Best HD-camera-brand for filming at night?
by Andreas Sweden
on
Nov 3, 2007 at 9:07:36 pm
My production company is to invest in new HD cameras for documentary filming.
Today we have a variety of Canon, Sony and Panasonic cameras that we have purchased over a period of 5 years but now we are looking into investing in 8-10 HD cameras and don't know what brand to go with.
A lot of the stuff we do is filmed by night and we have discovered that the Sonys are superior to for instance the Canon XL1 since the canon turns very dark and red.
We use cameras of different price range everything from consumer to pro cameras. Can we use our previous experience with DV when it comes to selecting brand for HD?
Are the canons still dark and red at night with the newer HD cameras?
Re: Best HD-camera-brand for filming at night? by Kevin Shaw on Nov 4, 2007 at 3:40:02 am
This is a widely debated topic which may be resolved soon by the introduction of the Sony PMW-EX1 camera, which has larger sensors than any other HD camera under $10K and hence could be the best choice for low-light shooting. Other than that the Sony FX1 and Z1U have the least image noise in low light but tend to have muted colors, while the Canon HDV cameras have a brighter/crisper image but with more image noise issues. I haven't been impressed by the JVC HDV cameras for low-light use, and the Panasonic HVX200 hasn't gotten particularly good reviews in this regard either.
I use two Sony FX1s and have learned to get usable shots with them in poor lighting, but in general HD cameras are more challenging to use in dim light than the best DV cameras. Allow some time to learn your best shooting and editing options when working with HD in dim light.
