Finding the Right Camera

In 2010, I began searching for a camera for our live Internet broadcast and it was a daunting task, especially since I was on a tight budget. I searched VideoMaker's Camera Guide, B&H Photo, and Amazon for a couple of days and eventually found a camera that suited our needs at the time. When I initially started my search I wrote a list of "needs" and used that list as a guide to help me narrow down the vast list of cameras. I ended up purchasing the Sony HV-AU1 and it has served our needs well. Now, two years later, I am in the same position. In the next month or so I will be starting the process of researching and purchasing another camera. Our needs and technology have changed, my budget not so much being slightly higher than before.

So, knowing that the camera that I got two years ago is great and does what we need it to do, the question is do I purchase the same camera or do I go for a better camera? Having not had the chance to really write down what my needs are right now and what those needs will be in the future, I would say that even though the Sony is great I know that I want something different. The drawback that the Sony camera had was that it still used mini-dv tape. Tapes are expensive especially the professional quality 80 minute ones. With that in mind I might want to explore cameras that use hard drives or SD cards but I still need to have Firewire capabilities for our broadcast feed into the computer. There are many other needs that I have yet to figure out and research. My goal is to find that right camera that will best fit the needs and work load that I have.