Grateful Dead Music Forum

We need one for taping our gigs. Any recommendations? Something reliable with good video and audio.

What's your price range? I've done a ton of video production using anything from a Flip camera to a JVC ENG camera. What video editor are you planning on using?

I've had good results with a kodak zi8 for under $150.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJJUZw0k09M

I'd say under $500. No idea on editing, but PC based rather than Mac.

Here are my thoughts - I like this Sony Cam:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/6 ... dycam.html

or this JVC cam:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/7 ... 120GB.html
They both have 120gb drives - I'd give the Sony the edge in the lens and the JVC has a bigger optical zoom.

The mics are probably both pretty decent - downside neither one has a mic input - a nice feature since good camera placement doesn't always = good mic placement.

My other thought is that depending on the end use you might think of getting 2 cheaper ones and place them on opposites sides so you can cut back and forth which makes a more interesting video - takes some editing time though. This is a good idea if you're making video for others to see and not just yourselves - especially as a video demo.

Here's something new and inexpensive that is moving into the Flip Camera vacuum:
http://www.gizmag.com/samsung-w200-rugg ... der/18476/
They're gonna be pretty cheap when they come out next month ($169). The audio may be sketchy - if you have a way to record audio separately that would be a good idea no matter what camera you use. As to editing programs - I recently had to teach a class with students using the new Windows Movie Maker and it totally sucks IMHO. They removed a lot of features that made editing easy. Finding a decent editing program would be a good idea. If you or someone you know is in college or have a kid in high school I'd look into an education version of Adobe Premiere. I'm a Mac guy so I'm not super familiar with any other programs but I used Premiere a bunch in my corporate job and it's pretty cool (not as cool as Final Cut Pro). It's also well integrated with Photoshop so you can do titles, overlays, etc.

PaulJay wrote:I've had good results with a kodak zi8 for under $150.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJJUZw0k09M

I also have a Kodak Zi8 (I think it was $126 at Best Buy last summer). I like the Audio Line In feature (record direct from a board or use a live stereo mic), although it would be nicer if you could turn off the Auto-Leveling (it's kind of like compression). I just leave it at the 50% default and it doesn't bug me too bad.
The onboard mono mic works pretty good, too.
I have the remote control for it, which is really nice for recording yourself (as in... OK... take 26... Red-Eye Fred-Eye??? ).

Thanks for all the useful info.

DenverEd wrote:We need one for taping our gigs. Any recommendations? Something reliable with good video and audio.

I am impressed with the little Flip HD cam my wife has. First use was last Saturday:
forum/viewtopic.php?f=343&t=10389

mijknahs wrote:

DenverEd wrote:We need one for taping our gigs. Any recommendations? Something reliable with good video and audio.

I am impressed with the little Flip HD cam my wife has. First use was last Saturday:
forum/viewtopic.php?f=343&t=10389

Those are cool little cameras - I haven't used them for music though I edited a video that won an national award for a hotel company that was shot with those cameras. Doesn't have the resolution of my $6k JVC but they're super convenient and cost effective. It's been my experience that you can get a cool result with a cheaper camera if you have good audio. That Samsung that I mentioned would be similar too.

For the ease of use and decent Photo and audio the HD Flip cams are great. My buddy Will uses one for his performances sometimes. Also he was able to sync aud and SBD recordings via software... So I agree with Jim...^^^

Here is the Vid for reference he did with muli camera, pretty cool. This was kinda a test of the system.. you can hear he moved the SBD and aud recordings plus pan L&R in and out you can tell the differences in the sound as the vid goes... it gives you a good idea the difference in sound you get from both....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj63bnj7CIE

I’ve been using a Sony HDR-MV1 for a few years. Most video cameras are fairly weak on audio quality. This Sony is the opposite. It is designed as a high quality audio recorder that also captures video. The video portion is fairly basic - a good quality lens set at a slight fish-eye. No zoom. It is designed to record a band, so I can place it pretty close to the stage and still get the whole band in the frame (reason for the fish-eye lens). It links up with my iPad, so I can see the frame and turn it on/off from my mic stand mounted iPad as I play. I’ve made many videos for youtube using this camera.

Bill, tgo

lbpesq wrote: ↑Thu Apr 23, 2020 10:28 am I’ve been using a Sony HDR-MV1 for a few years. Most video cameras are fairly weak on audio quality. This Sony is the opposite. It is designed as a high quality audio recorder that also captures video. The video portion is fairly basic - a good quality lens set at a slight fish-eye. No zoom. It is designed to record a band, so I can place it pretty close to the stage and still get the whole band in the frame (reason for the fish-eye lens). It links up with my iPad, so I can see the frame and turn it on/off from my mic stand mounted iPad as I play. I’ve made many videos for youtube using this camera.

Bill, tgo

I have the same one and it does a great job, but the rechargeable batteries don't last very long. I've had a fully charged battery not last two hours and there is no way to use external power that I can find. I've had it run out during a set.

hippieguy1954 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 24, 2020 8:57 am

lbpesq wrote: ↑Thu Apr 23, 2020 10:28 am I’ve been using a Sony HDR-MV1 for a few years. Most video cameras are fairly weak on audio quality. This Sony is the opposite. It is designed as a high quality audio recorder that also captures video. The video portion is fairly basic - a good quality lens set at a slight fish-eye. No zoom. It is designed to record a band, so I can place it pretty close to the stage and still get the whole band in the frame (reason for the fish-eye lens). It links up with my iPad, so I can see the frame and turn it on/off from my mic stand mounted iPad as I play. I’ve made many videos for youtube using this camera.

Bill, tgo

I have the same one and it does a great job, but the rechargeable batteries don't last very long. I've had a fully charged battery not last two hours and there is no way to use external power that I can find. I've had it run out during a set.

Saw this on Amazon:

Question:
What power adaptor can I use for this camera, so it can work while charging? I cannot find Sony AC-UD10 anywhere? Is there a different one I can use?
Answer:
I use a USB cable into a cell phone charger. Once you start recording, you can plug the AC in and run off that while charging. But you cannot plug the USB in first and just run off AC. Its a weird system that makes no sense, but it works if you just start recording THEN insert AC/USB, so I just run with it.
Branford Marsalis
· August 11, 2019

The camera has a power input and can run on a power supply. I run an extension cord to the tripod in front of the band and run the camera on external power. You will find the instructions of how to do this on Page 39 of the User Guide, available for free online.

Here’s the power supply:

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-AC-Adapter- ... B00D5QBNG6


Bill, tgo

tdcrjeff wrote:

hippieguy1954 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 24, 2020 8:57 am

lbpesq wrote: ↑Thu Apr 23, 2020 10:28 am I’ve been using a Sony HDR-MV1 for a few years. Most video cameras are fairly weak on audio quality. This Sony is the opposite. It is designed as a high quality audio recorder that also captures video. The video portion is fairly basic - a good quality lens set at a slight fish-eye. No zoom. It is designed to record a band, so I can place it pretty close to the stage and still get the whole band in the frame (reason for the fish-eye lens). It links up with my iPad, so I can see the frame and turn it on/off from my mic stand mounted iPad as I play. I’ve made many videos for youtube using this camera.

Bill, tgo

I have the same one and it does a great job, but the rechargeable batteries don't last very long. I've had a fully charged battery not last two hours and there is no way to use external power that I can find. I've had it run out during a set.

Saw this on Amazon:

Question:
What power adaptor can I use for this camera, so it can work while charging? I cannot find Sony AC-UD10 anywhere? Is there a different one I can use?
Answer:
I use a USB cable into a cell phone charger. Once you start recording, you can plug the AC in and run off that while charging. But you cannot plug the USB in first and just run off AC. Its a weird system that makes no sense, but it works if you just start recording THEN insert AC/USB, so I just run with it.
Branford Marsalis
· August 11, 2019

lbpesq wrote: ↑Fri Apr 24, 2020 10:09 am The camera has a power input and can run on a power supply. I run an extension cord to the tripod in front of the band and run the camera on external power. You will find the instructions of how to do this on Page 39 of the User Guide, available for free online.

Here’s the power supply:

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-AC-Adapter- ... B00D5QBNG6


Bill, tgo

Thanks fells! I couldn't find one a couple yrs ago.