HVX 200 and DVX100 with andromeda

R

rarun4u

Member
Hello Friends

Thank you for all your replies on comparison between DVX100 and HVX200.
Technically comparing these two HVX200 is HD and records with 4:2:2 ratio on P2/DV and DVX100 is SD and records on DV.

I have some questions

1)If I use DVX100b with andromeda i can get on 4:4:4 ratio. Do you think DVX100b with andromeda gives good images than HVX200. ( Technically if i shot on same lighting)

2) HVX200 has both P2 and DV. Is it like if i record on P2 i would get better output than DV? ( P2 is pricey)

3)I have seen movies shot on DVX100 and transferred to 35mm film. But i didnt comes across movies shot on HVX200. Are there any movies shot on HVX200?

4) I have heard Sony HVR-V1U is better than HVX200, if you are shooting in low light and is more user friendly. Any comments?

5) Lastly, I Have seen the price of HVX around $5700 on panasonic site. But there are sites offering the same for $1500. Is it advisable to buy from these.
http://www.shopcartusa.com/P_Panasonic_AG-HVX200_AGHVX200/PT_Y/?ic_campID=98
http://www.pricingdepot.com/compare.asp?item=AGHVX200

I appreciate your responses.
 
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1) I don't know.

2) Yes P2 stores higher quality formats than DV

3) Yes

4) Define "better" .. the cameras are very different.

5) Anything less than ~ $5000 for a HVX is a scam. It is very much not advisable that you buy from those companies.


- Mikko
 
1) Depends if you want to be able to change green to red, or yellow to purple. HVX gets 1080 lines of horizontal resolution vs. the Andromeda 990. If you could afford to use them both, then go for it. If not, I say go with the HVX. (The workflow seems easier as well.)

2) Yes, P2 is expensive, but it does some great things for workflow, and DVCPRO HD > DV

3) www.themexicandream.com --shot by a fellow DVXuser. I don't believe it was put to film but rather digitally projected. Could be wrong though.

4) Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the V1U have 1/4" chips as opposed to the HVX's 1/3"? If so then the HVX should perform better in low light.

5) Pony up the cash and buy your camera legitimately. These are thousands of dollars we're talking about here. Definitely not worth dealing with scammers.
 
Thanks for your responses. The film coyote was shot on HVX200 as said by one of the fellow dvxuser. It is said in the site that they have used redrock adapter. Generally why do they use these adapters. I have seen people talking about 35mm adapters and some making them themself. becasue its costly.
Is it that if you dont have an adapter you cannot make a film for theatrical release?
What is the difference with and without adapter?


I appreciate your responses
 
Hi rarun4u,

I actually shoot with an Andromeda, and by far, if the operator truly understands how to use the system (to be very, very serious, its essentially a mini Viper Filmstream camera) it totally kills the HVX. I've actually worked with the Varicam, and the Andromeda gives you better footage to work with in my opinion. The 9.5 stops of latitude is also very nice to work with. The proof is in the footage, just search around for some of my latest stuff and see for yourself just how clean the footage is. Many people mistakingly believe its only benefit is color, thats not the case, you have more dynamic range, and cleaner footage to work with, all very useful. The work flow is identical to film, sync sound, and its not hard to pick up.

Hope that helps!
 
slow down there chachi - youre asking a lot of really convoluted questions here. take a breath and tells us about your experience and what it is youre hoping to achieve???

1) you have to be tethered to a computer to make the anromeda/hydra thing work - what are you gonna do when shooting in the field, carry a laptop around with you? BAD IDEA! at least IMO if you are shooting anything of ENG/run-and-gun nature.

2) simply shooting to p2 wont give you better quality than shooting to tape. BUT the formats that the HVX shoots to p2 are better than what it shoots to tape. - i dont know if it will even shoot dv to p2??? that would be really dumb anyway. if you HAVE p2 why shoot on an inferior format?

3) there are all kinda things being done with the HVX. feature film, music video whatever - hell as i recall 28 days later was shot on canon xl2. i wouldnt give it a ton of though. if you HAVE To ask these kinds of questions, i seriously doubt youre gonna be transferring anything for theatrical release in the forseeable near future...

4) that sony camera shoots HDV. there is debate about it but in my experience HDV is a FAR inferior format than DVCPROHD

5) dont be one of the many FOOLS who falls for those scams! both of those links you posted are known scam dealers - no authorized panasonic dealer is selling a non grey-market hvx for any lower than about $5000. if any one could THEY ALL WOULD

the reason to use a 35mm adapter is so that you can use 35mm lenses. all this really gives you is greater control over depth of field. a great tool, but using one introduces a whole new set of rules as far as setup and workflow goes. and NO you dont have to have one to make a film for theatrical release.

you need to stop thinking about things based on "theatrical release" anyway. ANYTHING can be upresed/transferred for delivery on film. it has as much to do with your workflow as it does your equipment.
 
what? it depends on the operator having an extra pair of arms? or pulling a cart full of gear? or having an assistant scamper behind them connetced via usb?

im sure that the andromeda rocks for any scenario where you have a controlled environment. but i cant for the life of me see how it could be used in any kind of ENG situation...?

i only present this point because the original poster seems simply hung up on specs and doesnt appear to have any experience in real word workflow
 
But the original poster seems to be talking about narrative theatrical filming. With the Andromeda, the workflow isn't a huge issue.
 
William is right. Film production is a different beast from ENG news style stuff. I've shot some big projects (film and commercial), and no one is running around with a camera jumping fences left and right. I've also worked on some 35mm shoots, and I don't see much difference. 35mm can be pretty slow with a small crew, but I don't hear many 35mm shooters complaining about it.

By depending on the operator, I also mean the person putting an Andro system together. My first setup was only studio, but now I can shoot on mountain tops.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=113591

It just irks me a bit when people make blanket statements about the system. It's nothing personal, as I really grilled the system before buying it, even defying many of my professional colleagues advice. In the end, they now see why I bought the system in the first place, and some are green with envy. It is what it is, an internal mod, after that point, its all you. If you can accept that, you won't be disappointed with it.

By the way, look at the link in my post further up, its a totally hand held, self contained Andromeda setup with Anton Bauer power on board... you can run around all day with that.
 
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point taken. and i hope you guys dont think im ragging the andromeda/hydra thing. but for me, i shoot a ridiculously wide array of work. often climbing oil rigs, walking refinery catwalks or dangling out of the side of a helicopter and its a one man shoot. so the whole "tethering" thing is a non-starter.

now if they get that hydra thing working and if it shot to a firestore or big p2 - THEN i might think about foregoing the impending "red migration"
 
Yes William, workflow is really isnt an issue for me. So from all these experiences you guys say that DVX100 with andromeda gives better footage than HVX200
 
I would personally say yes, it does. But again, it all depends on how good the DP/operator knows the system. I've seen Andromeda footage that looks like bad DVX100 at an HD resolution. Also, do more research and see if it is a good fit for you.
 
cardmaverick said:
I would personally say yes, it does. But again, it all depends on how good the DP/operator knows the system. I've seen Andromeda footage that looks like bad DVX100 at an HD resolution. Also, do more research and see if it is a good fit for you.
Click to expand...

That is great advice.

I would also like to add that if you are new to any system and are planning on shooting a large project, do the right thing and get someone who has a working knowledge of what format you plan on shooting on to assist you (what ever format that may be). Remember Dodd Mantel shot 28 days later on an XL1 and because he knew how to use the format he got great results.
 
On the topic of low light, I would have to say that buying a camera for a feature film production based off low light performance is a bad idea.

Don't get sucked into this idea that "good" low light cameras are a ticket to avoiding lighting. No format out there likes low light, and they never perform at their best in low light, not even Red, and I've seen some pretty noisy lowlight Red 4K tiff frame grabs out there, but I've also seen pristine Red frame grabs shot under adequate light levels.

This might sound funny, but I'm willing to bet that some of the "less stellar" low light cameras out there are probably better performers under adequate light levels. Low light performance means a boost in signal gain in some way *most* of the time. Lower overall gain means the potential for a cleaner image under adequate lighting. After spending months "under the hood" of the DVX via the Andromeda mod, I found out that the DSP was really jacking the signal up, all in the name of sensitivity, because of the technique they use, it forces an exposure at the sensor level that is WAY to low, were talking like about 2 or so stops below what it should be. As a result the signal sucks to begin with, then gets amplified, and the rest is history.
 
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