Some people believe that it cost an arm and a leg to produce web video at decent quality, this is simply not true. You can actually get started for less than $500.00
This is possible because the price of consumer HD camcorders has come down considerably. For most people just wanting to make a short 5-20 minute film for web, mainly youtube, a $200.00 HD camcorder, like the Sony Webbie HD camcorder, this is perfect.
HD Camcorders
Features you should look for in your first video camera like this is of course its capacity for HD video quality, at least 720P, which gives you a video with dimensions 1280x720, great for playback on computers and fullscreen on web. I personally prefer cameras that take memory sticks instead of using hard drives, but that is a carry over from being a digital photographer. Additionally most digital video cameras now have a functionality for taking still images during video recording, the Sony Webbie HD is one of those, are several products from JVC and Canon.
Video Editing Software
The next thing you need to consider is video editing software. There are several options available in the $100.00 price range. Adobe's Premier Elements, Corel Video Studio, Sony Vegas are a few of your options here. I'm familiar with all of these if you have questions about an HD video editing workflow, but my preference is Premier Elements, as I have more experience with it as well Adobe Premier PRO. Most of these programs will not only let you edit and cut your scenes, add transitions and effects, but they will also help you organize and manage your media, as well as export it to an appropriate format to be viewed.
Accessories
The other items you absolutely need are spare memory cards/sticks and a tripod. I cannot stress the use of the tripod enough. You should use it whenever humanly possible. It helps with keeping your video stead, consistent, and elminates any autofocus issues that might be distracting otherwise. Also during your video editing you may want to consider using a headset with a microphone, this is so that you can listen clearly to the quality of your videos and add narration or redubb the audio as needed. Memory Cards/Sticks depending on your brand name, size, and type can cost anywhere frm $15.00-$40.00, a decent tripod for your uses will be less than $30.00, and a headset may cost from $25.00-$50.00.
Summary
So for those of you wishing to get into the world of web video, most of you will find you can do what you are interested in for well under $500.00. If you don't plan to do any video editing you can cover most of this for around $300.00 or so. As you move up in skill you can upgrade, and if you're doing paying projects you can probably do this much sooner. For those of you with a higher budget I will have to post some recommendation/ugrades you may want to look for, but to the beginner this is the best way I can think of to start producing your own videos.
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