equipment

I moved over to DV from Hi 8 mainly ‘cos as I get older I was finding the excellent Canon A2 just that bit too heavy. The Panasonic NV-DS11 is much lighter and sits on a light Jessop’s tripod.

The DS 11 has a brilliant 20X optical zoom (plus a 400X digital which I have not used).
But the 20X optical has captured some superb shots of butterflies, as you can stand well away from the subject, yet get ‘full screen’ coverage.   Another major advantage of DV are the Lithium batteries that last and last and last and don’t have the ‘memory effect’ of the old cadmium.   There is also a reasonable Manual focus, although it has to be managed from a small wheel on the left side of the camera, rather than the lens itself. There is a good colour viewfinder and a fold-away screen, which is useful for instant playback.
Other “gimmicks” are operated by a menu system, which is a bit fiddly.   The tape is loaded from the top, which is sensible. It also produces good macro shots (useful for wild flowers). Altogether I’m pleased with this camcorder.

For years I edited with a Sony 815 VCR plus a Panasonic AVE5 mixer and used a Tascam 4 channel mixer for sound. Plus an Amiga for titles. A good, reliable team.   Now I use an iMac with iMovie2, plus a Sony GV 300 which gives DV in and out via Firewire and also allows Hi8 etc. to be digitised very easily.

iMovie2! Why not Premiere 6?   Laziness?   Not wanting all the hassle? For straightforward, quick, easy editing I highly recommend iMovie2. It is weak on titles.
It may be limited on transitions and doesn’t have ‘picture in picture’, but it does have ‘insert edit’ and generally is fine.   Very quick capture and easy export back to tape,
plus easy editing on each video clip.   The sound might be limited compared to Premiere,
but for voice-over, music and live sound, I find it very satisfactory.