Would you buy the HVX today? Or would you wait?

B

benn

Well-known member
That was the question a friend of mine asked me yesterday. I couldnt answer him
with my full conviction, because there is so much going on, but I dont know what?
Everybody here knows, that the HVX could tolerate some improvements and it would be a pity for someone who is buying in April, when in July (or August etc)will come up any succession of the HVX?
What would you say to him?
Benn
 
If you need the cam and can make money with it, buy today.

Every cam can be improved, but not every improvement will surface.
 
I would say to him that IN THIS PRICE RANGE the difference in cameras will be minor and more attention should be paid to content not tech.
 
Jan from Panasonic has said on several occasions that there will not be a hardware upgrade, i.e. HVX200"A" in the near future. the only upgrades for at least a year will be firmware revisions. That being said there is always the possibility of a different camera hitting the market, especially after NAB.
As for Mico's comment, I would disagree with that as the different technicalities of cameras in this price range can make a huge difference in the post production work flow and that will effect the overall costs. I for one would not choose a HDV camera over the HVX for the simple fact of post workflow.
 
Or the only solid state camera in its class. Or 4:2:2 instead of 4:2:0. Or native 24 frame. Or variable framerates. Or 1080p. Or integrated SD 480i and EP 480p.

There's a lot of "or" that comes with the HVX200. At the price, it simply can't be beat.

e
 
dont wait man, just buy it and start having fun with it. You wil love it. youd never get to buy anything fun if you were always waiting for the next best toy.
 
Ive seen footage from the HV20 and thats a $1000 camera and its amazing. If it didn't have the manual limitations it does I would jump ship post workflow or not. I personally think the shooting workflow with the HVX is a drag with trying to store a lot of footage on the street and backing cards up when I remember the ease of sliding a tape in. So shoot workflow on the HVX i gotta drag more stuff around and be vigilant with my backup process not so with HDV. Now we go into post and the P2 workflow is easier but the HDV becomes a pain. People are doing fantastic work in HDV, look around. Each has its merits and the image issue is gone seeing that a small consumer 1 chip can make some beautiful images.
They both cross each other out in my opinion and thats why I stand by what i said. Give me a better chip HVX with cheaper media and then it ceases to be minor. Give me a 3 chip HV20 with full manual and it also ceases to be minor. That day i believe will come but not soon. So until then I've picked my poison because theres not anything now or coming soon in this price range offering a major difference and because i give a minor advantage right now to the HVX for its gamma, color, and post workflow.
 
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The HVX has so much going for it. Along with Jan confirming that there's going too be no update this year... man, I don't see a reason to wait unless to need to save up for it.

Honestly the difference between the DVX100 and the DVX100a? Not much. I mean, a lot on paper, but the 16:9 function killed the rez (you NEED anamorphic for widescreen)... how much changed in day to day shooting from cam to cam?

The only thing I could see in the future is the removal of the tape deck to save space, and make it a bit smaller/lighter. That is if they find out that very few people are using the deck. And I don't believe that's the case.

When I first got the DVX I felt right off the bat there were a few things to improve, but the HVX feels nearly perfect. I honestly think the reason it will be a long time for a new revision is because they don't know what could be improved... honestly... is there even a wishlist out yet for rev A?
 
Even with a new slew of cameras coming out, there is still nothing that can offer so many options as the HVX....for the money.
If you can go up to the 20-25K range with lens, you will have more options.

The key thing is to decide what you want to do with your camera. But the HVX allows you to cover so many areas of production. It's allowed us to take on more jobs then any single camera.
I would still buy it today if I didn't own one already.
 
benn said:
That was the question a friend of mine asked me yesterday. I couldnt answer him
with my full conviction, because there is so much going on, but I dont know what?
Everybody here knows, that the HVX could tolerate some improvements and it would be a pity for someone who is buying in April, when in July (or August etc)will come up any succession of the HVX?
What would you say to him?
Benn
Click to expand...

Omg! It's Pandora's Box!
 
20k cameras are a whole 'nother ball game, but man... HVX has so much going for it. And I don't remember the thread or the article (I'm not pulling this out of my a** though, there IS stuff floating around), but there's talk that in the digital circle, a fixed lens may actually yeild better results in some circumstances than interchangable cams.

The idea being that the glass is made specifically FOR that imager and nothing else. It makes sense.

I have a lot more reading to do on the subject, but it even applied with 35mm adapters according to the theory.

It kind of makes sense in a general way. Think about it, the supposed advantage of a mac versus a PC (no flaming, I use both and love them both for their own merits), ie lower crashing rates, and ability to crunch more numbers with lesser hardware, comes from the tandem hardware/software solution.

The software and hardware are in perfect synchrony because they were engineered for each other.

Even if it's all rationale for us HVX lovers, I believe it makes sense, because the HVX pulls an image that is so much greater than I think anyone expected. It trumps cameras that cost ten times the amount in many cases. This could be an explaination as to why.

Ultimately these are all tools for filmmakers with the holy grail being straight forward--the easiest, highest quality acquitision possible, so that the limitation of film becomes only that of the imagination, not the limitation of the tools, regardless of cost. I think we are getting awefully close, in a very short period of time.

But I reallly don't mean to hijack the threat with my rant. I'm sorry

HERE's my advice to your friend: The resale value of these cameras are amazing. If you get it now, and they came out with a new camera next january (which is the soonest it could possibly happen), you could sell your existing one, take an 800$ hit, and get the new one. 800$ (or more) over the period of 9 months or so is not much to have access to the best cam in its price range.

Right? Am I right folks? I'll be here all the week!
 
And some more advice for your friend.......Have them buy it now, make a lot of money with it, to pay it off by January. Then if something new comes along they can give you the HVX as a gift, 'cause it's paid for itself because of the advice you gave your friend.
 
Thanks for all that comments. They are covered by my own experiences. At least there will remain only one point as a fact: For HD camera the resolution is to low.
But he can take or leave it. But I must concede, that was in my decision as well, one of the strongest points and now I have a HVX anyway and I like it.
Benn
 
benn said:
That was the question a friend of mine asked me yesterday. I couldnt answer him
with my full conviction, because there is so much going on, but I dont know what?
Everybody here knows, that the HVX could tolerate some improvements and it would be a pity for someone who is buying in April, when in July (or August etc)will come up any succession of the HVX?
What would you say to him?
Benn
Click to expand...

Yes, something of a conundrum isn't it?

I'd wait . . . there's gonna be some really cool stuff coming out in 2011.
 
The waiting game, except for short term, knowable improvements (like, for example, it would be pretty stupid to pay $1299 for FCP Studio 5 now when v6 will come out in a couple months for the same price - or as a $499 upgrade from v5), is an unwinnable game.

At any point there will be something newer coming down the road in x amount of time. My rule has always been only to buy computers/software/electronics when actually needed. Then jump in, use it productively, and accept the fact that stuff will inevitably get better/cheaper pretty soon afterwards. If you don't really need it though, then wait.
 
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