A Presented Option...

[digitalinnovations]

Let me begin this post by stating that I am not in any way trying to be inflammatory, I am just looking for some better points of view from those that are better informed than I.

I received a call today about the opportunity to purchase a Sony F350 (demo unit body with viewfinder and factory warranty) for $12k. I am completely unfamiliar with the cam and with Sony products in general. We have always had Panasonic camera and gear so I am completely in the dark here. As a point of reference I am looking obviously at a HPX500. The only thing I know about the F350 is that it supposed to be in line with the 2000 and priced quite a bit above the HPX500.

If any of you more informed/experienced individuals could help shine a light on this situation I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks again!

[hunter richards]

1/2" vs 2/3", Disk vs P2, ect. There are a lot of different reasons you might choose one over the other. Its more of a personal prefrence. Go rent an f350 and try it out, also try an hpx500. Then you will know for sure. I just dont like most Sony products, not user-friendly in my opinion, but thats just my opinion...

[Barry_Green]

The F350 is a 1/2", XDCAM-HD-based product. You already know that the HPX500 is a 2/3" P2-based product.

The XDCAM is going to have a ton more image controls and more extensive menus. The HPX500 is going to have much better sensitivity and low light performance.

The big question is: disc or P2? 1/2" or 2/3"?

[digitalinnovations]

Hunter: I don't disagree with you on the Sony products. It has been my limited experience as well as info gathered from others who own pro Sony equipment.

Barry: I was hoping you would chime in. I think I have already made up my mind on those issues, but I was very curious as to if I was missing something or misinformed. I have not dealt with P2 all that much, but I personally think I will enjoy that workflow compared to my current setup (capturing via FW). I also want to move up to the 2/3" for depth of field. So I guess there really isn't a question here then.

Once I saw the comparison to the 2000 and price tag difference to the HPX500 I thought maybe the picture put out by the F350 might be worth it.

[Kit Hannah]

Once I saw the comparison to the 2000 and price tag difference to the HPX500 I thought maybe the picture put out by the F350 might be worth it.

I've been researching and testing both cams, and for the money, I think the HPX500 is a much better bet. Well, that's what we're going with anyways. Looking at financing 3 of them in the next week or so. Unless you're testing the 2 cameras side by side on an HD monitor, I don't think the image quality boost on the 350 is that big of a deal, especially when you can save lots of $$$ on the 500. It just depends on how critical your clients are. Unless your audience is extremely discerning, they're not going to know the difference...

[digitalinnovations]

Kit: Thank you for the reply! That's just the thing, right now it appears I can "get into" a F350 for the same amount of money, maybe less considering the P2 cards initial cost. I will hopefully be able to get my hands on the Sony.

[hunter richards]

I have a feeling that once the new 2/3" 4:2:2 XDCAM's with the higher bit rates are released later this year, the old 1/2" XDCAMs are going to be cheap. Thats probably why you see one for sale at that price.

[jcoxshooter]

Something else to think about is unless you are going to use the camera for capture, you will have the price of xd-cam deck. I freelance with a company that has the a xd-cam and planed on using their camera but quickly found it finee as long as you can free the camera up. Plus from what I have seen the p2 workflow is much quicker. The xd cam work flow still seem closer to a tape work flow. Just my opinion.

[Kit Hannah]

The problem that I would have with a used 350 is the warranty. What kind of warranty do you get with it? If something goes wrong and there is no warranty, you are going to most likely spend a fortune. The 500 has a 5 year. Also, many dealers are now including a 16GB card with the 500. I'm pretty sure that the cards are faster to dump than the discs are and you don't need to buy some expensive drive to do it. Also, does this used 350 come with a lens? I would look at the future upgradeability with the camera. If the future of XDCAM is 2/3", upgrading in the future is going to be much more expensive. Purchasing 2/3" glass will allow for future body changes only, whereas 1/2" glass looks like it will go away eventually, since there really are no other 1/2" cameras. Although, you could get the 1/2" > 2/3" adapter right off the bat, which is what I would advise you do if going the XDCAM route.

From a business standpoint, I always look at ROI (Return on Investment). What are you going to get back out of the camera after a few years of having it? I would speculate that the 1/2" stuff will be in very low demand in a few years because of the "proprietary" format. Just something to think about.

[William_Robinette]

Panasonic board, ya ya.

Never used a 500 so I am just poking in here to say that the 350 can produce some wonderful pictures. The menus are fine once you learn them and the XDcam work flow is lovely compared to tape. Not a bad camera at all.

[bjornaagedk]

I will try both HPX500, Sony F350 and maybe HPX2100 this week. What I have heard is that HPX500 and F350 are generally in the same group of camcorders when it comes to image quality. The F350 images are sharper than the images from HPX500, but the HPX500 has other advantages like f.ex. color depth.

The HPX2100 should be at its own level, being much better than both HPX500 and F350. But it is a camcorder designet for ENG-work, so it has no over/undercrank etc.
I am really looking forward to compare the quality of those 3 cams.

If anyone else have compared F350 with HPX2100 or HPX500 with HPX2100, please post your comments..

Bjorn

[Kit Hannah]

Panasonic board, ya ya.

Never used a 500 so I am just poking in here to say that the 350 can produce some wonderful pictures. The menus are fine once you learn them and the XDcam work flow is lovely compared to tape. Not a bad camera at all.

Even know this is a Panisonic board, pound for pound, if I could get out the door with either cam for the same exact price, I may in fact go with the Sony. But there is a SUBSTANTIAL cost savings with the 500. If you need 3 cameras for your business, which are you going to choose?

[digitalinnovations]

The warranty on the Sony is only 12 month, compared to the 5 year on the HPX500, so it is pretty obvious who wins there are well.