Hey guys, so is the HVX better then the Canon XH-A1 ?

No, its not better than the HVX... Its a pretty decent cam for what its got, but definiely not superior to the Panny. I'd still grab one of these though!
 
Different tools for different purposes.

Do you need to have super-ultra telephoto? The Canon's got that (although you can get that with the HVX and the Century 1.6x or 2.0x teleconverters).

Do you need to be able to record an hour at a time on a tape? The Canon can do that.

Do you need to record 720p, or variable frame rates, or DVCPRO50, or uncompressed audio or any of the other things the HVX can do? Then you'd rather get the HVX.
 
Being that I'm totally lost outside of my safe haven DVX, I just had to ask the question.

Those are some big differences that you mentioned Barry.

The lens issue isn't a biggie for me.

The tape vs mem card is a "tetering the fence" issue to me as I can fall either way on it.

The whole 720p thing, I just don't know what that is. (eek) I'll look around to find some info on that but would you or anyone else mind edjumacating the ignorant?
 
High Def comes in two flavors, 720p and 1080. ABC, Fox, ESPN all broadcast 720p. PBS, NBC, CBS, and most pay-cable networks broadcast in 1080.

All the other cameras force you to choose one mode or the other to shoot in. The JVC is 720-only, the Canon and Sony are 1080-only.

The HVX does both. You can choose whether you want 720 or 1080 on a case-by-case basis.

There are, of course, other differences -- DVCPRO-HD vs. HDV, tapeless vs. tape, etc. Make your decision based on the features and the workflow.
 
You'd be best off researching both cameras. There are only opinions until you get into things like what Barry's mentioning.

How often will you use Variable Frame Rates? How often will you need to take advantage of wide-angle?

How much do you want to spend on p2 media and converting to the workflow? How afraid of you are wearing your heads out from playback/capture?

Can you handle macro-blocking that definitely exists in the HVX image? Can you deal with HDV compression?

Are you willing to spend 5k on variable frame rates, p2 workflow, etc. (5k is now with 8gig card, for the time being)? Are you willing to save 1k and spend time tweaking the A1's plentiful on-board image controls?

Those are questions that you have to ask yourself. Other people have different opinions.
 
The New JVC GYHD250U/251E can record 720p on mini-DV tape and can have a " Live " EE mode in 1080i as well. so you can record the signal onto HDCAM or DVCPROHD Decks or any workstations with HDSDI capture card for a higher data rate of better quality ( not MPEG 2 TS - 19.7mb/s in 4:2:0 ).
 
At this point, as it's been stated over-and-over here, it's really about your choice workflow.

There are ways to get slow-mo, albeit tedious, from any of these cameras. The images are comparibly similar, etc, etc.

You just have to research which one fits your budget and preferences.
 
gyhd250u_side_B.jpg


That's a beautiful piece of gear... but simply out of my price range.... :(


Kholi, I'm leaning towards the Canon but I just don't want to sell myself short on some things that I'm not aware of at the moment. I don't know much about HD and the pros/cons of the cameras that are on the market today. I'd like to grab a camera that is going to be around the 4-5k range but not have to convert my workflow into spending another 2k in upgrades. Do you have any biased or unbiased feelings on the Canon?



Oh also (here's the shameful part) I don't know what "100 Mbps, 4:2:2 -vs- 25Mbps, 4:1:1" even means LOL!
 
You and me both, Coffee. The A1 is sitting at a great price. A used HVX can be had for about 4k now, I've seen a few already... but that's without p2 cards. So you're still at 4500. Which isn't that much of a difference.

I dunno. I am honestly leaning toward the A1 with the footage that's been popping up.

You should check out the A1 sub-forum here, Coffee. It's actually a tad lively. Elton has just posted a great 150mb clip of city footage from the A1's stock lens. Straight from camera, Color Corrected twice with some night shots mixed in.

I'll let you judge it for yourself. My sentiments are already posted.
 
The P2 work flow has been pretty easy even in a quick paced environment where you are shuffling cards back and forth. I have been on a few shoots so far that have been flawless with no down time. One of the really great things is that you don't have to sit there and log the tape afterwards, I hate doing that.
 
Just keep in mind this "shuffling cards" thing is a very temporary situation. When 16GB cards hit you can have 80 minutes of 720/24pN footage in-camera at once, which (combined with the ability to delete garbage takes) should be able to get most dramatic narrative shooters through an entire day without ever changing cards.
 
Yes, Disjecta bought a Canon.

And Peter Jackson, Clint Eastwood, Kevin Smith, George Clooney, Steven Soderbergh, and Francis Ford Coppola all bought HVXs.

And they'll probably all buy a Red too.
 
Thanks Barry,

I never thought I'd be in the same post as Peter Jackson, Clint Eastwood, Kevin Smith, George Clooney, Steven Soderbergh, and Francis Ford Coppola.

:)
 
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