On Sun, 20 Apr 2003 02:23:33 GMT, Bob Forward <spamtoignore@aol.com> wrote:

>This is an honest question, not a troll -- really!

OK.... ;-)

>My assistants and I have made a number of ultra-low-budget short films

>using our trusty Sony camcorder -- a DCR-PC100.

Neat! BTW, I recommend buying the DVD of "Spy Kids 2" -

not for the story, but for the "extras". Listen to what

Robert Rodriguez has to say about movie-making (it is

MOST interesting!;-).

>Since these films

>often involved getting the camera into really tight quarters (between

>the legs of a toy robot, for instance) the small size was ideal.

>

>But as we prepare for a new production, I can't help but drool over

>really cool cameras that are *almost* in my price range -- like the

>DSR-PD150. But honestly, how much better is it, especially for

>amateur productions? We'd still need to use our tiny camera for

>miniature work -- would the difference be noticable?

It depends a lot on how skillfully you shoot for matching,

and how skillfully you "fix" the image while editing (you

can do wonders with color, contrast, and tone-adjust

filtering - particularly if the cut-aways to the small

camera are brief...). If you do not need the built-in XLR

connectors, the similar VX2000 is cheaper, and more

compact (with supplied mics). For a direct comparison

of the images from these two cameras (in three different

lighting conditions), go to:

www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/camcorder--comparison.htm.

You may also find this useful (along with the other

articles referred to there):

www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/sony_dcr-vx2000.htm.

>Or, given that my assistants are barely in their teens, would we be

>better off with just another decent consumer model (a second camera is

>a godsend when shooting fight scenes or special effects) and maybe a

>semi-decent boom mike?

Yes, this is a good way to go, too...

A $170 Sennheiser MKE-300 on a home-made pole will

get you through a lot of sound work, and if you

are happy with what you are getting with the PC100,

another used PC100 (or similar PC110, or TRV20)

may make sense for now...