Canon HV20 or Panasonic dvc30?

prisma

prisma

Member
Hello I'm an aspiring independent filmmaker who need your help guys. I'm in a big dilema. Im preparing myself to shoot my first 17 minute short with the help of a friend. The problem is that im not sure wich camera is the better option for me. My budget is around $2,000.
Im seriously considering a prosumer camera like the DVC30 with 3 ccds wich cost around $2,000 or a consumer HD camera like canon HV20 wich cost actualy half of the DVC30's price. People said that the DVC30 is better since is a pro camera and have 3 ccds. But the HV20 have true 24p at 1920 x 1080 resolution. I was thinking that maybe If i purchase a 35mm adapter for the HV20 like the indie35 could it really look like a profesional production and cost less than the DVC30. Any advice or suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks :)
 
You can do better than the DVC30 with 2k. There are used DVX out there that go for that much or if you feel like HD and not caring about 24p you can find an FX1 for that price. I would not consider the HV20 for serious narrative work because it doesn't have the controls that you need. At this price range you're not so much paying for the image that a camera can produce; you're paying for the feature sets that it offer. The HV20 lacks XLR input, manual focus ring, zoom ring, aparture control; it's really meant to be more of a camera that you can just pick up and film behind the scene stuff or family outing and such, but for doing film I think you'll find it lacking even with 24p.
 
Thanks jade. According to the reviews the Focus and Exposure of HV20 can be set to manual mode. I dont think I need an XLR imput since we are going to record the sound with a boom mic and a minidisc and later sinc it in post. How much does a used DVX cost? Is it not dangerous to buy used video cameras on the internet?
 
You can set the HV20 to shutter priority (Tv), lock the exposure with the EXP button and then set your desired exposure. That is as close to full manual control you're gonna get on that camera but I guess it works.
The lack of focus ring should not be an issue if you are planning to use a 35mm adapter.
 
i 2nd the motion to get a used dvx100, i guess you take your chances buying from the internet but check out the market place here on dvxuser - lots of people selling their dvx & most are very reasonable deals & judging by the amount of posts they have etc you can get a petty good idea of who is genuine
 
prisma said:
Thanks jade. According to the reviews the Focus and Exposure of HV20 can be set to manual mode.
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You don't start appreciating a zoom/focus ring until you're forced to work without them, especially the focus. I've never been able to find any consumer cam that offers adequate manual focus using buttons; it's impossible to change focus on the fly. Same thing with exposure. Without a dedicated aperture knob these cameras will dial the gain up without you knowing it; the DVC30 for example uses the same selection wheel for iris, shutter speed and gain which is a pain to work with.

Definitely try to go for a DVX and as already been mentioned there are plenty of trustworthy people on here selling off their gear (more so than lately with the release of the A1).
 
I'd put another 200 bucks into and get an fx1, they can be easily found for about 2200, hd, great lowlight and I've seen some nice 24p conversions from them.
 
Next week I'm going to mount the Sony HC3 (similar form factor to HV20) to my Redrock M2 and see what happens. I have an HV20 on order. For the price, it's hard to resist. Despite the compromises, these HD consumer cams offer great value.

I agree that you'll miss the manual controls with the HV20. But note that XLR input is possible. You'll just need a $20 adapter cable for the mic input.
 
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