K-12 Education: Camcorder Purchase Recommendation

I am a K-8 teacher and am writing a grant to purchase new camcorders compatible with both iMovie 11 and Final Cut Pro. Any mid-price range camcorder recommendations? I currently use canon camcorders with iMovie 09 and struggle with audio, image quality and the green screen never works...

Much appreciation!

I would suggest a mid-price AVCHD camera, assuming your computers have enough processor power for H.264 media. This will work well with FCP. iMovie will require more drive space as it converts the media.

All the best,

Tom

Any thoughts on Panasonic SD9 ($1000) vs TM40 ($250)? Is the SD9 worth the price?

Much of the time you get what you pay for. Its best to read the reviews on these cameras, see what you will get for your money and figure what is best for the kids who will be using them. Obviously at this age they do not need all the bells and whistles of the more expensive cameras, but some of these cams can shoot pretty bad images and that might turn off a few of the kids. But, you know, you make good with what you got most of the time, so dont fret over this too much. Just make sure your it works with iMovie or FCP or whatever you use.

Michael Horton
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We enter a lot of video contests so image and audio is important. Do you have a favorite (affordable) camera?

No, I'm not a shooter but lets face it, play within your budget and find a cam within that budget that would be suitable. I'm afraid the TM40 would not be a good choice. But the SD9 might. But I'd keep looking.

Michael Horton
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i just got the new sony hxr nx30u. emphasis on just. it's a palm-sized pro videocamera that has xlr inputs, a built in camera light for low-light situations--and a projector. you heard that right.

i'm in early testing with it, but i have to say i'm lovin' it so far. the body is small, so it picks up "touchy" noise easily on the included shotgun mic, which seems pretty decent overall. the still feature is also pretty great! for $2,000 it's hard to beat.

shoots in achvd, which is new to me. i've been posting about this on this forum, trying to figure out how to make my workflow more efficient with previewing media, weeding out clips, saving and importing in FCP X. this seems to take a little more work and a lot more time than H.264, which is another format i work with regularly.

nicolle

Wow if you have $2,000.00 to spend on a camera I like the Canon XA10 I have been shooting with it and the pictures are lovely. It's small but not too small I'll be taking it to Amsterdam in a couple of weeks along with my Canon 60D.

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Dean

"When I see you floating down the gutter I'll give you a bottle of wine."
Captain Beefheart, Trout Mask Replica.

I don't have 2,000 to spend on a camera. I've decided on the Canon Vixia HF M50. Thanks for you help!