would you consider the camera to be "wide angle" ?

When shooting an on the street interview we don't want "wide angle" as to much background appearing on each side of the subject can be distracting.

thanks for any info or suggestions.

ps - musicvid10 - how does the video look on a large screen "television type" monitor ?

As from a gopro? No.
It is full 1080 HD.

There are hundreds of original examples on the internet,
Better to use your own eyes than ask for vague opinions.

I should not have referenced Samsung in the subject as this is really (probably) with reference to any tablet.

I just did a test with my Samsung Note 3 Smart Phone and when the subject's upper 3rd (head, shoulders, and 12 to 24 inches lower) were framed they occupied maybe the middle 3rd of the screen with roughly equal parts on each side... so I'm guessing most similar devices... smartphones or tablets... will probably be about the same...

I think I would consider that a "wide angle" shot...

I took your suggestion and rooted around on the net for man-on-the-street interviews shot with a smart phone or tablet but guess I don't have the search terms right yet.

Thanks for the help.

Permit? Where do you live? It is perfectly legal to record in any public space here in the UK and I think in the US too no matter how big your camera as long as you don't cause obstruction.

Ipad/iPhone will be the same quality I think - same camera gubbins in each. Both record cracking HD video. But why go this route? Why not a small decent camcorder? You'll have far more creative options with that and probably look less of a prat!

Well, we have been researching small camcorders today. We like Sony but I'll be darn'd if I can find a way to compare their products on their website... and I can't even find a page that shows all the consumer or prosumer cam's.

I ended up on Amazon searching for Sony Camcorders then finding a likely model then going back to the Sony site to look up the specs... too much work!

I have found some Cannon Cam's with an external Mic and Headphone Jack.

We wanted to budget $200 to $300 for each of these but are way tempted by the Sony HDR-CX900/B with 1" sensor... but that is $1100 on Amazon and if we end up spending that much we would want to find something that would output raw or 4:2:2 via an SDI or HDMI connector.

The two inexpensive camera's will only be used for man-on-the-street interviews and most footage will be no longer than 15 to 20 second clips.

Now everybody is going to tell me to go with the HDR-CX900/B or better... I can hear it coming :) But the answer is not until we have fully researched other options... then we can make an informed decision and keep more of our cash:-)

Regarding the tablet idea... the appealing thing there is you do get an external mic jack and a headphone jack... and the video on the higher end tablets may work for this application.

Thanks for any additional ideas, comments, and suggestions.

we would want to find something that would output raw or 4:2:2 via an SDI or HDMI connector.

In what price range? Below a $1000? Let me know when you find something.

You know, your aspirations fall into the category of indie / guerilla / ENG shooting.
With those types, the undisputed choice is DSLR.

Interchangeable lenses, variable and fixed focal lengths, and broadcast-worthy output, not to mention they're inconspicuous. Prices are down.

No, I'm not going to recommend a make or model.

OldSmoke - I'll report back if I stumble on anything under $1k.

musicvid10 - your categories are close and we have considered a DSLR and may go that way.Mirror-less would be my choice to keep the size down.

I wish there were an easy way to compare Sony cameras... I've been unable to find a table that has the camera models and spec's & features so you can ripple down the list to see what has what.. Maybe I haven't placed the proper search terms in Google.