1. SONY XR550E CAMCORDER (Price: Rs 59,990)
Specs: 12 MP; 3.5-inch touch LCD screen; 10X optical zoom;240 GB hard drive; Full HD video recording; 500 gm weight.
Whenever one wants to buy a video camera the first name the pops into anybody's head is Sony. Why, its Handycam has even become a synonym for a camcorder. Sony's XR550 is a top of the line camcorder that can take videos in Full HD resolution. The colours are vivid, ghosting is not a problem and the sharpness is never blunted even when panning quickly. With the active mode on, you can zoom to as high as 10X optically. The XR550 also has 240 GB hard drive for storage and a bright 3.5-inch touch LCD to preview videos and images.
2. BOSE AE2 (Price: Rs 8,100) Specs: Passive noise cancellation; Foldable design; 3.5 mmaudio jack; 138.9 gm.
When it comes to audio reproduction, Bose does it best. The AE2 is an affordable pair of headphones from Bose whose forte is resonance. Though these are not marketed as noise cancelling ones, when worn they cut out ambient noise to a high extent. The sound is clear and loud-just what you need when recording. It can be connected to any video camera with a 3.5 mm jack. Comfortable to wear, these headphones are light and okay for prolonged use. For easy transportation, theAE2 comes with a string bag and can be folded and kept in the camera bag.
3. SENNHEISER EW 100-ENGG3 WIRELESS MICROPHONE (Price:Rs 50,000)
Specs: 1680 transmitting frequencies; 12 presets; 80-18000 Hz frequency response;130 db SPL; 160 gm.
Sound is the most important aspect of a movie after video. If the sound is not crisp then the movie suffers. To capture clear words and sounds, one needs a good microphone. Sennheiser's 100-ENG is a lapel wireless microphone that pro-vides excellent flexibility for both indoor and outdoor shoots. It has a rigid metal body which houses a single colour LCD screen for transmitter activity and features. It is very user friendly-just slot in a couple of AA batteries and you are ready to transmit and record audio.
4.
FINAL CUT STUDIO (Price: Rs 55,500)
There are dozens of video editing softwares out there, but none come close to Final Cut Pro. Compatible only with the Mac OS, this is an application used widely by most video editors. Well-suited for the latest iMacs and Macbook Pros, Final Cut Pro takes full advantage of a new configuration. The time-line preview is smooth even when editing high definition con-tent. Render times are low as well. A lot of effects and transitions comes in the box and more can be bought. You need not be a rocket scientist to work with this video editor.
5. APPLE MACBOOK PRO 17 INCH (Price: Rs 1,42,900)
Specs: 17-inch display; 2.2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7; 750 GB HDD; 4 GB RAM; AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics card
G&G had rated this machine at 4.5 GG stars. So this excellent laptop can replace your desktop but is also eminently portable. It scored 215 points on the Xbench test, the highest we have obtained on any Macbook Pro. To store high definition video, it has 750 GB hard drive. The large LED screen is great to edit videos on. The battery lasts for 7 long hours. It even has 4 GB RAM and a 6700 series AMD graphic card that lowers rendering times with FCP.
6. VELBON VIDEOMATE 607/F HEAVY DUTY TRIPOD (Price: Rs 7,776)A tripod is a must-have accessory for a director. It not only helps keep the camera stable but also provides a firm platform when one needs to move away from the camera to explain something to the protagonists. Velbon has been making such sturdy tripods and one that can handle a camcorder is the Videomate 607/F. It has strengthened steel legs, fluid pan head, 4-way position control and can be extended three times to a height of 64.3 inches (the lowest point is 25 inches). It weighs 2.5 kg. It has an auto lock system. It has an auto lock system that keeps the camcorder safe on its head.
