Camcorder - basic shooting

[kj1983]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a basic camcorder under $300.

I go to certain event such as live music performance, dance performance last about an hour or less. It is usually indoor, once awhile it is outside.
I stand like 10-20 feet away from the performers. I want to capture their performance in HD (1920x1080p).
Mostly I will put it on tripod, move around once awhile if needed to record the event. Plug into AC power adapter to record the entire event.
Maybe have a remote control to stop/start recording when I'm away from the tripod.

I was looking at these camcorders and did a comparison. I cannot tell what is the major difference.

HDR-CX405/B
HDR-CX440/B


Any recommendation beside Sony camcorder? thanks all

[Cornucopia]

They are identical except: the 440 has Image stabilization + WiFi/sharing + 8GB internal memory, while the 405 does NOT.

The 440 is a pretty decent cam for $250.

Note that if you shoot the XAVC-S, AND you want to edit, you'll have to have a pretty beefy PC and good NLE (non-linear editor) recent software to handle it. AVCHD or MP4 mode, somewhat less so.

I'm sure there are comparable Canons, maybe JVC and Fujis, but it might be nitpicking differences, and to continue searching for a vastly better deal may just be a waste of time.

Scott

[newpball]

...
I'm looking for a basic camcorder under $300.
...
I want to capture their performance in HD (1920x1080p).

Don't expect too much for under $300.
Technically I suppose you could call it HD but the video quality for that low price is obviously extremely basic.

But more worrisome is the sound quality.
I'd say the sound will be very disappointing for a live music recording if you record using the built-in microphone(s).

I like your idea of using a tripod. Basically you must use it to get decent results. Handheld is just too hard, even a professional cameraman will have trouble with handheld!

And remember people can endure a mediocre video with good sound much better than a good video with bad sound!

~ Note that perhaps some people on this forum will strongly disagree with me, they might tell you that a $300 camcorder will do a pretty good sound recording 10-20 feet away from the performer in some live concert.

[kj1983]

Thanks for the fast reply Scott.

Is there a remote control that stop/start recording? That's way I don't have to be near the camcorder to press record/pause when the performers are on break.

Thanks.

[kj1983]

I do have a Nikon 1 J3. I used it for recording the quality & audio were good. The problem is that it get overheat and it stop. I can only record max 15 minutes per session. That's why I want to find a different camcorder for this purpose only.

...
I'm looking for a basic camcorder under $300.
...
I want to capture their performance in HD (1920x1080p).

Don't expect too much for under $300.
Technically I suppose you could call it HD but the video quality for that low price is obviously extremely basic.

But more worrisome is the sound quality.
I'd say the sound will be very disappointing for a live music recording if you record using the built-in microphone(s).

I like your idea of using a tripod. Basically you must use it to get decent results. Handheld is just too hard, even a professional cameraman will have trouble with handheld!

And remember people can endure a mediocre video with good sound much better than a good video with bad sound!

~ Note that perhaps some people on this forum will strongly disagree with me, they might tell you that a $300 camcorder will do a pretty good sound recording 10-20 feet away from the performer in some live concert.

[newpball]

I do have a Nikon 1 J3. I used it for recording the quality & audio were good.

Well hey, if you are satisfied doing live concerts with a Nikon 1 J3, good for you!

[Cornucopia]

Pg. 23 of the manual says that you can use your smartphone as a wireless remote (via Wifi, I assume).

Take what newpball is saying with a grain of salt. "Very disappointing" is in terms of his perception. Some people have no problem with it. In all situations such as this, test before buying. Same with tripod use - it is always recommended for stability, but there are alternative options, and newpball is exaggerating like Chicken Little. It often depends on the lighting, the distance, the focal length (zoom), your PRACTICED skills, and your perception of acceptability. Plus, this cam does have Image Stab, and that does help for modest problems.
Note: XAVC-S mode allows stereo/48kHz/16bit LPCM uncompressed audio. The other modes use AC-3 (aka Dolby Digital) compressed audio.
Also note: this level of cam doesn't have jacks for connecting external microphones. If this is important to you, options are to get an external audio recorder and shoot "double system", or to move up to a higher quality/featured/priced camcorder.

Scott

[Cornucopia]

I do have a Nikon 1 J3. I used it for recording the quality & audio were good. The problem is that it get overheat and it stop. I can only record max 15 minutes per session. That's why I want to find a different camcorder for this purpose only.

That's to be expected for a DSLR shooting video (mirrorless or not).

But, if you aren't "very disappointed" in the Nikon's audio, you probably won't be with the Sony's audio either.

Scott

[newpball]

But, if you aren't "very disappointed" in the Nikon's audio, you probably won't be with the Sony's audio either.

I would certainly agree with that!