Sony Z1/HVD1000/NX1/Cannon C300/ Sony Fs-300/ Black Magic Camera

Sony Z1

The Sony Z1 camcorder uses tape format to record its data this is use full because it works as a backup that can't get corrupted or get vicious viruses that can delete your data. The downside is you cant continuously film with tape, you would have to stop filming take out the tape and put another one in, where as the Sony Z1 has two memory card slots do you can take out one when its full and replace it with an empty one. With the Z1 once you have learnt what all the buttons on the side do,  you can easily control what you are filming and change the cameras settings to give you the shots you wanted.

Sony HDV1000e

Compared to the cameras we used last year the Sony HDV1000 i found the Sony Z1 a little more tricky to understand and get used to because of its set up.  But it has more options for what you can adjust such as the shutter speed and the ND filters, where as on the Sony HDV1000 you can access all the settings throw the menu but it did not have as many options that you could change, shutter speed and ND filters which can be quite useful when filming outside on a sunny day where you might have an over exposed shot, or when you are filming sports such as Formula F1where you would need a high shutter speed so all the F1 cars wont look blurred.

Sony NX1

I found the NX1 easier to use because of the set up of the side controls to adjust the shutter speed, Iris etc also i found the fact that you can continue filming it till the camera  runs out of battery, or in till you had enough if you plugged the camera in to the mains, this is because it has two memory card slots witch means when one is full it will continue filming on the other and then you can put another one in. It is also i bit lighter than the other two i have used and slightly more compact than the Sony Z1.





Cannon C300
The Cannon C300 is an easy to use professional video camera as all its functions are On the left side of the camera, or in the menu settings which you can look through on the LCD screen on top. Where as on the right side of the camera you have all the in/out puts. Anyone with knowledge of how to use a video camera or what the settings mean would be able to teach them self's how to use this in a couple of hours. This is also on the list of BBC approved cameras as it record 50MBS in Xf code, This means you can shoot a whole program for the BBC. One of the problems with this camera is that it dose not shot at 50/60fps in 1080p it has the ability to do it in 720p which comes as a disappointment. One other thing that is impressive is it's ability to be used wireless via a smart phone or tablet with extensive control, That is if you have the attachment for it.
This camera has the ability to create some magnificent shots with all the settings you can change and you can tern an ordinary shot of a street into a peace of art. As it goes, i would wait a year or two for the prices to drop as it seems to be on the borderline of it's price range for what it offers.

Sony Fs700

From what I have read, the Sony Fs700 is a great improvement from the Sony FS100. When creating this camera Sony listened to their customers and improved on the FS100, it is easier to use and has a lock button, which allows you to lock the setting/buttons so that you won’t accidently change any thing while filming.

It comes as a world camera so you can switch between recoding in 50 and 6o Hz, this is useful because it means you can use it for projects for different places in the world, as an example for America you would be expected to film in 60hz where as in the UK you are expected to film in 50Hz.

They have lost some of the low light sensitivity, this means it won’t do as well in darker locations, but it’s new sensor and 4K raw output are beautiful.

Blackmagic Camera
This camera is designed as a step up from DSLR's but also as a cheaper version of the Arri Alexa which is classed as a profession film industry camera as it was used to film Skyfall, which has become the highest grossing film. The Blackmagic camera Is incredibly easy to use, you could learn it in an hour as all you have to do is set the exposure, format you are filming in and white balance and press go, as what your buying is a box with a sensor with grate image quality. As for it price,it's amazing as you are getting similar quality to cameras that cost 5/10 times as much with nearly the same dynamic range as them and About the same restitution at 1080p. But you cannot format/delete footage the drive you record onto and the drive it's self is expensive, compered to recording on a memory card. Also if you do record in raw you will need to have a computer that can handle the files other wise you will have to shot in a different format. In the end you will end up spending about £4-5K as the technology is still quite expensive.