camcorder for shooting real estate

nealrm · #1 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 12:31 AM

Hello,
I'm looking for a good camcorder to shoot real estate videos. We would like the widest angle lens possible. HD would be nice but not necessary. It also needs to be easy to get the video off the camcorder and onto a website. The camcorder needs to be light, rugged with a good life. We would like to keep the price under $4000.

Please post your suggestions.

MOSH · #2 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 12:19 PM

To be honest you're not going to get a very wide angle as standard so you'll probably need to budget for a decent wide angle converter $400? or find a camera with removable lenses (Canon XL2?)

nealrm · #3 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 01:24 PM

Thanks for the info. I've been reviewing many real estate videos. I have decided that we prefer the wide format offer by HD. I also saw several that used a wide angle convertor. The videos all had barrel distortion and vinigretting. We would like to a avoid both.

Nikosony · #4 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 03:22 PM

Those are the two drawbacks with wide angle lenses, you can go so wide and then you notice the two problems you describe. Are you only putting your videos on the web? If that's the case, why do you need a HD camera? Will you be shooting the videos or will you be hiring a professional camera person?

nealrm · #5 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 05:23 PM

I understand, we have to work with the same limitation in still photography. I was just hoping we could get close angle level we are currently using with our cameria. Many of the wide angle movies I saw have a "Fish Eye" look that we do not get with the still cameria.

Is there any software that can take out the lens effects?

Nikosony · #6 (**permalink**) 10-18-2007, 02:12 PM

There probably are filters or plugins for the likes of Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere etc to take out the fish eye effect but I wouldn't like to rely on them bailing me out. The video has to be shot correctly at the production stage and as you are a professional in real estate, presentation is everything. A Mini DV camcorder would be fine for what you are looking to do and even make a DVD for clients and the quality would still be very high. The 4000 dollars you quote would be better spent on a few items rather than just a camcorder, that at the end of the day will only be used to put videos on your website. That means a decent Mini DV camcorder, some editing software, a tape head cleaner, a tripod is a MUST HAVE (no handheld shots) and of course your wide angle lens, you may end up spending a few hundred on it alone.