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1080p Family Camera


Jeremy Mayhew

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Hey Everyone,

 

 

Any cinematographer fathers out there? What cameras do your families use for home movies?

 

I'm a independent filmmaker and motion designer. My wife and I are about to have twins soon and I'd love to buy a camera for her this holiday that she could use (she's not in the field) but would still offer delicious 1080p as well as good quality audio. I've got a 7D and assortment of pro lenses but want something more compact and manageable for her.

 

I've been looking around and read some nice things about a few cameras:

 

Canon VIXIA HF M400

 

Panasonic HDC-TM90K

 

Sanyo VPC-CG20

 

Sony HDR-PJ10

 

I'm also very curious about the Panasonic Lumix GF2

 

What do your families use? Thanks for any suggestions!

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Hey Everyone,

 

 

Any cinematographer fathers out there? What cameras do your families use for home movies?

 

I'm a independent filmmaker and motion designer. My wife and I are about to have twins soon and I'd love to buy a camera for her this holiday that she could use (she's not in the field) but would still offer delicious 1080p as well as good quality audio. I've got a 7D and assortment of pro lenses but want something more compact and manageable for her.

 

I've been looking around and read some nice things about a few cameras:

 

Canon VIXIA HF M400

 

Panasonic HDC-TM90K

 

Sanyo VPC-CG20

 

Sony HDR-PJ10

 

I'm also very curious about the Panasonic Lumix GF2

 

What do your families use? Thanks for any suggestions!

 

Well, I've adapted over the years as technology changes so there hasn't been just one camera we've used to capture family memories. In fact, my first child's birth was captured with Super 8 film!

 

After that, we bought a few standard def video cameras over the years, as that was what was offered at a reasonable price for home use.

 

But my most recent purchase has been really great and I wish I could have had it the entire time our kids have been growing up. http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666294237 It's "HD," shoots at 23.98fps, has a solid state memory as well as space for an additional SD card (though I never fill the solid state before downloading). It's incredibly easy to use and quite small. The built in mic has been astonishing in most situations. I even shot a few things on set for studio promotional material with it and the execs who saw/heard it wanted to know what I shot it on. IT really is impressive, especially for the price.

 

 

It's definitely on the top end of the price range for a consumer camera, but well worth it. I hope this one lasts for a while.

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The iPhone 4S does record 1080p video. Not too bad image-wise in decent light and noisy in low light as expected. The audio is usable within the realm of tiny hand held cameras. You can suck the media off via iPhoto and then import it into iMovie or Final Cut Pro (7) for editing. Haven't tried to get at the media on a Windows box.

 

I've been impressed with the Panasonic cameras. I've used a Panasonic TM900K and think it is a very nice looking camera.

I sent one on a research trip to Africa and it held up nicely in remote rural conditions. I like that it has a headphone jack because TV is just radio with pictures...right?

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/749839-REG/Panasonic_HDC_TM900K_HDC_TM900_High_Definition_Camcorder.html

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Well, I've adapted over the years as technology changes so there hasn't been just one camera we've used to capture family memories. In fact, my first child's birth was captured with Super 8 film!

 

After that, we bought a few standard def video cameras over the years, as that was what was offered at a reasonable price for home use.

 

But my most recent purchase has been really great and I wish I could have had it the entire time our kids have been growing up. http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666294237 It's "HD," shoots at 23.98fps, has a solid state memory as well as space for an additional SD card (though I never fill the solid state before downloading). It's incredibly easy to use and quite small. The built in mic has been astonishing in most situations. I even shot a few things on set for studio promotional material with it and the execs who saw/heard it wanted to know what I shot it on. IT really is impressive, especially for the price.

 

 

It's definitely on the top end of the price range for a consumer camera, but well worth it. I hope this one lasts for a while.

 

 

Wow. This camera looks really sweet. It's a bit more than I was thinking of spending but now you've got me thinking. Thanks for sharing!

Edited by Jeremy Mayhew
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The iPhone 4S does record 1080p video. Not too bad image-wise in decent light and noisy in low light as expected. The audio is usable within the realm of tiny hand held cameras. You can suck the media off via iPhoto and then import it into iMovie or Final Cut Pro (7) for editing. Haven't tried to get at the media on a Windows box.

 

I've been impressed with the Panasonic cameras. I've used a Panasonic TM900K and think it is a very nice looking camera.

I sent one on a research trip to Africa and it held up nicely in remote rural conditions. I like that it has a headphone jack because TV is just radio with pictures...right?

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/749839-REG/Panasonic_HDC_TM900K_HDC_TM900_High_Definition_Camcorder.html

 

 

I'll take a look. Thanks for the suggestion Brian!

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