Cameras

On Friday we looked at cameras and I learned a lot of things I didn't know how to do before like white balance and how to zoom to focus.

SONY HXR-NX5

The Sony HXR-NX5 is a compact HD camcorder that is ideal for filming in many conditions and situations. I liked the layout of the controls and found that it was relatively easy to find my way around them and figure out what they all do. This camera had a 20x optical zoom which meant it was easy to focus and get closer to the action if you were filming in a war zone or similar environment. I thought the camera was a great size for a handheld but was quite chunky when mounted on a tripod making it a little difficult to maneuver, however overall I really loved using this camera.

CANON 5D

The Canon 5D had the highest image quality of all the cameras we looked and this means its used for a multitude of situations, from small scale youtube videos to TV to feature films. I found that this camera was the hardest to use partly due to not having a zoom function meaning you had to manually focus it yourself with a tape measure. I also found that with the stunning quality came a sacrifice of the nice user interface of the other cameras and that most of the fine tuning had to be done on screen rather than with separate buttons. This camera was small and had a replaceable lens which allows for adjustment depending on what you're shooting for.

SONY NEX FS100

The Sony NEX FS100 is quite a low cost camcorder that produces shots with a low depth of field, similar to a film camera. We found out that these cameras are ideal for shooting music videos as they have good memory and shoot in really good HD. I liked this camera as it was relatively easy to use and find my way around the controls. One of the best things about this camera was the easily interchangeable lenses, which allows for creative freedom and a variety of different kinds of shot.