High Altitude A Problem?
by Catama Productions
on
Jul 29, 2008 at 12:08:15 am
Here is my scenario. I am a professional shooter about to embark on a pro-bono shoot to India. We are shooting a fund raising video for a school in Ladakh, in the northern part of India. Here are the problems I have. Can anyone help?
1. Are there cameras that won't work at 11,000 feet? I am going to be in the Himalayas, and have heard anecdotal info that suggests some cameras may have problems operating at that altitude. Has anyone run into this problem?
2. We have about $2000 for camera expenses. Rather than rent (our shoot will be for two weeks) I have suggested using consumer grade HD camcorders. I know you all shuddered right there. So am I. But we could buy two and have a backup this way. Our target area is very very remote, and I don't think B&H has an outlet there. So having two camera's covers me a little better I think.
But what cameras to buy? I have been looking at the Canon HF10, or the HV30, because those seemed to have the cleanest pictures when I put them into an HD monitor. But then there is the question of AVCHD versus HDV. Is one compression better than the other?
3. If you were going to the ends of the earth, where they turn off the electricity at night, and spend the winter drinking yak tea, what consumer camera (under $1000) would you bring?
4. Aside from batteries, charger, WA adapter, filters, tripod, what else should I bring?
This is my first shoot in a really remote area, and I want to get it right. I am thinking to myself "What would Survivorman Do?" Does anyone know what he shoots with?
Thanks
Allen Baldwin
Catama Productions
South Portland, ME
