Planning to Buy the HVX200

U

untrainedeye

New member
I am making my first foray into film making. On the advice of a friend, an amateur film maker, I considered the Panasonic HV200. The reviews have universally been strong, and so I plan to buy it.

Where should I buy the camera? Online I have found prices varying significantly from $3199 (no lens) to $6000 from a variety of different online vendors.

Furthermore what accessories do I need to start with. My initial project will be recording lengthy interviews with some senior citizens. I am trying to understand what accessories will be needed initially.

Any other advice will be appreciated.
 
The HVX200 doesn't have a removable lens, and the price is ridiculously low -- stay away from any place that charges less than about $5200, or you'll like get ripped off.
 
Sounds like you need to do a bunch of research and this is th place for it.

First figure out a p2 workflow, you won't know what you need until you know what process you will use. (mac, pc) (p2 store, firestore, pcmcia offload, streaming to a laptop, usb offload from camera) interviews - 2 8G will give you 40 minutes at 720 24pn before needing to offload.

Only buy from an authorized dealer, you will pay > 5k plus p2. If they advertise here, they are authorized by Panasonic. There are many threads on this matter, search "authorized". anything cheap will be grey market or bogus.

There are tons of accessories for the camera but for interviews you probably don't need many of the goodies mentioned in the hardware section. You will need a good tripod (cartoni focus, Bogen 516)

You will need audio and lights as well obviously. Lot of info in the filmmaking section.

and get a good case (pelican, storm) as well as a Uv filter to protect the glass.
 
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untrainedeye said:
Where should I buy the camera? Online I have found prices varying significantly from $3199 (no lens) to $6000 from a variety of different online vendors.
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No lens?! Hahaha stay very FAR away from that deal. The HVX lens is a fixed lens! :eek:
 
Maybe the "no lens" deal is, they take your money and you don't get a camera either! :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)


Bob Diaz
 
Consider getting a DVX100A/DVX100B instead of an HVX200. If you're just starting out and you're shooting interviews of senior citizens an HVX sounds "a little" overkill. The DVX has a decent film-like image. Look through the forums here and find the names of some of the independent movies that have been shot with that camera, rent or buy a couple of the DVDs, then see whether or not you feel that camera will work for you. I'm sure you'll be satisfied with what it has to offer for what you want to do.

You have to consider not just what you're going to shoot on but what you're going to do with it in post. Before you make your final decision on camera/format, I'd recommend that you factor in EXACTLY what you'll be editing on - what platform, what editing program, etc. If you go the HVX200 route, things will be much more complicated in post and require more money.

One thing you have to keep in mind when asking the advice of a friend who has expertise in a certain area: sometimes they tell you what THEY would get, not what YOU should get.

BTW - Have you thought about what you're going to do about audio gear? Lighting equipment? Backdrops? Flags? Gels? C-Stands? ... and all the other necessary gear to make a decent video with?

Buy your camera and other items from reputable companies. There's a thread on the DVX forum that lists authorized Panasonic dealers. I've bought thousands of dollars worth of gear from B&H Photo. I've been very happy with them.
 
Hello all, I am new to the forums, yet was convinced to buy the HVX due to most of your reviews. Now, I purchased it for approximately 5000 shipped off of eBay, however, now I am worried after reading your comments here. The camera doesn't come with the P2 so I would have to purchase that separately (correct)?

Also, why is it so cheap here:
http://www.ccicameracity.com/panasonicaghvx200.html

And here is the item off of eBay that I purchased impulsively:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=003&item=130014882585&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1

ALSO. I just read their return policy:
  • [FONT=arial, helvetica] [/FONT][FONT=arial, helvetica]
    [*]No returns or cancellations of any kind !!!

    [*]Defective merchandise will be exchanged for same provided we are contacted within 3 days of receipt.
    [*]After 3 days contact original manufacturer for repair/replacement. All returns require a return number (RMA#)

    Now I'm worried. Any suggestions?

    EDIT:

    I just went to reviews for the CameraCity store and they were all negative saying that they use "Bait and Switch" so just an update and answer to my own question. But I'm still worried about my eBay order.

    [/FONT]
 
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There ARE legit resellers on ebay but Digital Goodys is not one of them. You will get a grey market unit with no warranty. They are part of a group of NYC based stores that is in a constant rotation of names. The notorious name of the company was Pricerite, and since the name has changed many times over. There are basically 10-20 different names of stores that all come out of the same place.

A quick search turned up this info:

http://www.sheddingsomelight.com/buy-cameras/list/dealers-priceritefam.html



ash =o)


PS if you dont have about $8k to spend, you should not even be looking at the HVX
 
You may want to start with a DVX100B simply because there is less to worry about. Working in high-def just seems to require a lot more technical finese than SD did. I used a DVX for over two years before I got my HVX200 but it seems there's still a lot more I have to learn about the camera and I have to work much harder to get the kind of footage I want.

That said, you may want to get the HVX200 simply since it's more future proof. You could just use it in SD at first and get a handle on that before moving up.

Online I have found prices varying significantly from $3199 (no lens)
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That's hilarious! The HVX doesn't have a removible lense. That pretty much sums up gray market scams.
 
Thank you all for the input, I have filed claims with paypal and my credit card company.

Here's why I wanted the HVX for a decent price. I used to have a XL1 and have shot on that previously. Recently, I have gathered a budget (bank loan) to make my new short and with the money, I purchased a new Mac Pro configured quite well and am planning on buying Final Cut HD.

I would simply like my film to be as cinema-like as possible (I will improve as much as possible in post-prod), but I can't spend over 6500 on the camera, that is why the HVX seemed like a good idea to me. I was wondering, would you all recommend a DVX or HVX, because this will be something I will submit to festivals throughout. I mean, the reason I impulsively bought the HVX from eBay is because I downloaded clips from the forums here of the timelapse and just simply fell in love.

I simply want the final cut of the film to be as clean as possible, and I feel the HVX would achieve that better versus the DVX. Thank you again.

I mean, I read through both the DVX reviews and the HVX, and Barry Green's review of the HVX simply sold me along with the footage. Help would be appreciated, thank you.
 
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Here's the deal:

1. If you're luck, 6500 will get you an HVX200 and 1 8 gig P2 card which will hold a 20 minutes of 720p max. This won't inlcude mike costs, tripod costs, or anything else. Do you have access to a mike and tripod? Can you manage to shoot a film if you're going to have to dump the footage every 20 minutes?

2. The filmfestival question is rather hard to answer. When projected, the 720p or 1080p HVX footage is going to beat the crap out of DVX footage. HOWEVER, I really don't know of a good way to get HD footage to a festival. I doubt you have the cash for a Blue Ray or HD-DVD burner and I doubt many places have players. The question is that, unless you are planning to do a film transfer, how are you gonna get a festival your footage in HD?

3. For an SD DVD, the HVX200 is going to give you a slightly sharper and generally cleaner look. It's not a HUGE difference but it's there and would also be more noticible when projected at a festival (thought not nearly as impressive as if you were showing it in it's origional resolution).

To be honest, it seems like your budget is more suited to a DVX100. It's going to provide a much more simple workflow and require a lot less (HD just takes more time). That said, if you already have an XL1, it seems like a DVX100 may not be enough to justify getting something new. If you're gonna upgrade, I'd rather get something more future proof.
 
If you are familiar with the XL series, consider the XL2. I can help you get a look you like. You may also consider renting a camera...


ash =o)
 
AshG:
I considered this on several occasions, but my shooting schedule is going to be very random, and I will be filming three different shorts alone, along with a couple of music videos and whatnot. Also, I initially considered upgrading to the XL2 initially, but when I looked at clips of both, the HVX seemed so much more jaw-dropping that I simply fell in love.


David:
I will get a 4 gig P2 and keep my laptop with me in order to shoot some footage, load it onto the laptop, then shoot more, etc... And I made sure to purchase a shotgun mic along with a preamp (500 for mic, 1200 for preamp) which would run into my laptop (laptop runs as the mixer through the preamp) so I get very clean sound. However, I would think that I would no longer need the laptop for sound because it would be HD quality if recorded in HD, correct?
Also, I definitely don't have enough for the Blue Ray or HD-DVD. I would keep the footage in SD, but if projected, it will make a noticeable difference as you say, so for this reason I would see it as a more viable alternative.
The thing is, the results with the X1 aren't what I want, and the footage of the DVX are much more film like, and for this reason, I would simply like to get the future proof HVX, since the price different is almost double, yet you get HD capabilities. I don't really know, I'm torn up.

And again, thanks a million for the input. Much obliged.
 
I will get a 4 gig P2 and keep my laptop with me in order to shoot some footage, load it onto the laptop, then shoot more, etc... And I made sure to purchase a shotgun mic along with a preamp (500 for mic, 1200 for preamp) which would run into my laptop (laptop runs as the mixer through the preamp) so I get very clean sound. However, I would think that I would no longer need the laptop for sound because it would be HD quality if recorded in HD, correct?
Click to expand...

I'm not a sound guy. When I asked a similar question to a sound teacher of mine last year asking what the qualitative differences between DAT, laptop, and stait-to-tape DVX100A, he said, "doesn't make a difference as far as quality goes. They're all 16-bit and encoded digitally. It's just how you get it into the PC." Take that for what you will. I think the only major upgrade of the HVX over the DVX100A is two more channles of audio but, once again, I'm not sure.

Also, I definitely don't have enough for the Blue Ray or HD-DVD. I would keep the footage in SD, but if projected, it will make a noticeable difference as you say, so for this reason I would see it as a more viable alternative.
The thing is, the results with the X1 aren't what I want, and the footage of the DVX are much more film like, and for this reason, I would simply like to get the future proof HVX, since the price different is almost double, yet you get HD capabilities. I don't really know, I'm torn up.
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Barry has some great tests demonstrating the difference between the various HVX200 formats and the DVX100 when burned to an SD-DVD. Look at those pictures and try zooming in a few times, that should give you an idea on blow up. I've done my own rather limited tests (always trust Barry over me and pretty much anyone else when it comes to pansonic cameras) and here is what I've noticed:

1. DVCPro50, 720p, and 1080i downrezed to SD DVD not only look about 20% sharper to my eyes but also MUCH cleaner. There is much less noise, compression artifacts, and other things that make the DVX100 look kind of dirty in comparison.

2. HVX to tape in Squeeze mode compared to DVX100A in squeeze is less impressive. I see a bit of a resolution gain but it doesn't seem as clean to my eyes. To be fair though, I havn't done much HVX200 to tape and the times I did were in low light where it is bound to perform badly. Barry's test indicated much more favorible results for the HVX200.

When this is projected, I think it'll make a difference but probably not a huge one. If you do your job, you can make a SD-DVD with the DVX100A that looks almost as good as a lot of DVDs made from 35mm film even when projected (though a large part of that is since you can make a 9 mb per sec DVD compared to the 3 mb that most Hollywood ones are). The HVX200 will probably look about 25% better on a big screen if you use DVCPro and perhaps 10-15% better if you shot tape. There's nothing scientific behind these numbers, just what my eyes see. The HVX200 certainly looks better but, on an SD-DVD, it's not quite in a different league. More like the difference between 16mm and Super 16mm.

However, features are also important to consider. I'm sure you know about the variable framerates of the HVX200 and this is certainly nice. Another thing that doesn't get mentioned much (and I wish it would since I consider it very important) is that the HVX200 has about a stop more of lattitude. If you plan to shoot outdoors, lattitude is half the game.

That said, dealing with HD and all the complexities of it makes the HVX200 much more intensive than the DVX100. I'd mess with my setting in the DVX100 before I shot and I'd get results I was happy with but the HVX200 really requires micromanagement to get the most out of it (on the other hand, that's to bet the best looking HD stuff, in SD it's probably not as big a difference).

Also consider how much your tripod can hold. HVX200 weighs more.

The bottom line is that the DVX100 or XL2 would probably be a better choice for you RIGHT NOW, but considering this is going to be an investment, I'd rather move up to an HVX200 (or XLH1 if you prefer the way Canon works and have a spare 9k).
 
The one 4GB card wont work... very unproductive and when you start talking "future proof" which is a phrase I hate... you are talking 1080P, not 720P. Funny to me how HD zealots do all this talking and only shoot in 720P, a format which will be 100% dead very soon. I shoot 720P, not for future proofing but to save space and match Vari footage.

If you DO go with the HVX, just shoot in 480P.... you can always upgrade later.




ash =o)
 
AshG:
When I say future proof, I mean a couple of years down the line, in the sense that the camera has HD capabilities whereas the DVX does not.

However, when you say not productive, the thing is, I can shoot 8 minutes on DVCpro50 and keep the laptop on hand, then transfer it onto the laptop, and shoot another 8 minutes, and so forth, correct? If this is the case, then I feel I might have to. If I can find a decent price on the 8 gig P2 I'll purchase it in a few months, but for now I'll have to stick to the 4 gig sadly. Thanks a lot for input.


David:
Thanks again. I just looked at Barry's footage, and again, I'm sold on the HVX. I just feel it gets a cleaner image, as you pointed out, especially after it's projected on a big screen. Thanks a million for the help.
 
I don't have much experience with the DVX but had the same decision and bought the HVX. In deciding I viewed it as follows:

For a few k more:
Native 16:9
4:2:2 color sampling in DvcPro 50
1080ip, 720p
Variable Frame Rate in 720pn
Although debated at length by many, I like p2.
Can still use tape for DV if necessary.
 
thefilmmaking said:
AshG:
When I say future proof, I mean a couple of years down the line, in the sense that the camera has HD capabilities whereas the DVX does not.

However, when you say not productive, the thing is, I can shoot 8 minutes on DVCpro50 and keep the laptop on hand, then transfer it onto the laptop, and shoot another 8 minutes, and so forth, correct? If this is the case, then I feel I might have to. If I can find a decent price on the 8 gig P2 I'll purchase it in a few months, but for now I'll have to stick to the 4 gig sadly. Thanks a lot for input.


David:
Thanks again. I just looked at Barry's footage, and again, I'm sold on the HVX. I just feel it gets a cleaner image, as you pointed out, especially after it's projected on a big screen. Thanks a million for the help.
Click to expand...


So you are going to shoot for 8 minutes, break for 8 minutes, etc.? When you back up you need to go to an internal and external and by the time you stop, transfer, confirm and start up again, you are looking at 50% of your time being wasted.

If you cant get two 4GB cards I would shoot SD for now...




ash =o)
 
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