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#25
Videography Newbie...
divejunkiedeb - 3/18/2009 12:51 PM
Category: Videography
Replies: 4



"Newbie to videography and would like more information on suggestions for equipment that would not break the bank..."


CAMERAS


Looking for a camera that will lead me into the future and will not be too outdated upon purchase and quality for the money with good versatitility plus housing.


STROBES


Would it be necessary to get into strobes at first?


EDITING PROGRAMS


Programs for editing, easy to use and provides all the basics plus room to grow into.


TRAVEL


I travel a lot so weight and size is always an issue along with all my equipment which I already try to shed and travel to bare minimum.


Thank you, I appreciate your input.


divejunkiedeb :-)
#10
dreymers - 3/18/2009 2:23 PM


I just purchased the Bonica Snapper HDDV. It was the cheapest and most compact one I could find in the Hi-Def arena. It is a video camera but will also take 5 megapixel still photographs. I’m happy with the results, and just starting out with underwater video I didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg, so I’m happy with the proce too. One thing is the audio is not good - it picks up the sound of the auto-focus motor - but for underwater I don’t really care much about the audio. You can see my test runs on YouTube - search for dreymers: these are relatively shallow dives (30 feet approx) so the natural lighting was pretty good.


I decided not to get a light for it yet, because of my budget. So I can’t really offer you any advise on lights. When the time comes, I will get a video light instead of a strobe, since I primarily am using it for video and not stills. 
#10
dreymers - 3/18/2009 2:33 PM
Oh...also: I’d recommend getting a wide-angle lens. It makes a big difference and will allow you to both shoot a larger area and make your video much smoother, since it takes less movement to pan around. You’ll be much happier with the results, which is important when just starting IMHO.
#8046
Rich-D-Fish - 3/19/2009 12:26 AM


I just bought a new camera with the same issues in mind. I want to take hi res photos, would love to take HD vid, and need it compact yet affordable. I settled on the new Sea and Sea DX1200HD. A lot of great reviews in all the magazines, many best choice awards. I wish I could give you an underwater report, but I’m not diving with it until next weekend. I have been taking tons of land pics with it though. 12MP photos + HD videos look really nice so far. Software that came with is really easy to use. I can honestly say it’s the easiest camera I’ve owned so far as far as navigating the different modes and various screens. Also tiny pocket size with a very small housing. Another plus is you can buy a wide angle lense to wet mount underwater (bad news is they don’t make a lens caddy for it yet so you have to create something - I put the lens in an old neoprene glove and in a pocket). The entire cost is $599 including the camera and housing. Great deal for what you get. If you shop around you might even be able to shave some money off that price. Happy hunting! 
#25
Subscribed
divejunkiedeb - 3/19/2009 3:03 AM
Thank you for your comments and suggestions. It will help start my search...I appreciate your input! ;-) djd