The Perfect Professional-Quality Camcorder For Film Hobbyists
Author: Theudore Cartsoen
I’ve been introduced to the film making hobby with my video-capable DSLR camera. However, as I became increasingly absorbed with this new passion of mine, I felt that using a DSLR to take videos was a bit limiting. One problem I have with my DSLR camera is that they can only shoot video clips of short length.
A major limiting factor was the frame rate, I needed better frame rates but my camera would only record at 24 frames per second. One of the biggest issues I have when using DSLRs for making videos is that they lack or only have mono microphones. Also, whenever I zoom or focus my lenses, the noise resulting from these actions are recorded on the video. Moreover, DSLR cameras do not have plenty of features that are typical to camcorders like such as film-style filters.
For these reasons, I shopped around for a video camera. Before shopping for one, I already decided that I will be getting a professional yet affordable camcorder. I also did some research to determine which capabilities are essential and which features I am willing to pay extra for so I do not get persuaded into buying something more expensive by a sweet talking salesperson.
One of the features I considered to be a must-have is the ability to take video in low light. Also, it should be able to record in true 1080 and 720 formats and have a high resolution LCD monitor and viewfinder. Because one of my issues with a DSLR camera is the underwhelming audio recording capability or lack thereof, my camcorder should have jacks for external microphones. I also wanted a camcorder that is capable of relay recording so I can take lengthier HD films.
After a few weeks of reading forums and review sites, I decided to buy a Panasonic Ag-af100 because it affords me the depth of field and field of view comparable to that of 35mm movie cameras but with a considerably lower financial outlay. In addition to that, the Panasonic AG-AF100 can accommodate a wide range of lenses which are all readily available.The Panasonic AG-AF100 has an interchangeable lens mount, just what I wanted. The ability to change lenses in the Panasonic Ag-Af100 video camera enables you to change the capabilites of your camera by simply swapping the lenses and tweaking the recording settings.
The Panasonic Ag-Af100 video camera also supports multiple frame rates, 20 different frame rates to be exact. This product is also one of the earliest Panasonic HD professional camcorders to come with SDXC support which allows end users to make use of SD cards of up to 2 TB. As with other Panasonic HD professional camcorder, the AG-AF100 has a three-year warranty which you won’t use most likely because of the impressive durability of these products.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ezine/5697806