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Cameras I'm Looking At, Need help for my son and I

613 views 15 replies 5 participants last post by  flintyplus 
#1 ·
Hello Everyone !

Please bear with me as I give a little background, and why I need help. Also, I am sure that many of the questions I have, and will have. will to many, if not most of you will seem elemental, and for that I ask for your patience and understanding.

I am new in the field, and need some help for my son (I'm a single dad, he is 24), who has Autism. My reason for seeking help here, is that given the relative lack of opportunities for a person with Autism to have a fulfilling life and employment career, I have thought about starting him in his own video production business, ultimately with the goal of selling his finished work. I will not go into details here, but I do believe there is a niche in which he is highly interested which has some possibilities.

I am a complete novice, and as with most things in his life,I will be there to teach him and help him along the way. As a newbie,I ask your forgiveness in advance for what I am sure will be many questions, but his challenges are my challenges, and I learned a long time ago that breaking things down into small steps, is for him, the most productive way to teach him a new skill. A quick word about my son. From my observation, he takes to technology VERY well. I am not saying he is a savant, but sometimes it sure seems like it. Sorry for the rather long introduction.

Please keep in mind that the goal is to sell DVD's of his production(s), in HD, BluRay, and UHD. I have pretty well decided, that a 4K "capable" camera is the way to go looking into the future, and I have looked into and researched many cameras. Among the ones I am considering are:
Panasonic
AG DVX 200
XCX 1000
AG UX 180
AG UX 90

JVC
GY HM 200
GY LS 300

Sony
PXW X 70
PXW Z 150
PXW Z 100
FDR AX 1
PXW FS 5

These are some of the cameras I am considering and is not meant to be all inclusive. By all means, if anyone has any other ideas, please let me know. What I am looking for, is a very shallow learning curve, relatively speaking of course. Ideally something as close as point and shoot as we can get, and still fill our needs. I know that the JVC LS 300 and the Sony FS 5, allow the use of different lenses, so they probably will not be in final consideration, but, who knows. I know that it is the photographer, or in this case, the videographer that makes the video, but we need all the help (camera) that we can get. At this point, I would have to say, that nearly 100% of the shooting will be done from a tripod. I will be purchasing two cameras, with one as a back up (we will be traveling for our shoots, and I thought it would be wise to have a back up. I know that many of you will at least think that perhaps I should be looking at something a little less complicated, but it is harder by far, for him anyway , to "unteach" a skill learned and try to teach a similar skill a different way. It would be "easier" to teach the skill on the camera he will be using for production. Any thoughts/insights on the cameras I have listed, or any others will be appreciated.

I have "looked" at the cameras listed above, but my fundamental lack of knowledge has led me here to seek guidance and insight to try and shorten the learning curve for me and my son. As we go along, I will have many other questions, and I thank all of you in advance for any help and advice you are willing to give . With him and his needs included, I have a full day now, but I am willing to put in the work to learn the things I need in order to make things understandable for him.

Thanks,
Michael and Mackenzie
 
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#2 ·
This is, generally, a consumer camera forum. Most that post here find that better "consumer" cameras make better videos. Why? Because the need for broadcast or cinema workflows is not necessary. For example, XLR audio is rarely needed or used. Consequently, you may not get any replies about the qualities of your listed of cameras. Few, if any, forum participants here use them.

On this forum, you are more likely to get opinions and recommendations for cameras like the Sony RX10 III or the Sony AX100.
 
#7 ·
Flintyplus, Thanks for the info, and yes I did mistype HC-X1000. Our shooting will be 99.9% outdoors. With your experience with the HC-X1000, is it a camera that could get the job done ? How is it in auto mode ? What is the learning curve like ? I have lots more questions, but for now these will do. Thanks for your attention.

Thanks,

Michael and Mackenzie
 
#4 ·
At this point, I would have to say, that nearly 100% of the shooting will be done from a tripod. I will be purchasing two cameras, with one as a back up (we will be traveling for our shoots, and I thought it would be wise to have a back up. I know that many of you will at least think that perhaps I should be looking at something a little less complicated, but it is harder by far, for him anyway , to "unteach" a skill learned and try to teach a similar skill a different way. It would be "easier" to teach the skill on the camera he will be using for production. Any thoughts/insights on the cameras I have listed, or any others will be appreciated.
Can't really say without knowing how the lighting/range/montion will be, but they'll probably all do technically. I wouldn't start anyone off with just a pro camera though, savant or not. My recommendation is to get two different ones, a real simple point and shoot consumer camera like say the Panasonic HC-VX870 and a big sensora camera like the Panasonic AG-DVX200. Don't teach him and then try to unteach him, but use the P&S as training wheels. Take a shot with the P&S first (nothing but start/stop/zoom) - it will probably look okay but not great. Then try with the pro camera, in the beginning it will be much harder and look much worse. Most likely he will need to learn to use the focus, zoom and iris rings on manual to get the shot he wants. If he gets the hang of it quick that's great, but I wouldn't push it if it takes a few months. I'd say the biggest reason for using the P&S though it to think more on what he will be shooting and why. There's lots and lots of very, very boring but technically good video that doesn't tell a good story. He probably needs more feedback on that than the camera work. Also you will want to leave most your video in the editing room. The more green you are, the more takes you will need. Good cameras is actually quite cheap, they're often better than those both in front of and behind the camera these days.
 
#6 ·
KjellRS, Thank you so much for the reply !

You are not wrong, and I have considered what you have said already, and it may ultimately be the case that I end up buying three cameras instead of two. I do know that it will take an extended time in the "training" phase, but then again, everything he has learned to do has taken an extended time frame to learn in comparison to what most people take for granted. That is one of the reasons I wanted everyone's opinion(s) on the cameras. If there is one that is closest to point and shoot, I could build on "easy" success, and slowly over time integrate the more complicated manual features.

Shooting conditions will be 99.9% outdoors, and as I have said, nearly 100% off a tripod. I've also pretty strongly considered buying an external monitor, hoping that that will somewhat facilitate the learning process.

I do realize that we will have to shoot hours and hours of video to eventually come up with enough usable footage. I will try to teach him "best practice", but ultimately it will be his project and from shooting through editing in the final analysis it will be his "story" and his perceptions that will be the final product. I can't wait ! This may be one way to get an insight into how he perceives his world.
 
#9 ·
P &Struefan , thank you for your advice. I will ask you the same question that I asked KjellRS, in your opinion, how is the "auto" mode of the cameras that I listed or others that come to mind ? Buying an "easier" camera may well end up being what I have to do, but if I can skip that step (and the extra $800-$1000) that would be great, hence my inquiry into the auto performance of these cameras.


Thanks,

Michael
 
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