I want a camcorder to record a concert in a theatre at night, probably in low light except for the performers. Please recommend one in price under $500.
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Thank you for contacting us. We'd be able to assist you best by phone, please call us at 1-800-991-3350 between 9am-6pm EST to discuss the different camcorders we sell before you place your order.
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If your requirements are not too demanding it may work for you. I have used mine to record/stream conferences from as much as 70' with an external microphone. The results compare with a commercial grade conference cam. You don't have as much zoom or exposure/lighting control as you might with a high end unit with large optical zoom or a professional camcorder, and the motions controls aren't as smooth. Consequently, the quality is much more dependent on room lighting and your ability to block camera shots is more limited.
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I have used it to film at night and this camera needs good illumination to record properly. It works fairly well as a car cam at night but it has a hard time in really low light conditions.
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This camera is so old and outdated, I would go with something way newer. Horrible in low light. HDV tapes....go with the Sony HXRNX300U.
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Peter, most of the video cameras that I have seen are very poor in still camera mode and the HMC-40 is no different. I think that the stills that it takes might be good for an opening interface of a DVD (such as is available in iMovie), but not much more. I might recommend that you get a relatively inexpensive DSLR ($600.00 range... look at Sony). This will give you crisp photos along with a second video camera to shoot with.
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I am torn between these exact same two camcorders also. Looking forward to your follow-up post!
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Medium answer: It is not "too" professional, but a smaller camcorder will get the job done for you. I have both the Sanyo Xacti GH-2 ($170) and the Canon HFD100 (considerably more $). I use one for the family and the other for serious projects. They are both HD. The both record to the same medium (SD.) They can both can be point and shoot (see above post.) One of them is a little pricey...Good luck!
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The microphone capabilities are excellent! I was very surprised at how well this camera stands up to concert audio. It records concerts very well. For interviews, just be very careful to not cover the microphone which is on top, in the place you would normally hold a camera. I've been looking for a camera that doesn't have auto focus, or where that ca be disabled, and in my price range, I can't find anything else that has the same video & audio quality of this one. The only drawback to the camera is the very slow auto focus.
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Please post up when you test out the HF m400, please! I definitely need low light ability for concerts/rehearsals/perfomances...
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Best video quality I've ever experienced with a camcorder. Does real well in low light situations.
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I go the one from Cleveland paranormal just for the full spectrum capability(IR and Ultra violet)...It works very well. my only complaint with any of these different camcorders is the light on the camera. You'll have to get a light bar and get a secondary IR light to light up the place. Bell and Howell is a better name then the one from Cleveland, but they both work about the same, but you must care for them well.
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I actually bought it for something else. Do you want to have remote live view and trigger from your DSLR ? If you do send another question and I will send some details so you can have something like CamRanger but at around 40 instead of 250. Hope that helps. Phil
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That depends - how dark a night are you filming in? Is there any other source of light on the subjects being filmed? How far away is the subject being filmed? This is not a camera designed for very low light situations - there are others (much more expensive) that do that if that is your primary need.
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I don't typically take many videos on my camera unless it's at concerts. So from concert videos, its hard to tell how the focus is because there's so many lights on stage. The sound quality is alright, I was hoping it'd be a little better.
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Friend the camera records very well in low light day. At night you have to putting on an extra lamp for darkness. and where artificial light very well ... records It is an excellent camera.
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Hi Kathryn, this Sony Camcorder definitely will give out quality videos that you need for shooting fireworks. It even has a shooting preset for taking pictures of fireworks. -Vincent
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Yes i would recommend a external microphone for this model camcorder. The internal microphone is a little weak for sound pickup when subjects are a small distance away even turned all the way up.