HVX200 amazing... but should I keep my dvx100 too?

[arrestthisman]

Hi all. I'd appreciate some advice regarding selling my beloved DVX100.

I already own an HVX200. I love it. I always seem to be astounded by the results no matter how poorly I shoot it :).

I'm just finishing up a feature legnth documentary that was shot on the DVX100. The project went through delay after delay due to some health problems I've been having.

... at any rate, I'm trying to forsee any reason to keep my DVX100. I don't shoot multicam for 99% of the work I do, and I'm transitioning over to all High-Def.

I'm definitely leaning towards selling it. BUT I'm very afraid of selling it and then running into a scenario where it would have been useful.

I know there are a lot of people out there with both cams. I'd be greateful for any and all advice from anyone who would care to help me with this issue.

Take care, thanks - alex

[mflo]

I sold my DVX after I bought my HVX and used the money on a mattebox and some filters. Haven't regretted that decision at all.

[ullanta]

I have both cams... my situation is a little different from yours, in that most of my bread-and-butter work remains 60i SD.

For interlaced footage, in SD, the DVX100 is superior; as it is in low light situations. In some (albeit rare) situations, uprezzed DVX low-light footage has proven to look "better" overall than HVX low-light...

You say "transitioning" to HD, so I assume you'll be doing some SD for the foreseeable future... I find that both cams have their place in that kind of situation. In any case, you have both cams, no? Try some test situations that cover your foreseeable needs, and see whether there are indeed cases where you'd reach for the DVX rather than the HVX!

[David Jimerson]

I would agree that if you need to do some SD 60i work, you're going to want to do it with the DVX.

That said, in 24p SD, the HVX is bee-yoo-tee-ful.

[arrestthisman]

Yeah... I think I am going to sell it. There's going to be a lot of pickup shots as I get farther into editing.

Much of the film is animated, but there is a theme of screenshots to illustrate the scenes rather than transfering them directly to the timeline.

One of the things that would change my situation is whether the p2 card bug has been solved on the Mac. I can capture with the DVX to my powerbook without any problems, but I've read time and time again that it's not good to copy P2 card material to a mac directly from the card. There's a bug of some sort. So I copy with my PC, and then x-fer to the mac.

Has this been solved yet? (Not to change topic, but this would affect my DVX problem.)

Thanks.

[jake stutheit]

do you ever do anything that might benefit from a 2 camera set-up? especially if your doing SD stuff, i bet the footage matches pretty well in SD. that might be a reason to keep it.

[dregenthal]

I sold my DVX100A late November 2005...was happy because I got a very good price for it. Since then I have had two regrets: (1) as mentioned above, 2nd camera and, (2) I was able to shoot some really impressive stuff, handheld, with the DVX . . . no matter how I work at it I have not been able to replicate that with my HVX-200.

Maybe there's just a lot more going on (working for HD focus), or I'm not holding my tongue right . . . go figure?

[mule ferguson]

[QUOTE=arrestthisman]Hi all. I'd appreciate some advice regarding selling my beloved DVX100.

I still have my DVX100. Remember you still have the charger and batteries , This has come in handy for me. I don't thank I will ever sell this camera.
Mule:crybaby: :crybaby:

[ullanta]

I was able to shoot some really impressive stuff, handheld, with the DVX . . . no matter how I work at it I have not been able to replicate that with my HVX-200.

Maybe there's just a lot more going on (working for HD focus), or I'm not holding my tongue right . . . go figure?

('cause it's freakin' heavy, chubby, and the cassette door moves around when it's handheld, maybe?)

[Mr24p]

I just did a shoot last week where I shot Mini DV using my HVX and we had a DVX to shoot some extra b-roll. What I noticed was that my HVX had so much more latitude to work with. It was a lot harder to blow out the image whereas the DVX (it was the DVXA in case you're wondering) had minimal room to work with. I only noticed it because I have been using my HVX for over a year now so things like that stood out.

I have a first release DVX that I may sell one day (though I probably won't get much for it) but I figured it would be good for recording behind the scenes of a movie I'm going to be doing. But between the two cameras I am just constantly impressed with the HVX. I know people complain about noise and other issues but I just love the camera to death. I can't go back to other cameras. Even if I am doing DV. :)

[arrestthisman]

I guess I'm just torn. It'll depend on how much I'd get for it.

I have some great memories with the camera, AND some pretty horrible ones. (Not because of the cam, just a project I did using it that was very grueling.)

Anyway thanks for the advice.

I guess the thing is I really don't do multicam. Behind the scenes would be cool, but I really wouldn't need a DVX for that. I'd want the behind-t-s to look much more like video. Consumer cam type stuff.

To Mr24p: "Have you ever thought of sitting down with your children, turning off the tv... and hitting them?" - Bender Bending Rodriguez

[Arson]

Keep both. An extra camera comes in really handy.

[ROne]

I was in the same position, but sold my dvx100 and replaced with a 2nd HVX.

But it appears for PAL land the HVX is much better in SD WS.

[arrestthisman]

Man... This one is tough. For 720P work, matching 480P with some good mitchell uprezzing would probably look pretty good.

The only thing is that a behind the scenes thing would be the most likely use, BUT I think a consumer cam would be better for that.

I love the DVX, but I'm spoiled with the tapeless workflow. P2 has changed my life. I don't know if I want to deal with capturing anymore.

Also for the brief times I want to multicam, I can always rent a DVX. I also have a close friend with an HD100. If I could get 1800 for it, it would nearly pay for my new laptop... which would be nice.

On the otherhand, I still just have this nudging feeling, keeping me from selling it. Also, with that money I could get an HV20... pretty sweet.

alright anymore thoughts are of course greatly appreciated, but I can only devote so much time to this before I should decide and stick with it.

[Ursa]

yeah.. I thought: "unless you shoot multicam 4:3, sell it".

[Onjay Films]

I'm shooting a short fim in low light conditions. I have access to DVX100 however I was going to buy the HVX200. Is the hvx a far better camera? What is I shoot in tape mode, would you be able to tell between the two camera's?

[arrestthisman]

Yeah I think it's going to be on the marketplace forum soon... :(

It'll pay for a new laptop, and I really just don't need it for the kind of work that I do.

If I ended up getting paid enough to do multicam I'd want an HD b-roll cam too. Also the behind the scenes thing, again, I wouldn't want it to look anything like the actual movie so the DVX would not be a good thing for that in my case.

Thank you all for your help!