What are the cons of getting an HVX200 vs shooting mini-dv with DVX100b?

justmarvin

justmarvin

Well-known member
I have the money for an hvx200 cam plus the 2 cards. But, I am not too sure though what are the cons of getting an HVX200. Please someone inform me of why someone would not want to get the HVX200, and would decide to stick with minidv dvx100b instead. I need to make my decision on which cam to invest on pretty soon, as I have a project coming up with a Sept. 07 deadline, so your help is much appreciated, thanks!
 
DVX has better low light performance. Other than that, I can't find any other reason to go DVX. With 2 cards, and if you shoot DVCPRO 50 or HD then downconvert to sd, you get much better footage than the DVX. And you have native 16/9 on the HVX, vs the 4/3 of the DVX.
 
If you are planning on shooting everything in Standard Defintion, than the DVX100b is a great choice and I think provides you with a better picture than the HVX does in SD.
Plus it'll save you some cash for extra bells and whistles.

However, if you want the flexibility of being able to shoot in both HD and SD, plus take advantage of the HVX's in-camera variable framerates, then definitely get the HVX. But then again, do you have a way to offload the p2 cards, such as a Powerbook with a PCMCIA slot? That's a factor that is important to consider, as it will probably end up costing you more.

They are both great cameras, but I think you will be able to keep up with the times better with the options of the HVX. I used to have a DVX100b but upgraded to the HVX. At first I was reluctant (buyer's remorse) but soon found myself to be wrong.

Hope whichever choice you make is the best for you.
 
aravance said:
If you are planning on shooting everything in Standard Defintion, than the DVX100b is a great choice and I think provides you with a better picture than the HVX does in SD.
Plus it'll save you some cash for extra bells and whistles.

However, if you want the flexibility of being able to shoot in both HD and SD, plus take advantage of the HVX's in-camera variable framerates, then definitely get the HVX. But then again, do you have a way to offload the p2 cards, such as a Powerbook with a PCMCIA slot? That's a factor that is important to consider, as it will probably end up costing you more.

They are both great cameras, but I think you will be able to keep up with the times better with the options of the HVX. I used to have a DVX100b but upgraded to the HVX. At first I was reluctant (buyer's remorse) but soon found myself to be wrong.

Hope whichever choice you make is the best for you.
Click to expand...

The DVX will not produce a better picture than the HVX in SD, if you shoot in DVCPRO 50 or HD. And since you say you have the money for the cards, you can record 720pn then downconvert to DVtape, and keep an HD master in MXF format.
 
Aside from low light, make sure you have a plan for your footage after the fact. You won't have a tape to stick on a shelf with the HVX. You will need to get hard drives for every new project if you want to save all the footage.

Still, I would go HVX hands down, unless it compromises the rest of your kit. I would take a DVX, AT-4073a mic, and a nice Satchler kit over just the HVX.
 
Thanks you guys for all the great information -- it was very helpful. I think I will invest on the HVX200, but I just need to learn more about it.

Would anyone be kind enough to point me out to some resources that might walk a newbie through the bells & whistles of the HVX...

What's the ideal beginner's set-up for an HVX200 that will be useful in the long run.

what lights to look into? mics? tripods? storage for offload? etc.

I never shot or edited with HD, so i'm not sure what to expect. I did some projects before in SD but had a videographer at $50 an hour (he just uses the pd150 though..), and I mainly produced & directed my past projects. Now, I am trying to learn as much as I can so that I can learn about the camera & gear, buy my own, and then be able to shoot my own stuff.

Thanks for helping a beginner out.. just starting out, but we all have to start somewhere right? :) i'm glad for you guys here in dvxuser forums, you are all such a great help to all those aspiring to be in this field!

God bless!

JM
 
The DVX's advantages over the HVX are:

1) it's a lot smaller and lighter, which could become a factor if you do a lot of handheld work.

2) it's 1 stop faster (more sensitive) in progressive mode, and 2 stops faster in interlaced mode.

3) its 480/60i looks better than the HVX's 480/60i; the HVX has too much edge aliasing/stairstepping going on in its 480/60i.

4) its battery life is something on the order of 40% longer than the HVX's.

Other than that, the HVX has the advantage in every other possible way. It has a longer telephoto lens, a wider wide-angle lens, a sharper lens, native 16:9 chips, its 480/24p and 480/30p are going to look better than the DVXs, plus you have the options of high def, variable frame rates, DVCPRO50, tapeless P2 acquisition, and on and on. But of course it costs twice as much...
 
justmarvin said:
Thanks you guys for all the great information -- it was very helpful. I think I will invest on the HVX200, but I just need to learn more about it.

Would anyone be kind enough to point me out to some resources that might walk a newbie through the bells & whistles of the HVX...

What's the ideal beginner's set-up for an HVX200 that will be useful in the long run.

what lights to look into? mics? tripods? storage for offload? etc.

I never shot or edited with HD, so i'm not sure what to expect. I did some projects before in SD but had a videographer at $50 an hour (he just uses the pd150 though..), and I mainly produced & directed my past projects. Now, I am trying to learn as much as I can so that I can learn about the camera & gear, buy my own, and then be able to shoot my own stuff.

Thanks for helping a beginner out.. just starting out, but we all have to start somewhere right? :) i'm glad for you guys here in dvxuser forums, you are all such a great help to all those aspiring to be in this field!

God bless!

JM
Click to expand...

If you buy the HVX from an authorized reseller in the US, you'll get the "HVX Bible" written by the man that gave you that very precise response about the pros and cons of the HVX vs the DVX. And he knows his stuff.
 
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