Would a Canon ZR-85 DV camera be enough to shoot a good quality movie, about 103 min. in length, or am I wasting my time? I have noticed in some shots the picture appears spotty or has dissolve in it? Would software take care of this, is it a lighting problem, or do I just need a better camera? Also would this camera be good enough to shoot a movie I could submit to sundance? I know I can shoot at 16:9 but I am new to this whole thing and don't have a clue.
I would say there is no way you could shoot something with that camera and have it blown up to be shown on a movie screen without really horrible results. Film festivals are out. If you are really good you might produce something straight to video but even that is probably doubtful.
What you can do with that camera is learn your craft. Shoot some short flicks for yourself and your friends and put them on the internet. Learn editing, acting, and all the other stuff so that when you invest in a high scale camera you're ready.
RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA
RJSchwarz
Be sure to check if the camera can accept DV In. The Canon ZR series can be attached to a computer so that the shot footage can be loaded into the editing software (DV Out).
HOWEVER, most of the low-end ZR series can't accept DV In. That means once you've edited the movie, you can't send it back out to record on the camera. That makes it hard to store different cuts, transfer the movie to VHS, etc. A real problem.
Just something to be aware of.
Dan Rahmel
Author: "Nuts and Bolts Filmmaking"
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