What Kind of Camera Should I Get?

In some ways, this is an easy question to answer. In others, it can be very difficult.

The simple answer is that just about any camera can be used to produce stop-motion animation. As with all things, there are tradeoffs, but here is a practical minimum set of features:

1) Appropriate Resolution. First of all, ask yourself, "Where am I going to show my movie?" If it's just going to be seen on the computer at Youtube size, that could give you one answer. If it's going into an IMAX theater, that's another answer. The camera should be capable of meeting the resolution standards of your exhibition medium. In other words, you wouldn't want to use a low resolution webcam if you intend to show your work in a theater. Realistically, practically, most of us can get by doing basic animation for showing to our friends on the TV or on the computer with a standard consumer-level video camera provided it meets our other criteria.

Bear in mind, also, that if you intend to incorporate special effects involving compositing or other manipulations, you will benefit by taking your shots at higher resolutions.

2) Manual Control. The camera should be capable of manual control over all basic features, notably exposure (both aperture and sensitivity), focus, and white balance. The more manual control you can exert over your camera, and the easier it is to exert that control, the happier you will be. The main reasons we want manual control are a) to avoid flicker and unwanted exposure changes within a shot, and b) to ensure the camera remains focused precisely on what we want in focus without subtle (or not so subtle) jerks. Avoid cameras that require you to navigate through many menu layers to access the manual functions. Many manufacturers post Operation Manuals on their websites. Look at those to get a sense of how difficult manual override is.

3) Tripod Mount. The camera should be easily mountable on a tripod, with no controls blocked by mounting. Most cameras have a threaded hole for tripod use.

4) Connectivity. For video cameras, it is very important that the camera can be connected directly to a computer via Firewire or USB, in such a way that you can get a live feed to the computer. You DO NOT want to start and stop a video camera to get your frames. Your animation will be unsatisfying and you'll shorten the life of your camera. If your camera is not digital but it has analog video output, you can purchase an analog video capture card and install it in your computer.

5) AC Power Adapter. The camera should be capable of operating while connected to an AC adapter, and any "auto shutoff" or "sleep mode" should have an override function. You likely don't want to animate on battery power. Be sure that the AC adapter plug does not interfere with the tripod mount.

These five features can be considered a starting point. Moving up from there, the sky is the limit. The better the lens, the better your results. Look for a wide-ranging zoom, look for macro focus capability in the lens. A camera with detachable lenses is useful.

Get Started! With all the above said, don't let the lack of a perfect camera stop you from getting started with whatever you can get your mitts on. People have made stop-motion with cellphone cameras, laptop cameras, webcams, old still film cameras (totally crazy!)... There are always things to learn.

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