I just got word- next spring, passports willing, I'll be going to Peru, all expenses paid, to shoot a couple of local guys surfing. The benefactor has given a budget of $4000 to "document" the trip on video. My sheer terror is indescribable. I've never even been in a plane, let alone another country.
But to the point-
The eccentric contractor has been twice before on a Peru surfing expediditon, so money is really no object. The shooting budget is because his last "documentor" was incompetent, really screwed up and didn't bring back good footage. But I am regarded as the only and the best surf photog in the county, so I have been chosen to go next spring to South America.
My question- and a very, very important one, coming from a 35mm photographer: what video camera should I have him supply? The Canon GL2 looks very nice, but I'm not so sure about the quality factor. Canon claims a 70,000-plus millimeter 35mm equivalent max zoom and all kinds of bells and whistles that look good on paper, but are they what I need to get his guy the footage he wants in the budget he needs? The still image digital quality is only 1.7 MP and the thing only records on tape. I think it would be better to record onto a DVD or equivalent.
What camera (plus safari-outback-non-amentities-low-budget-fly-by-night accessories) should I have this man buy? He will be keeping the camera, so I'm not concerned about longevity or investment value or anything. I just need to make him happy, and he's pretty damn exacting, just like me. What I'm asking for is something less than four grand with accessories included that will get the most professional results.
It is also vitally important 1)That it be very easy to edit and produce the video on PC and give him a nice DVD to show off to his friends and 2)That it be very easy for a film photog to make the transition to video. I understand a lot more about video than I probably should, so a pro video camera or a semi-pro will not be wasted on me. I will have a few months to get good with it anyway (theoretically), so well-designed idiot modes really don't give me a boner. I want to get the utmost in quality-this trip has great potential for me professionally.
I hate to lay all this on you guys, but I have no one else to ask about this. I can't even describe how I feel- the sick, horrible feeling in your guts when you jump out of an airplane with only a parachute stuck on your back....
Please help!