I saved up and finally got some new equipment and software to replace some of my aging tools. I had been looking at upgrding to a HD camcorder for some time but waiting until the formats and prices settled down. So after nearly a year of vacillating back and forth, I took the plunge. I broke down and got the Canon HV20 that I reviewed in one of earlier posts, as well as the Canon S5 IS digital still camera.
I got the new camera in anticipation for the summer and some new shorts that I want shoot. I picked up both for under a grand from B&H Photo. Both are midrange cameras but take awesome pictures. I went with the HV20 over the newer HV30 because the black body and 30p mode doesn’t justify the extra 300 buck cost. I got the Powershot because I wanted a point and shoot camera with the ability to go manual as I get my photography chops back. Plus the Powershot takes awesome fullscreen (640×480 at 30fps) video for a still camera. The audio is excellent too. I purchased a big 8gb memory chip for under 40 bucks to store my footage. Since I mostly shoot content for the web, I won’t even need to carry my camcorder all the time since the S5 IS can do both movies and stills.