Where to find professional camcorder under $1000?

-I make movies, and I know the difference between camcorders, and professional camcorders. But I am young, and have trouble saving up over 1000. Anybody know where to find an at least semi professional video camera that IS NOT USED?The difference between consumer and professional camcorders today is mostly one of marketing. In general, the cheaper the camera, the more likely it is to be an essentially consumer camera, and vice versa. "Pro" cameras sometimes have a slightly different feature set from that of consumer cameras, they may have different ergonomics, etc., but the distinction between consumer and pro today is a continuum, not a bright line.



So spend your money on what you can afford, and stop worrying about whether it is "professional" or "consumer" gear. Nobody will know the difference when they see the finished product.
Why the aversion to used???



You have a good start, you appear to have researched the benefits of a pro-camera. You also recognize the limits of your budget. Great thinking, so far. But then you cripple yourself by insisting on new! This will force a compromise on the camera. There are a couple ways to go: Get a DSLR designed to shoot still photos, with a fairly small battery, and both a mirror and a shutter that needs to be electronically held open in order to shoot video. Yes, they CAN capture pretty good quality but there is a host of handicaps these cameras have. The other way to go is to pick the best format for video, in a consumer camera, which is the MiniDv based HDV which start right at $1000.



As the longtime owner of 2 Canon GL-2s (one of which I got used off of e-bay) I strongly recommend you re-think the used market. I have seen many people get cameras like the Canon GL or XL series for a single event or trip. I have seen many people over-estimate their desire to make quality video and walk out of a camera store with way more camera that they can use or care to take the time to understand. The GL is a $2700 camera, the XL is about a $4000 camera. Be patient and watch the used market and you can find the XL for under $1000 and the GL for about $800. Ask questions, talk to the owner if you can. It never hurts to pay a repair center a few bucks to go over a new-to-you used camera.



The triple CCD, MiniDv cameras record a higher data rate than the best consumer HD camcorders, and can be up-converted to produce a better picture than native HD.



I've purchased several cameras, lenses, flashes and other items off of Craigslist and eBay and have yet to be sorry. In the purchase of my GL and my 5D alone I have saved over $3000!



Don't compromise on the camera specks, don't over-extend your budget. Just research used items until you are comfortable with a purchase.
Hi, Great question.

The best semi professional camera for around $900 is the new Panasonic HDC-TM900.

It's very good in low light, great image quality overall - especially in high quality mode.

The TM900 has good manual controls and excellent image stabilization.

It also has 3 chips, good battery life and a good zoom.



It gives you all the features you need and more that you'll grow into. It's an awesome camera.

As a young filmmaker you're going to really like it and do great work!
Check into the Canon T2i, T3i,60D, or 7D, all of those are Semi-pro and record at 1080P 60FPS (I own the T2i myself and a couple lenses for it and it takes some really Awesome pictures and video. you probably won't get the 7D or T3i for much if any under $1,000.00 but you can get them brand new on ebay for around the price you are looking for. the only other recommendation if you are looking for a good actual camcorder for under $1,000 is the Sony HDR-PJ30V and it has a projector built into the back of the LCD so you can instantly review on a nice white wall if you want to with that one also. if you could go more than $1,000.00 then my ONLY recomendation is the Canon HF G10 HD that one has LOTS of features, most of which lean more toward the professional side of video recording.

Hope this helps

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Look at the rebel line from canon, its a Digital SLR but some of them record at 1080 and under $1000.

I know a few people who use them for recording movies.