Hvx200 vs XH-A1 lowlight

xray. I'm confused by your post a little. You said that the hvx200 is not accepted acquisition format. Then you said that dvcprohd is an accepted format. Then you said that there is no point in doing p2 either.

The HVX200 = p2 = DVCPRO HD.

Jason
 
Yes, they make an exception for the HVX200, that's why I mentioned it, so even if you shoot DVCPROHD with it, it is not aloud.
P2 is memoryraid = memoryraid = what you place on it like SD DVCPRO or HD.
 
DVCPRO-HD is an accepted acquisition and editing format.

HVX is allowed up to 15% of the program's content. They classify the HVX's optical performance in the same category as the HDV camcorders' optical performance (probably fair, since they're all sub-$9000) and so they all suffer from the same 15% restriction.
 
I know I'm coming into this thread late, but I just wanted to say that I'm blown away by how interesting to read this has been. I'm new to the forums and will be contributing a lot now that I know about them. This thread is still leaving me wondering whether the panasonic ag-hvx200 or the canon XH-A1 is right for me, but I like that I could record full 1080p on the hvx200.

While the Canon seems to record better in low light according to the videos on http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=79138, I'm still skeptical as well.

And it seems like having the hvx just as a tape deck for dvcpro seems worth the money, but I don't have a need for that at the moment other than for the color information. Regardless of what cam I get, I'm going to get a hard drive to record to...

So, I'm gonna put this out there and hopefully one of you will be so kind as to make your suggestion. Here's what I do / plan on doing with the camcorder. BTW, I haven't upgraded in a while and I'm still using a Sony VX2000 at the moment.

1) rollerblading / action (the slow-mo is a nice thing to use for this, plus any ability to get a nice fisheye attachment and zoom attachment)
2) contest coverage where I'll be running around trying to get different angles, etc.
3) music videos and live concert coverage
4) documentaries, films and really anything else that comes up right now...

I've been doing filming and editing since 1998 or so, but more active since around 2000. Haven't done anything "professionally" yet or submitted anything to film festivals, but I'm hoping on working on more projects that will be in the near future.

Also, I should add that from what I've seen I'm sure I'll be pleased with whichever camcorder I get -- I just want to make the best decision possible. Thanks again!

Jeff
 
It is not a tape deck, you have DVCPRO(HD) only on P2 so you can't do anything with this format on tape. The HVX200 is heavy! It LOOKS like a palmcam but it is more a cam for sticks. Even using it for a longer time with a support makes you tired in the shoulders. It is more expensive, if you count archiving then even more. It brings very nice pictures in color and close ups. P2 is Panasonic only. I feel that one-person shootings are better done with the A1.

The A1 is somewhat less professional equipped as the HVX, the color is nice but not so rich, the HDV editing is more cumbersome. You can buy a wide lensadapter for the A1 also . You can make long recordings cheap on tape, or as backup if you shoot on harddisk, you have a 20x long lens, sharp and detailed.

The A1 is lighter and cheaper overall. You get a lot for the money. But you need to live with some small handicaps. The HVX is heavy, 'multicam' , there are many adapters and other gear, more expensive, but good old every frame compressed codec. It is a different camcorder with a different shooting style.

Look at the images, both shoot images you can create a story with.
 
Elton said:
Exactly. Good HDV is so far ahead of the actual quality of current HD broadcast in general that if the post production process is meticulous enough, and the broadcast encoding is good enough, it can pretty much look as good as any other HD program to the end viewer.
Click to expand...

I beg to differ (a little). Some HD broadcasts on my Sony 60" SXRD are absolutely stunning. After having my A1 for a week I've shot some really good stuff as well. I know you said "in general" and you're right for many HD broadcasts but there are many more that the A1 will not touch. Discovery knows their stuff, the glass and codec make a difference. That said I'm very happy with my A1 and for the money think it can't be beat.
 
Barry_Green said:
What we're talking about is that if you were to ask the Discovery channel to fund your production, they have requirements as to what you have to shoot and edit on.

So far, their guidelines say they will not approve a production if it's intended to be shot on any HDV camcorder or on the HVX. There are certain formats that are approved for "unrestricted use", such as HDCAM or DVCPRO-HD, and there are certain formats that are only allowed for very limited use (no more than 15% of the final footage in the total project). Those limited formats include 1080 HDV, and also the HVX.
Click to expand...

You're correct Barry.

Those documents are the DCI's guidelines. I checked with my good friend who is POST PRODUCTION MANAGER there.

That's the way it is.
 
chaspdx said:
I have an xha1 use it to shoot television news at night omg its a god as far as i can see
Click to expand...
I've reviewed lots of footage now and I'm still not sure what is best for me (mainly because everything I've seen has been reduced in size and compressed to more downloadable sizes -- which is good for me as well since a LOT of my media will be for online distribution, but hard to get the best idea still...).

The XH-A1 does seem to have great picture quality. Seems like it could suit my needs nicely. Are there features to record at a higher frame rate (for slow-mo) like on the Panasonic? I'm a bit confused by what Canon's website states: "The XH A1 captures true 1080 High Definition resolution video at 60i, 30F or 24F frame rates (or, 50i/60i with optional upgrade)"

60i = 30fps (2 fields) right? 30F = 30 progressive frames, so, that would mean the camcorder can do 1080p, but they don't advertise it like that... they advertise 1080i... argh... Looks like there's no frame rates for slow mo though.

I like panasonic because everything is explained straight-forward and they don't have non-standard things like 24F and 30F... If this is identical to the 30F mode on the Canon GL1/2, I may pass -- that stuff always looked weird IMHO..
 
It depends on whether you're willing to do some post work to get slowmo and at what resolution you need. Here's some 60i Canon footage converted to 720 60p via Nattress FCP plug-in, and then conformed to 720 24p slowmo playback via Cinema Tools.

http://www.realm.cc/upload/Elton/SupermanRevertsmov.mov 44MB h.264 QT

This can be resized via Instant HD or Resizer to 1080 resolution and intercut quite well with 1080 24F.
 
Elton said:
Here's some 60i Canon footage converted to 720 60p via Nattress FCP plug-in, and then conformed to 720 24p slowmo playback via Cinema Tools.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the sample. That's smooth and doesn't show any signs of interlacing as far as I can tell. These are some convincing arguments for me to go with the Canon... The colors look great. The resolution looks good as well (it's especially noticable on the lines of the fence and the rooftops). Now who's going to sway me back the other way? haha. :)
 
Actually, image resolution of one field in Canon's 1080i stream from CCD block is dangerously close to HVX limit... No surprise 1080 50/60i converted to 720 50/60p looks so good.
 
Bogdan said:
Actually, image resolution of one field in Canon's 1080i stream from CCD block is dangerously close to HVX limit... No surprise 1080 50/60i converted to 720 50/60p looks so good.
Click to expand...

It is surprising when you look at 1080i like this:
Superman1080i.jpg


Turn into 720p like this:
Superman720p.jpg
 
It's soo goood to have that extra resolution. After all, that's primarily what HD should be about :)
It's also good to have such hi-rez 60i in the arsenal. Interlaced motion looks ugly frozen in still frames, but transformed into progressive stream it's completely different story.

Thanks Barlow! Peace & Merry Christmas!
 
Bogdan said:
Interlaced motion looks ugly frozen in still frames
Click to expand...
Except on my old school 1080i CRT TV!!

but transformed into progressive stream it's completely different story.
Click to expand...
It certainly is. I think 1080i is actually a more flexible format than it's given credit for.

Peace & Merry Christmas!
Click to expand...
Merry Christmas to you too!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top