[epic meal time]

hey guys, I love making videos, editing videos, and all that stuff, i was wondering what the best camera is for making a paintball video form the sidelines? something that is tough, has great quality, can do well in slow-motion and can take a huge hit

PRICE RANGE: UNDER $500

[etekgirl27]

moving to the photography section

[epic meal time]

haha thanks, i wasnt sure where else to put this, its for video taping though, so maybe videos? idk

[etekgirl27]

if youre looking for strictly a video camera then I would look at some of the canon vixias....if you want something for pictures too I would look at the canon t1i or t2i, i'm sure nikon has some in that price but I'm not familiar with them

[epic meal time]

etekgirl27, on 21 January 2012 - 09:23 PM, said:

if youre looking for strictly a video camera then I would look at some of the canon vixias....if you want something for pictures too I would look at the canon t1i or t2i, i'm sure nikon has some in that price but I'm not familiar with them

ya i checked out the t3i, is that a good one? i would also like lens options

[IhasAcellular]

epic meal time, on 21 January 2012 - 09:41 PM, said:

etekgirl27, on 21 January 2012 - 09:23 PM, said:

if youre looking for strictly a video camera then I would look at some of the canon vixias....if you want something for pictures too I would look at the canon t1i or t2i, i'm sure nikon has some in that price but I'm not familiar with them

ya i checked out the t3i, is that a good one? i would also like lens options

T3i's are good cameras. You're going to want a telephoto lens as well. The 18-135mm kit lens should get you by for a while, when you have the money to spend maybe pick up a used 70-200mm L lens for $450 or so.

[epic meal time]

ok, thanks. How much would i be expecting to pay for a t3i? new or used

[sticktodrum]

It depends on what kind of video you want to end up with, and how involved you want to become with setting exposure and dealing with lenses. The T3i is a great camera so long as you know the downsides to shooting with a DSLR from the beginning.

I recommend you research DSLR filming problems, and just understand what they are before you purchase something. They aren't particularly debilitating, but something you should be aware of.

Also, you should understand that you'll be pulling focus manually, constantly. Depending on the exposure you set, the lighting conditions, and the lens, you may or may not have to constantly be focusing on a subject. It's not at all like a camcorder that has constant autofocus. Pulling focus is something you'll have to practice constantly to be able to do it effectively. Also, do research on understanding depth of field. So many people don't really take any time to know what it is, and think that depth of field is just the blurring of the background. It gets more complicated than you'd think, and understanding how it works with relation to a chosen lens, focal length, sensor size (the T3i being a crop sensor), etc. is something that's I think is very important.

As for lenses, expect to spend amounts of money proportional to the quality you want. The kit lens is fine, and telephoto lenses get very expensive. You'll notice that variable apertures of some lenses (f3.5-5.6). The aperture closes as you zoom in, and this is the case in many other lenses. If you're recording, you'll notice the stops in light change as you zoom, and it will be recorded. Lenses with fixed aperture values are much much more expensive.

These are all things to keep in mind when you make the decision to shoot with a DSLR. There are many more, but just understand that to get a certain look, you have to understand the downsides. I love my T3i, and shooting with a DSLR is something I see myself doing until I can afford a true cinema camera, so I took the time to understand as much as possible.

My t3i with the kit lens set me back about $740, and my 30mm f1.4 prime set me back another $500 or so.

[epic meal time]

ok, well whats the best camcorder under 500? haha

[sticktodrum]

Look through these results:

http://www.amazon.co...%2Ck%3Avixia+hf

[epic meal time]

how is this?: http://www.amazon.co...TF8&me=&seller=

sticktodrum, on 22 January 2012 - 02:10 PM, said:

Look through these results:

http://www.amazon.co...%2Ck%3Avixia+hf

i want something that can shoot video that can be slowed down and not be choppy, like atleast 60 fps

[sticktodrum]

You're only going to get 60fps, unless you search for a camera that specifically has the ability to shoot high speed video. So, there really isn't any "at least 60fps". Also, in most cases with camcorders in this price range, you're going to have 60fps interlaced, so it's not a progressive scan framerate.

Doing slow motion video properly will (at this point) depend more on your software that you use in post. None of that stuff is particularly cheap, or easy to learn if you have no experience with that kind of stuff. I recommend doing some research on the kind of final product you're looking for, and then work your way backwards from there.

[epic meal time]

i use sony vegas pro 11

[IhasAcellular]

epic meal time, on 22 January 2012 - 04:16 PM, said:

i use sony vegas pro 11

Just having a piece of editing software isn't really the problem. Knowing how to use it, and learning about the specific plugins to get a good slow motion effect is the issue. With a plugin like Twixtor, you can slow down 60 fps footage and get a smooth slow motion effect.

All high end software can pretty much output the same work, its just how you get there.

This post has been edited by IhasAcellular: 22 January 2012 - 11:53 PM

[epic meal time]

well i will watch tutorials and just mess around with things

[Kermit]

It's amazing how far cameras have come in only 5 years. I use a canon XL2 for work, and it was a $4500 camera at the time. A $400 T2i will take better video nowadays.

I'd suggest going DSLR, you can find them for $400 used easily, and you can get a fair performing lens for a under $200. DSLR's offer a much better platform for shooting paintball In my honest opinion.

[epic meal time]

Kermit, on 23 January 2012 - 06:51 PM, said:

It's amazing how far cameras have come in only 5 years. I use a canon XL2 for work, and it was a $4500 camera at the time. A $400 T2i will take better video nowadays.

I'd suggest going DSLR, you can find them for $400 used easily, and you can get a fair performing lens for a under $200. DSLR's offer a much better platform for shooting paintball In my honest opinion.

but what about manual focusing?

This post has been edited by epic meal time: 23 January 2012 - 07:23 PM

[Kermit]

epic meal time, on 23 January 2012 - 07:23 PM, said:

Kermit, on 23 January 2012 - 06:51 PM, said:

It's amazing how far cameras have come in only 5 years. I use a canon XL2 for work, and it was a $4500 camera at the time. A $400 T2i will take better video nowadays.

I'd suggest going DSLR, you can find them for $400 used easily, and you can get a fair performing lens for a under $200. DSLR's offer a much better platform for shooting paintball In my honest opinion.

but what about manual focusing?

You do have to manual focus on most DSLR's while recording video. After a while it does become second nature and with practice, can offer more precision. Kind of like a car, there are reasons that performance drivers drive standard transmission cars

[epic meal time]

Kermit, on 23 January 2012 - 08:12 PM, said:

epic meal time, on 23 January 2012 - 07:23 PM, said:

Kermit, on 23 January 2012 - 06:51 PM, said:

It's amazing how far cameras have come in only 5 years. I use a canon XL2 for work, and it was a $4500 camera at the time. A $400 T2i will take better video nowadays.

I'd suggest going DSLR, you can find them for $400 used easily, and you can get a fair performing lens for a under $200. DSLR's offer a much better platform for shooting paintball In my honest opinion.

but what about manual focusing?

You do have to manual focus on most DSLR's while recording video. After a while it does become second nature and with practice, can offer more precision. Kind of like a car, there are reasons that performance drivers drive standard transmission cars

ah! haha got it, i shall pursue this idea of mine! haha

[sticktodrum]

If you go with a DSLR, there are things to keep in mind in terms of using it on the field.

Most kit lenses (the 18-55mm stock lens, and similar quality cheaper lenses) look just fine, but aren't as durable. The body of a t2i or t3i is robust enough to take the impact of a paintball hit, but that category of lens isn't going to hold up to being shot many times. The plastic on those kit lenses is a bit flimsy, and you should be mindful of that.

As far as both the camera and the lens, the paint getting into the ports, and crevices of the camera are going to do much more harm than the actual force of the hit. Use protection against the paint with any camera. With the camcorder, I'd use a painter''s tape to tape over the ports and crevices, which would protect most of the areas and still be able to be peeled off without problems. For the DSLR, look into cheap rain bags, or just rig up a plastic shopping bag. It'll likely cause noise with your internal microphone, but if you're doing videos where you don't use the audio taken from the camera, then it's not a problem. If you want to use camera audio, then at some point look into an external microphone.