TAPELESS Tapeless is the future and is usually faster to transfer into the computer for editing very useful if you have a deadline approaching.

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1 LOW BUDGET KIT (all prices include VAT and should be used as a guide only do a google search and you may be able to get a cheaper price than I found.) I ve tried to recommend certain resellers throughout. If prices on the internet seem to good to be true they probably are. The item may be a grey import with no warranties. Always try to buy from Sony, Panasonic and Canon registered resellers that way you ll get good support and 1-2 years warranty. Most resellers will do a deal if you buy the whole kit from them so don t be frightened to ask for a discount. CAMERA FEATURES THAT YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR Face detection The camera will recognise a human face in the shot, get it in focus and correctly expose it. This is very useful for shooting interviews Facial recognition The Panasonic 900 series cameras can also recognise a person who is registered in the camera s memory. If you are shooting a documentary and following one person for days you can register their face and always be sure to get them in focus. Tape Tape is dead. All new cameras are tapeless. But, you might find a good deal on a second hand tape based camera. Apart from being old technology tape based cameras have more moving parts and so are more likely to go wrong. Tape formats, in this budget, will be DV, DVCAM and HDV all editing software can recognise and edit these formats. But it will be slow getting pictures from the camera into the computer, as it has to be done in real time. I wouldn t recommend a tape-based camera these days. To future proof your investment you need to go TAPELESS Tapeless is the future and is usually faster to transfer into the computer for editing very useful if you have a deadline approaching. The camera will record onto a hard drive and/or removable flash memory usually SD cards or compact flash. The tapeless format (on a small budget) is usually AVCHD or H.264. Check that your editing software can recognise it. Early versions of your editing software may need to be updated. Alternatively there may be plug-ins which convert AVCHD and H.264 to something your software can edit. Some manufacturers make a range of cameras which all have the same front-end (ie lens and image sensors) but the price varies according to the recording media. Those with large internal hard drives are very convenient (recording in excess of 20 hours) but will cost you extra. Smaller internal drives with removable recording media (eg SD card or compact flash) will usually cost less. AUDIO All cameras come with an on-board camera mic. This is fine for recording atmos (ie background noise). But, on-board mics are NOT good for interviews or wedding vows. Christina Fox

2 If you intend to shoot interviews/vows make sure the camera can take an external mic plugged into it. Give it extra brownie points if you can also adjust the audio manually. IMAGE SENSOR The image sensor (CCD, CMOS or MOS chip) creates the image and has an impact on picture quality. In an expensive ( 30,000) broadcast quality camera there will be three large (2/3 rd inch) censors. In cameras under a 1,000 expect one small (1/4inch) sensor. The exception to this is the Panasonic 900 series this has three 1/4inch CMOS sensors and can do 1080i50 and 1080p50 (ie filmic pictures). This is pretty amazing for such a small camera. VIDEO AND PHOTOS? I don t normally recommend DSLR cameras for beginners. Please leave the Canon 5D, 7D 60D etc. to the professionals with lots of experience. Leave it to those people with lots of money for all the accessories you ll need to make it work like a video camera. If you need more convincing read this If you must get a DSLR have a look at the Canon EOS 70D ( 700 for the body only you ll need to buy lenses too). This camera will produce beautiful video within our budget. But, it is a photographic camera and so not as ergonomic to use as the video cameras also listed here. It s most important feature for the beginner is the touch sensitive screen for focusing. Focusing on a DSLR usually needs a separate monitor to ensure accuracy. It is not so good with audio either so, you will also need a separate audio recorder such as the Zoom H4n ( 270) and mics too. If you want to use a DSLR for its shallow depth of field - don t forget to buy a variable ND filter. INTERCHANGEABLE LENSES Some cameras allow you to remove the lens and use a whole range of lenses for different styles and creative uses. These cameras are usually more expensive than their fixed lens counterparts. Plus you ll need extra money for all the lenses you re going to buy. If you can t afford extra lenses I d recommend you save your money and buy a camera with fixed lenses. Don t pay for features you ll never use. MEDIA Most of these cameras record onto flash memory SD or compact flash cards. These cards have to write the data from the camera very quickly. A class 2 card is slower than a class 6 card. Check in the camera manual which class the manufacturer recommends. You ll probably find a class 4 card is usually the minimum speed recommended. Class 6 cards are now available they are faster and better. Do NOT buy media from ebay there have been a lot of reports of counterfeit cards. Buy from a trusted authorised source such as and Flash memory cards are very robust (they have survived my washing machine at 40 degrees) But, cards do eventually fail. I would always recommend you buy two smaller cards rather than one large one. (eg buy two 32GB instead of one 64GB). That way (if something bad happens) you would only loose half of your recording not all of it. Christina Fox

3 CAMERA SUGGESTIONS (what I would buy- or have bought). One of my favourite low budget cameras is the Panasonic 700 series. I liked it so much I bought the TM700. It has now been updated to the 900 series. But, if you can get the 700 cheaper you won t be disappointed. You will need the BeachTek box too (see below) to record good audio. If you want to see what my Panasonic TM700 can do - both of these videos were shot using it - at a noisy conference...in poor lighting. Another camera to check out is the Canon XA10. I think this is a little winner and it comes complete with the audio adapter fully integrated. However, the XA10 now has two more in the family the XA20 and XA25 I did some training with the XA20 the other day and thought it was very good. The XA25 has extra features most people won t need so, I d only recommend it to people who really, truly need an HD-SDI feed. My Sony favourite is the HXR-NX30. It has face detection and touch screen exposure making it a wonderfully stress free camera to use. It also has the professional audio XLR connectors. It also has a big brother the NX70, which is rain and dust proof. Useful if you intend to use it in difficult locations. If you have the budget you should take a look at the Canon XF100 This will be 1,800 and it is a great camera. I have one of these and I regularly use it instead of my bigger more expensive cameras because it produces such good results. Here is my full list of ones to check out MY FAVOURITES Panasonic HDC HS900 ( 900) 220GB internal + SD card slot Panasonic HDC TM900 ( 600) 32GB internal + SD card slot (I own the older version.) Panasonic HDC SD900 ( 495) SD card recording only [don t forget all of the above will need a BeachTek box if you want good audio] Canon XA10 1,200 inc VAT Canon XA20-1,500 inc VAT Canon XF100-1,800 inc VAT (I have one of these too) Sony HXR-NX30-1,300 inc VAT Sony HXR-NX70-1,400 inc VAT Christina Fox

4 Canon has an ebay store for new and refurbished models Argos also has a clearance store on ebay ACTION CAMERAS If you want to shoot more action shots from a car or bike, maybe you want to attach a camera to some skis, skateboard or a helmet and perhaps you want to go diving? Well the best camera to take a look at is the GoPro Hero 3. Watch any action show on TV and you ll probably find some of it was shot on the GoPro. There are now three models GoPro White 5megapixels GoPro Silver 11megapixels GoPro Black 12megapixels (4K recording) There is a wide range of accessories and mounts for this camera. So that it can be fixed to anything anywhere! my favourite It comes in a waterproof (dustproof) housing. So, is also a good choice for difficult dirty, dusty locations. BATTERIES Do buy a spare battery for your camera. Manufacturers always ship them with a small battery and charger. But a spare battery will always come in handy. Be careful not to buy very cheap copies (usually made in China). The very cheap ones will not always talk to your camera so you won t get an indication of batter life remaining in the camera LCD screen. Pay a little extra for ones that do talk to the camera. Don t skimp on battery quality see them as a vital investment. BEACHTEK BOX (PLEASE NOTE it is NOT needed for the Canon XA10/XA20/XF100 or Sony NX30/70). All of the mics below have professional XLR plugs If you buy the Panasonic 900, similar handycam camera or a DSLR it will probably have one minijack socket only. So.If you buy my recommended mics you should also buy the BeachTek DXA-2T ( 180). This little box will fit under the camera and will allow you to plug in one or TWO external (high quality) mics. Plus, it has volume controls too. Here is an excellent video on why you might need a BeachTek box. Christina Fox

5 BUSINESS DECISION Ok here is something most people don t want to hear Cameras are a bad investment. There is always a new shinier model just round the corner. Cameras can depreciate rapidly Bit like a new car you loose money just by driving off the forecourt. If possible buy the very best microphones, tripod, lights, headphones etc - because these are a much better long term investment. My lights have out-lived four cameras. I m still using mics I bought 15 years ago. But, I am not using the camera I bought five years ago! My Manfrotto tripod works with all the cameras I own or hire. Invest in good peripherals (if need be, buy a cheap camera) and hire in an expensive camera when you need to impress the client (and they will pay the premium). MICROPHONES For sit down interviews you ll need a good personal mic. The industry standard is the Sony ECM77 ( 410), which are quite expensive. Look at the cheaper version, the ECM44 ( 230). If you have the money buy two one for the interviewer and one for the interviewee. If you intend to be on the move while shooting you should buy a radio mic. This is an essential piece of kit for observational docs, weddings and conference speakers. I own the Sennheiser evolution 100 series ( 430) which are very reliable. Make sure it is channel 38 compliant. If you intend to shoot in busy, noisy places buy a good directional (hypercardioid) mic. I highly recommend the Sennheiser ME66/K6 with pistol grip and wind gag ( 470) Or the cheaper Rode NTG-2 ( 195) which will need a deadcat wind gag ( 24) These directional mics are very flexible use them for sit down interviews, vox pops in the street, and pop it on a boom pole for drama. But remember it needs to be close to the action. If you don t have a spare person to hold the boom pole think about getting a radio mic instead. You will also need an XLR to XLR cable to go from the mic to the camera. These come in a variety of lengths and prices. I have a short 40cm male-to-female XLR cable for a mic attached to the camera. I also have a 200cm male-to-female XLR cable to do interviews. Headphones A good pair of headphones should also be on your list buy the best closed (DJ type) headphones you can afford. and the 7day shop has a good range of low cost headphones. Tripod The tripod head needs to be able to carry the weight of the camera and accessories. Check their specifications particularly check the PAYLOAD info. This is the weight the tripod can carry. If your camera is heavier than the recommended payload the tripod will not work well. It s like putting cheap tyres on a Rolls Royce it won t drive well! I would also recommend a mid level spreader over a floor level spreader. Christina Fox

6 An OK low budget tripod at the moment is the Libec TH-650 ( 135). Payload 0.2kg - 2.5kg But, if you can afford it have a look at Sachtler Ace ( 470) Payload range of 0 to 4 kilograms (0 to 8.8 lbs) Manfrotto is a good, reliable manufacturer and make a great range of tripods to fit most budgets and payloads. If you want to be more moveable but still get stable shots I highly recommend a monopod. The Manfrotto 561BHDV ( 190) has feet for extra stability). It will get you high and low shots and not take up much space. I use mine for photos and videos. It has recently been updated and is now the Manfrotto MVM500A ( 230) To see how to use it watch this video Bag Most people buy a bag that is too small. Remember you ll need enough space for the camera, batteries, battery charger, mics and any other bits and bobs you acquire. I have a Jansport Driver 8 wheeled bag which I use every week to make kit around London. I like it because it doesn t look like a camera bag.. It will need a bit of padding but comes with a lifetime guarantee. Whatever bag you buy make sure it has wheels because once it is full, it will be heavy. For most of the kit mentioned do check prices at They offer good value and are a good service supplier. I also highly recommend the guys at Editing On a small budget look at Premiere Element 12 (for PC and Mac) 60. If you have a Mac buy Final Cut Pro X (Mac only) 200. It had a bumpy start but is now editing perfection ;-) You ll need to check the minimum requirements to run the software on your computer. Video editing needs lots of processor power and lots of storage. I use Lacie and Western Digital hard drives. Buy a 2TB drive you ll need it! Better still buy two, one to use and the other for backing up all your video. Christina Fox

7 Buying kit is expensive you want to spend your money wisely. I hope this guide helps. But do your own research too. If you google a camera add the word review into the search box too. If you have any questions do give me a call Happy shopping. Christina Fox (Updated January 2015) Christina Fox