Need help picking Pro HD Camera

[Anonymous]

Now that I know where Im getting my new camera from (B&H). All I need to decide is what camera I should get. Im leaning toward the new Panasonic HVX-200A. My question is this.Which $5000.00 HD camera will open the most possible gigs for me? Which camera will limit possible jobs? Which camera would you buy and why? Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

If you’re getting the HVX you better have a lot more than $5,000 to spend. P2 cards aren’t cheap and don’t hold a lot of video. If you’re shooting events or indie films you’ll probably need a PC or laptop to offload your video too. HVX may not be the best choice for gigs like Weddings, Sports events, etc. primarily because of the P2 cards necessary for HD.

for $5,000 I would personally go with the Canon XHG1. You can record HDV onto tape for those longer events and when you want full 1920×1080 uncompressed video, you can output to a computer through the SDI connection.

The answer lies in what type of gigs you will do the most of.

[Rob]

I’d get the Sony EX1. It’s more than 5 grand though. It’s got full HD resolution. It also has 1/2′ CMOS sensors. I dunno if mvansomeren is right about the XHG1 though. I don’t believe HDV captures a full HD resolution. Only 1440×1080. I’ve never outputted through SDI though. But then again, are the 1/3′ CCD even big enough to capture a 1920×1080 resolution? I thought the chips had to be at least 1/2”, hence the Sony EX1 which does record the full HD resolution and I think the only camera in it’s class that does.

[Anonymous]

I am correct about the XHG1 outputting 1920 x 1080 through SDI. It’s also true for the XL H1 and the XL H1s. You can easily verify the specs on the Canon site. Remember that when you out put through SDI you are not compressing it to HDV. You are using a computer with a SDI capture card to capture live, uncompressedvideo.

I like the Sony EX1 as well but as you mentioned it cost about $2K more than $5,000. It also suffers from the same problem as the HVX in that you store video to memory cards…albiet not as expensive as P2 cards, its still an investment to be able to do lengthy gigs. In addition, the EX1 is a CMOS chip and is prone to rolling shutter issues like skew and wobble when there’s lots of camera movement.

Again, the point is decide what type of gig you will do the most and get the camera that fills the bill. Don’t expect any camera do be everything to everyone. That’s why I own 3 different cameras.

[Anonymous]

i want an inexpensive hard drive high def camcorder with mic inputs light /nightvision stableizer what do i want?

[Anonymous]

My question is this.Which $5000.00 HD camera will open the most possible gigs for me? Which camera will limit possible jobs?

One thing that you may want to consider: although the quality of a compact HD camera like the HVX200 or XHG1 may be just as high as a larger HD camera, appearance will make an impression on your clients. I know from personal experience that going into a shoot with a large shoulder-mount camera can give a much more professional look, and I have even gotten comments (“that looks like a really professional/expensive piece of equipment!”) about it from customers. That in mind, you may want to consider a larger camcorder. This may cost you little more than you were hoping, but in the long run it will be worth it.

Jeremy

[Anonymous]

One thing that you may want to consider: although the quality of a compact HD camera like the HVX200 or XHG1 may be just as high as a larger HD camera, appearance will make an impression on your clients.

x2

LOL, panasonic has a new camera that is big by design, with this tiny little lense up front (hidden by a big housing).

I did a gig recently in which my larger camera wasn’t visible to the audience. I had a smaller camera in hand. Two people approached me worried about the quality of the resulting disk. Presentation is critically important, not just in the delivered product, but at every step of the project.

[Author]

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