So after really exploring things on youtube, watching videos shot by the canon vixias, I really don't know any other camera I could get that is as cheap as this camera seems to be, as well as being as high quality as I need.

Personally, I love the quality and look this video was able to achieve (view in high quality to see) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...Cm6Y&feature=related and it says it was shot on a HV20 which seems to be a old version of the Vixia. It also says it was shot with a 35mm adapter, guessing this is a optional lens? Down on the specs it also says something about a Nikon, dunno what it means there (doesn't seem like to cams were used?)

Anyway the Vixia cams universally seem really high quality, but everyone says its hard to edit the footage because it's in HD and computers supposedly can't handle whatever format the vids are in. Is this true (and does it apply to new computers?) Is this really the best camera/format (for the price) or should I be getting something cheaper/easier that ends up being just as high quality?

It's just, I'm shooting a straight-to-dvd film soon, something that, while looking artistic and 'soft' in the tone of the film, I still need it to be high quality enough to look realistic on large tv's and stuff, I need a camera good enough to give me a film that will look good enough to be noticed by distributers and I'm very, very stressed at the moment because I just don't know what camera I need..... I can't spend more than 1,000$ on it, but I truly need the best camera I can get, one that truly stands out film-wise.

So is the vixia series truly the best way to go, or is it really over-hyped? And if I got a camera of this series, which one would be the exact one that would be best for my situation? Are there any real differences between the ones that cost 600$ as opposed to 2000$?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CSmitty,

The Vixia series of cameras is great to start from. It's not so much the HD that makes it hard, but the codec that is used is difficult for some machines to process.

It depends on your computer specs and the NLE (editing software) you'll be using. If you're using one that natively accepts AVCHD (I believe that's the codec that these little cameras use?) then you should be okay.

If your editing software does not, then you're better off transcoding the footage to an easier on the system codec to edit from. It does seem a little difficult, but there are plenty of guides and people to help you on your journey.

As for price differences in the series, just off the top of my head I would think factors like SD only, HDD only, different hard drive sizes or SD + HDD would be contributing factors to varied prices within the series.

Personally, I would rather use SD cards because I'm not a huge HDD camera fan (too many moving parts for me).

A 35mm adapter is an adapter that mounts in front of your camera lens. A still SLR lens is then used with the adapter to obtain different looks. It helps create a more "film-like" image.

Now, I realize you're just starting out and DSLR video is as well and it might be over-complicating things a little bit...however, a lot of people (myself included) have gone in this direction lately. You get that nice shallow DOF that is often seen in films (sometimes a little too overused, especially in student ones) and a modular system (you can use different lenses and accessories, but this can quickly add up in cost).

It is also a pretty decent still camera (the one in your price range would be the newly released Canon T2i). However, a variety of accessories would be needed to make it a complete video system, so that's just an idea if shallow DOF and 35mm type "look" was important to you.

Concluding notes are that you can't go wrong with the Vixia line of cameras. They really produce stunning imagery and it'll be fantastic to learn on. You also have enough resolution to be blown up on an HDTV and look good. Any other questions, feel free to shoot me a PM or I'll try to check back in on the thread.

Best of luck,

Kegan

Really, the main things I'm worried about, is wether things like 1080p vs. 1080i really matter (I think the Vixia is only capable of 1080i), wether anything beyond the standard frame rates matter (The Vixia supposedly only records in 60i and somehow 'upscales' for anything else, which supposedly degrades.) and for the possibilities of this film actually catching on and becoming liked enough to earn a profit in theaters, what technical aspects truly matter when it comes to blowing it up on the bigscreen, like again if 1080i would work or wether it truly needs P.

It's just, despite always having a bit of trouble with learning about camera specifics (I'm not like totally ignorant about it lol, but I feel like there's a few things I just don't understand, and I don't have the money to truly find out for myself beforehand), I really do feel like my film is going to have a very broad appeal in the story and style (it's also a horror film) and I feel like it would be something a distributor like Lionsgate would just eat up.

While I may be just dreaming there lol, I truly do want to have what it takes to make a movie at least look like a 100% high standard film at least on DVD, and possibly on cinema screen. I just don't want to kick myself when this is over =[ to find out the recorded material doesn't have what it takes, just if by chance this thing ends up being good enough to be even distributed to a few theaters, if it truly ends up being good enough.