BUYING A CAMERA
TIPS ON BUYING A CAMERA
What to look out for and which camera is best.
There are so many different cameras and so many different types of cameras that it's often difficult to know where to start. Hopefully this will make matters easier.
Useful Tips
TIP ONE: Beware of 1CCD Cameras
The quality of the picture is not good enough for broadcast or for lecture theatre screens.
TIP TWO: Don't buy a Hi8 camera
Hi8 cameras are not worth getting. The quality of the picture is not good enough for broadcast or for lecture theatre screens.
TIP THREE: Buying second-hand on eBay.
There are some great deals on eBay, but be careful. Most cameras will be outside their warrantee period. At worst you should budget for a possible £250 for subsequent repairs.
TIP FOUR: Don't buy a camera from America if you are going to use it in Europe, and vice versa.
American cameras are NTSC format, which is a totally different system from the PAL system used in Europe and most of Asia. If you are American, don't buy a PAL format camera from Europe. Only very expensive professional cameras can switch between PAL and NTSC.
TIP FIVE: Beware of the 'grey market'.
Many online bargains come from places like Hong Kong and Singapore. If you buy a camera there the dealer may claim that the manufacturer's guarantee is valid. But if the camera goes wrong, Sony, Canon, or whoever, may not honour the guarantee and say that you must send it back to the dealer, who may, or may not, be able to help you.
TIP SIX: Buy from reputable camera repair companies.
Camera repair companies such as O-Video or Visual Impact sell second-hand cameras that they have repaired themselves and they will give you a Guarantee. They are a bit more expensive, but it can save you lots of anxiety. See www.o-video.co.uk
TIP SEVEN: You need the right output socket. Any camera that you buy must have what is called a Firewire, or iLink, or IEEE output socket. Sometimes this is also called DV in/out. All these are names for the same thing. It means is that you can put the right cable from your camera into your computer to download your footage before editing it. Very cheap cameras, under £350, may not have this Firewire output. They will only have A/V, Composite, or S-Video output sockets. These are not good enough.
Useful websites
No one wants to spend too much money, but be warned; filmmaking isn't cheap. The cost of the camera may be half of what you need to spend in total. You'll also need a tripod, a good microphone and cables and a Beach Box, additional batteries, battery charger, solar panels, lights, Lastolite reflectors, a wide angle lens adapter, and a bag to carry it all in safely.
The most useful website on which to compare every available model of camera is. http://www.camcorderinfo.com/d/Reviews&level_b=Camcorder.htm .
It has reviews every camera available by make/brand, price, star rating, or format. I suggest you go to the Camcorder Pricing page
http://camcorderinfo.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=47/mode=cci_leftnavbarlink and then click on the "Sort by Rating" tab:
http://camcorderinfo.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=47/mode=cci_leftnavbarlink/sortby=rating
You will see that my favourite camera, the Sony DSR-PD170 3-CCD MiniDV, is rated seventh. Compare that with its price and you will understand why I like it so much
Camcorderinfo is a US site. So when you have found the camera you want, search for it on a UK website such as
http://www.purelygadgets.co.uk
or http://www.creativevideo.co.uk/public/productcat.php
or http://www.electronics-online.co.uk
or http://www.digibroadcast.com/prods/?f=pcrn&cid=1
or http://www.globalmediapro.com/do/category/camcorders
or http://www.videokit.co.uk or www.jigsaw24.com
or http://www.dvbuyer.co.uk
or http://www.tribaluk.com
What to look out for when buying a second-hand camera.
- 1. If you are buying second-hand, all good cameras have a function in their MENU that tells you how long the camera has already been run. Go into the MENU and find a tab called RUNTIME. In some cameras, particularly the Sony PD 150/170, it is the DRUM TIME that matters. This refers to the number of hours that the recording head has run. Below 500 hours is OK. The price should reflect this. The first thing that goes wrong with a camera is wear and tear on the DRUM (the recording head). If cheap tape has been used, or it has been used in dusty conditions and has received some knocks, it could be worn or out of line. Fitting a new recording head can cost from £250 to £750. The golden rule is that a camera will be past its use-by date if it has been run for over 1,000 hours. Below 500 hours is good.
- 2. Make sure the lens does not have any blemishes or scratches, mould growths or sand particles inside it.
- 3. Check that the camera works properly. Digitise or capture some footage onto your computer. Look at the playback for any specks on the picture that could come from a damaged lens. Listen to the sound through good headphones or a good speaker.
