Every Indie filmmaker has their own personal camcorder preference. For me, it's Canon.
It all began after purchasing a Sony EX3. Great camera. I would
highly suggest them for any low/no budget feature. Provided you have a
lens adapter. But for the typical on-the-go, low-budget indie filmmaker,
the Sony EX3 is just too big. It's an overkill. The camcorder has an
array of tantalizing and blissful menu features that excite any camera
operator. But once again, overkill.
After deciding to sell my Sony EX3, I was developing my film The Aftermath: A 2012 Story.
I needed some sort of camcorder to film my next project, but knew I
didn't have any money for a crew and and several days of production. (Even a crew working for free needs to be fed). I decided to shoot The Aftermath: A 2012 Story
in a documentary style of filmmaking. This would reduce the amount of
"traditional" crew members needed on set. A camcorder needed for such a
task must be simple to operate and maneuver, much like a consumer
camcorder, yet still have features to give me a little filmmaking
flexibility. (Not like the ginormous camcorder used in filming Paranormal Activity- That's just unrealistic and lame). This is when I decided to look into prosumer camcorders.
Being a previous Sony owner, I toyed with several prosumer Sony
camcorders at the local Best Buy. As nice as they were, I just couldn't
fully grasp their menu system. Ease of access via the menu system is a
pet-peeve of mine and Sony just didn't deliver. After a few frustrating
moments, I decided to play with the Canon Vixia. I instantly understood
the workflow and layout of the menu system and felt right at home. Thus,
Canon had me from their menu layout.
I still use the Canon Vixia HF S100. It is a great prosumer HD
camcorder with "comparable" HD quality video and depth of field that
stands solid against other high end camcorders. Earlier this year Canon
released a new version of their Vixia, the HF G10, which is a step closer to professional camcorders and still retains the prosumer camcorder features. The Canon XA10
is another superb camcorder that offers 2 XLR sound inputs. Bringing
their prosumer camcorder even closer to professional grade.
So, that is how I became a Canon fan. They had me at the menu.
Thanks and good filming!
Trent Duncan
www.OnlineFilmSchoolBootCamp.com
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