Canon XL2 or HV20

[Carlos Corral]

Hey Guys,

Looks like our funding won't be as much as I thought earlier. Right now, I have access to a Canon XL2 or a Canon HV20. We'll be using a Redrock M2 Adatper. Which camera am I better off with? Canon XL2 is a 3CCD but the HV20 does 1080 24p but is a 1CCD.

What do you guys think? :smile:

[yommytacoe]

XL2 for sure. The amount of manual controls are more important than the Hd. The XL2 can record 24p if thats important to you. Plus the zoom/focus ring is much more practical than the little zoom rocker and idiotic focus wheel on the hv20. XLR mic imputs are a plus, i could go on forever.

BTW, I hate to be annoying like this but technically the HV20 is a No CCD camera, it uses a CMOS chip.

[seunosewa]

The Hv20 is HD. The Xl2 is SD. The HV20 will give you a better image under most conditions.

[Finnegan]

The Hv20 is HD. The Xl2 is SD. The HV20 will give you a better image under most conditions.

this isn't necessarily true. like someone above me said, the manual controls you get with the canon xl2 will probably trump whatever you get on the hv20. and in the world of today most people who aren't shutter bugs or hi-def enthusiasts can't really tell the difference between a hi-def image and standard-def one.

[Carlos Corral]

this isn't necessarily true. like someone above me said, the manual controls you get with the canon xl2 will probably trump whatever you get on the hv20. and in the world of today most people who aren't shutter bugs or hi-def enthusiasts can't really tell the difference between a hi-def image and standard-def one.

Yes, my plan for this film is a straight to DVD distribution, not a theatrical release. The only theater this movie will be shown is probably a local theater for one or two premieres.

I've seen our XL2 on the big screen and it looked great. I think if we just do a good job with it and use a DOF Adapter, then I think we can get away with it. It seems that only distributors care if its in HD. But then audiences out there can't really tell the difference.

My mom bought an HD tv for Christmas last year and she keeps telling me she doesn't see a difference. :huh:

[after_effects]

Just wait till the red scarlet comes out. Does anyone "really" need an HD camera? I mean, are u finishing on Blu-ray or a compressed mpeg 720x480 dvd?

[Captain Pierce]

You're telling him to wait better than a year for a more-than-HD camera, and then questioning his need for an HD camera at all, all in the same post? :)

[Carlos Corral]

I'll be finishing in 720x480 DVD.

[funkroj]

manual control advantage goes out the windo if he'll be using a redrock.
The only advantage I see are the 3 ccds, which is a pretty big one due to the hv20's rolling shutter issue.

[dust'n the callipygous]

I've got an hv20 with a 35mm adapter coming in about a week. I love the camera, but in your case, I'd still say to go with the XL2. It has way better manual controls, XLR inputs, and a 20x lens (in case you decide not to use the adapter in some shots). There's no need to shoot HD if you're going SD, and you'll have a much more versatile camera to use. And rolling stutter can be a problem in quick moving shots.

[Huy Vu]

Let's step back and get some perspective here guys. Carlos really haven't given us any information to make a recommendation. Is this a short, music video, feature length? What exactly is the budget? How many people are involved? Are the cast/crew paid or are they working for free?

There are more to a camera than the images it produces, and there are more to making a film looks good than just the camera. The question here is whether you've considered what all of this stuff is going to do to your workflow.

First, it costs a huge amount of money for a usable 35mm adapter setup. How are you going to focus the image, especially when it's upside down? The XL2 viewfinder isn't going to be up to the task, and neither will the HV20's pathetic LCD screen. I've used the M2 before and it's simply impossible to focus without a good external monitor, which can easily run you a grand or more. What about follow focuses? Are you going to try and pull focus on the lens? Good luck with that. Do you have a first AC to pull focus? Because you can just forget about run and gun with the M2, both with the HV20 and the XL2. Ever have the cast and crew stares at you impatiently while you try to get focus marks or fiddle with the adapter? Not fun.

Second, are you prepared to deal with the light loss? Planning on interior scene? Better have a decent light kit and a set of fast lens because the M2 will suck up everything you throw at it. And since you've already mentioned you have limited funding, this is something you'll have to take into consideration.

I know that 35mm adapter is all the rage, and it's hard to resist shooting with one just because you have access to it, but if you're not prepared, it WILL ruin your shoot and leave you with nothing but soft, unfocused images to show for a hard day's work. Those who said that the HV20's lack of manual control is compensated for by the M2 might not have taken into consideration all the extra work involved with a 35mm adapter. Same thing with the XL2 really.

So the question you need to ask is not whether you should use the XL2 or the HV20, but whether the camera and the equipment you've chosen will work for your shoot. Just because you have a 35mm adapter doesn't mean you should use it.

[Oedipax]

Huy Vu's on the mark. There's no real right or wrong answer to this question without knowing more about your particular shoot conditions. I've got a DVX and an HV20, plus my SGpro, and I use both all the time, with and without the adapter. I'm shooting a feature for a friend of mine this summer, and we're using the HV20 and SGpro. It's going to be a huge undertaking in terms of the lighting and focus challenges, not to mention avoiding rolling shutter artifacts in some of the handheld scenes. But we want it to look great, and when shot properly, the HV20/SGpro combo is pretty stunning. If we had the money of course I'd love to step up to something like the XHA1, but we're spending a lot on a good HD monitor, follow focus, lenses, catering for actors & crew, etc. etc.

On the other hand, for my paid video work, I still use the DVX/SGpro combo. I'm just not confident enough that I can avoid all the potential pitfalls in critical situations with the HV20 when it's just me by myself. Most of what I do ends up on the web anyway, in small-ish Flash video, so even SD resolution is still oversampling.

Ultimately you should go with whatever setup you can sufficiently accommodate. The XL2 will deliver great images if you treat it with care, like most cameras these days. The HV20 will look terrible if you can't properly shoot it due to lack of budget/crew/etc. HD in general is a lot less forgiving.