camera was made to only capture the human voice's spectrum ).
I just want something that can capture the full span of sound that a piano can emit without hisses or cracking noises- or if there is no such camera, share some ideas for best recording the event (e.g. maybe a suggested external mic or whatever)... I have one month. Thanks :)
Answer
Camcorder microphones aren't usually professional level, but they aren't bad, either. What they are is poorly located to get audiophile level recording. Way too far away far away from the source of the sound, they'll pick up noise and chatter from close to the camera. If you're filming at the 3-6 foot range, most camcorder audio will work fine. Farther away requires more effort. Bottom line is that proper microphone placement is critical for good recordings.
Depending on the stage setup (if any) at the recital, see if one of the following options is feasible:
1) If the piano is miked into a PA/speaker system, recording the line output of that device onto a CD or other recorder gives some of the clearest possible sound. If you leave your camcorder running continuously during the performance, it's fairly easy to sync the CD audio to your digital video in any of the movie editors and get top notch audio and video. Leave your camcorder running so you only have to sync one spot, not at every scene. Once synced, you can then cut out boring sections of the video. (~$0 expense if they have a CD recording system already in place)
2) If the piano isn't miked, you can use a digital audio recorder. The good ones aren't cheap, but you'll get baby monitor quality sound if you go cheap. Place the recorder in a good location near the piano (test before the recital if at all possible). These small devices are unobtrusive, and can get quality recordings if placed properly. You could use this recording to supplement/replace your existing camera's audio as described above ~ $150 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/599284-REG/Tascam_DR_07_DR_07_Portable_Digital_Audio.html)
3) You can buy a camcorder with an external microphone jack and get a wireless mic system or a shotgun mic (think teleaudio to match your telephoto zoom). Unfortunately, you tend to get what you pay for on this. Decent ones start at $75 and you still have to figure out where to position the microphone. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?ci=15708&N=4290441573+4293345063&Ns=p_PRICE_2%7C0
Shotgun microphones (the zoom version of a microphone) are very directional in it's pickup pattern, removing much of the side noise captured by built in microphones. $60+ http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/3646-REG/Azden_ECZ_990_ECZ_990_Super_Cardioid_Shotgun.html
Unless your existing videocamera has an external mic jack, you'll have to factor in the additional cost of a new camera with a microphone input. External microphone jacks have been removed from the feature list of most consumer camcorders. HD cameras with the external microphone jack tend to be ~ $800-$1000
Camcorder microphones aren't usually professional level, but they aren't bad, either. What they are is poorly located to get audiophile level recording. Way too far away far away from the source of the sound, they'll pick up noise and chatter from close to the camera. If you're filming at the 3-6 foot range, most camcorder audio will work fine. Farther away requires more effort. Bottom line is that proper microphone placement is critical for good recordings.
Depending on the stage setup (if any) at the recital, see if one of the following options is feasible:
1) If the piano is miked into a PA/speaker system, recording the line output of that device onto a CD or other recorder gives some of the clearest possible sound. If you leave your camcorder running continuously during the performance, it's fairly easy to sync the CD audio to your digital video in any of the movie editors and get top notch audio and video. Leave your camcorder running so you only have to sync one spot, not at every scene. Once synced, you can then cut out boring sections of the video. (~$0 expense if they have a CD recording system already in place)
2) If the piano isn't miked, you can use a digital audio recorder. The good ones aren't cheap, but you'll get baby monitor quality sound if you go cheap. Place the recorder in a good location near the piano (test before the recital if at all possible). These small devices are unobtrusive, and can get quality recordings if placed properly. You could use this recording to supplement/replace your existing camera's audio as described above ~ $150 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/599284-REG/Tascam_DR_07_DR_07_Portable_Digital_Audio.html)
3) You can buy a camcorder with an external microphone jack and get a wireless mic system or a shotgun mic (think teleaudio to match your telephoto zoom). Unfortunately, you tend to get what you pay for on this. Decent ones start at $75 and you still have to figure out where to position the microphone. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?ci=15708&N=4290441573+4293345063&Ns=p_PRICE_2%7C0
Shotgun microphones (the zoom version of a microphone) are very directional in it's pickup pattern, removing much of the side noise captured by built in microphones. $60+ http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/3646-REG/Azden_ECZ_990_ECZ_990_Super_Cardioid_Shotgun.html
Unless your existing videocamera has an external mic jack, you'll have to factor in the additional cost of a new camera with a microphone input. External microphone jacks have been removed from the feature list of most consumer camcorders. HD cameras with the external microphone jack tend to be ~ $800-$1000
What camcorder should I buy? 1000$ budget.?
Paola
I have 1000 dollars to spend on it but obviously I don't need to spend it all. I do interviews and I want them to be in HQ. Don't care about the sound quality because I'm buying mics anyway. I want all these features
Manual Focus
Manual Iris
manual white balance
3 CCDs
Headphone Jack
manual Sound Control
Audio Inputs
Filter Ring
On top of all that, it should also have an auto-mode.
It needs to be user friendly. As user friendly as possible, that's the priority. I don't want to spend the rest of my life studying this thing...
I need to be able to travel with it, so durable or memory storage HAS to be decent (say I do an event, than 3 interviews).
I'd prefer to buy brand new.
Answer
At your price point, none meet your requirements...
Off the top of my head, the Sony HDR-FX7 meets all of your requirements (though I believe it is 3CMOS not 3CCD) other than price. As a miniDV tape based camcorder, your computer MUST have a firewire port to get the video from the digital tape into the computer for editing. USB-to-firewire cable/converter/adapter things do not work.
For mics, I suggest those which use XLR connectors - not consumer-grade 1/8" (3.5mm) connectors. So you need to also invest in a XLR adapter (like the juicedLink CX237).
For a case, I use Pelican 1500 (hmmm - maybe a 1550 - I forget) cases for my Sony HDR-FX1 and HDR-FX1000, so fitting a smaller HDR-FX7 should be fine.
You should also budget for a decent tripod (Manfrotto or Davis & Sanford), a high capacity rechargeable battery from Sony (the one that comes with the camcorder records for about 30 minutes; the NP-F970 will go for 5+ hours).
Each 60 minute miniDV tape will record up to about 63 minutes of high quality, low compression, HDV format video. I use Sony Premium tapes that are inexpensive (see tapestockonline.com, bhphtovideo.com or Frys Electronics among many retailers).
Consider video lights (LitePanel for on-camera lighting), wireless mics (I use Sennheiser G3 gear with the portable, camera-mountable, battery powered base stations)...
There's more, but this should get you started...
At your price point, none meet your requirements...
Off the top of my head, the Sony HDR-FX7 meets all of your requirements (though I believe it is 3CMOS not 3CCD) other than price. As a miniDV tape based camcorder, your computer MUST have a firewire port to get the video from the digital tape into the computer for editing. USB-to-firewire cable/converter/adapter things do not work.
For mics, I suggest those which use XLR connectors - not consumer-grade 1/8" (3.5mm) connectors. So you need to also invest in a XLR adapter (like the juicedLink CX237).
For a case, I use Pelican 1500 (hmmm - maybe a 1550 - I forget) cases for my Sony HDR-FX1 and HDR-FX1000, so fitting a smaller HDR-FX7 should be fine.
You should also budget for a decent tripod (Manfrotto or Davis & Sanford), a high capacity rechargeable battery from Sony (the one that comes with the camcorder records for about 30 minutes; the NP-F970 will go for 5+ hours).
Each 60 minute miniDV tape will record up to about 63 minutes of high quality, low compression, HDV format video. I use Sony Premium tapes that are inexpensive (see tapestockonline.com, bhphtovideo.com or Frys Electronics among many retailers).
Consider video lights (LitePanel for on-camera lighting), wireless mics (I use Sennheiser G3 gear with the portable, camera-mountable, battery powered base stations)...
There's more, but this should get you started...
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