Guerrilla Documentary: Small & Light Cameras
On the Move
The ability to move quickly can be a critical element for certain documentary projects where important footage may not be filmed with ease. In these cases your equipment must match your desire for fast footage, and should not be out of place for the situation. To be able to keep yourself on the move a perfect digital video camera needs to be selected.
Sizing and Imaging
The key thing to look for in a camera for guerilla documentary production is to be both lightweight and able to get a good image. The idea here is that you will need to be able to move freely with it, take it out and put it away quickly, and be able to maneuver it at the drop of a hat. Look for a camera that weighs less than a few pounds but still retains the features you need. You are going to want the ability to plug in several microphones, have an LCD panel instead of just a viewfinder, and the ability to change lenses.
Making Choices
The best way to choose these is to look toward the prosumer line because they tend to retain a camcorder size but give you most of the features of a professional camera. Likewise, if you have some money to spend you may be able to find professional digital video cameras that will keep the size and weight down. Sony’s PD-170 is a standard for digital video cameras that are intended to be both fairly light weight and inexpensive. If you need to step up the quality somewhat, and if you demand high definition capabilities for you footage, you may want to look toward Sony’s Z1U. Canon is often considered the highest level for smaller sized digital video camcorders, but they do not have many cameras that stand out as being focused around high quality imaging being coupled with miniature sizes.
Versatility
Make sure the camera is going to be able to utilize a variety of small storage methods because this is going to be easy to deal with than changing mini digital video tapes when on the move. Also keep in mind that you may need to strap it to your body or to carrying devices during video transit, so look for those features. The best camera in this case is one that is not going to weigh you down but has a resilient image no matter what kind of environmental conditions you are in.
This post is part of the series: Guerilla Documentary
The truth does not always live in the open, so many documentarians head to the underground. Learn about some techniques used in guerilla documentary production.
- Guerrilla Documentary: Anonymity Part 1 of 2
- Guerrilla Documentary: Anonymity Part 2 of 2
- Guerrilla Documentary: Clandestine Footage
- Guerrilla Documentary: Hidden Field Cameras
- Guerrilla Documentary: Filming Without a Permit
- Guerrilla Documentary: Wireless Microphone
- Guerrilla Documentary: Using Still Photography
- Guerrilla Documentary: Using Your Mobile Phone
- Guerrilla Documentary: Entering and Exiting the Premises
- Guerrilla Documentary: Usable Stock Visuals
- Guerrilla Documentary: Getting Your Releases Early
- Guerrilla Documentary: Forget High Definition
- Guerrilla Documentary: Hidden Costs
- Guerrilla Documentary: Small & Light Cameras
- Guerrilla Documentary:Videotaping News Crews
- Guerrilla Documentary: Making a Studio in Your Apartment
- Guerrilla Documentary: Don’t Turn Off Your Camera
- Guerrilla Documentary: Chasing Your Subject
- Guerrilla Documentary: Prison Interviews
- Guerrilla Documentary: Group Interviews
- Guerrilla Documentary: Using Newspaper Clippings
- Tips on How to Make a Documentary Film