Why does the HVX aesthetically look so good?

I'm still trying to decide which way to go or should I just say 'Corine - Come to the Dark Side'.

Anyway when I ask what films have been done with the HVX (theater) I was just wondering what to look at to give myself an idea what will look good on the big screen. I didn't care too much for the film 'November' which was shot on the DVX100. I've seen much better footage from the DVX on this form than what they showed with November.

What I like about the HVX besides Barry Green giving great info on the subject is that it shoots both Tape and Card. I think I may be leaning towards the HVX. I would love to be able to have both cameras in my hands for a day to put them both to the real test - shoot, download and edit (of course same drama scene).

It is good to see two different people ideas on cameras - it gives a good look at what people like and what the camara does for them.

When I said I was going to get boxing gloves off ebay it wasn't that I was taking any sides and I can't take any sides because I don't know either camera well enough to take sides so you both are on your own but I do like seeing the difference in your idea on both cameras.
 
I said it before , and Ill say it again... the HVX isnt any LESS capable because the EX1 came out.

-ps corine, tape is dead
 
Precisely Look 1st!

Thats okay Corine and man you'll be well served by whichever cam you get - just to get this back to topic before i go to bed aieee

I used to shoot on pd170s and canon xls etc, all fine cams and i was saving for my first (a dvx) and took a gamble and got the hvx instead! Neither of these cams are very common in scotland but are so now!

Anyway the motion/cadence and the colour representation was to be seen to believed (for me anyway) and my delight has not ended since. Colour reproduction is vital, and the detail in this area comes across beautifully when you start using lighing and nice sets (and all the other vitals!)

The full spectrum of colour is trully tested i feel when you start going for more sophisticated lighting set ups and thats where the cine gamma's etc all give it an added lift.

I'm working on a period horror film (set late victorian turn of the century) that will be using some complex lighting setups and i just can't wait to see how well they will be preserved by the hvx (and hpx) capabilities. For me the organic quality is the most important (coming from a background of video and not affording film) so while its not film (er only film is that) its sooo close that i can't just see it as purely a video cam. - but a cam with visual mojo and and magic!
 
Thanks - Now I have to go and dig a hole out back and bury what tapes I have left. Okay guess it is the P2 card. Remember when you were little and someone told you there was no Santa? I just received that same feeling about tapes :-(

Later guys,
 
Corine said:
I would love to be able to have both cameras in my hands for a day to put them both to the real test - shoot, download and edit (of course same drama scene).
Click to expand...

That's your best bet. I used to be hell no on the EX-1 til these past few days. Don't listen to me or anyone else because we all have Biased thoughts.

Oughta grab one of each, light a scene and see which one works better for you.
 
Lawriejaffa - what area does your new film fit in? What I mean is does it lean towards Rob Serling type of film? The reason I ask is there is a project going into production and my film that I'm shooting in Alice Spring Aussie is being submitted to it.

The big plan for the project is big screen release which will give indie filmmakers (short films) a chance to get their film up on the big screen and received $$$$$ for their hard work. They will be taking in around 6 short films - no fee for submission.
 
Corine said:
I would love to be able to have both cameras in my hands for a day to put them both to the real test - shoot, download and edit (of course same drama scene).
Click to expand...

That really is the best way. Also download tons of footage of each (there's more good hvx footage then EX1 footage so far), think about what exactly you want to shoot and if you seen that done effectively with your choice.

That's what I did when I chose the A1, I used it, looked at footage and thought "what disjecta and badlaa are putting out are more than good enough for me, if my stuff looks like that I'm fine, if I want more occasionally I'll rent." And since I've used the hvx a bunch of times, the EX1 twice and the z7 once so far.

If you want a simple answer it's this: If you want beautiful filmic images from a proven camera the hvx is for you. If you want beautiful clean sharp images and are a bit more of a risk taker the ex1 is for you.

Remember also there aren't nearly as many ex1 users out there to help out as there are with the hvx.

edit: damnit I was typing this, left, came back submitted the post and kholi posted basically the same thing!
 
Thanks Ecking - I think you and barry have push me into the HVX. I was just wondering if I should wait until May to buy - maybe prices will drop some? Giving me extras for P2 Cards.
 
YOu should always wait as long as you can before buying something like this, because a) prices go down, not up, and b) something newer comes out all the time. So wait until you need it, but when you do need it then get it and don't look back.
 
Corine, you brought up one of the best things about the HVX. Versatility!
While I never thought I'd use the mini-dv deck, it turned out that I've paid for the camera just with the mini-dv capabilities.

And then there is the best part of the camera. Non-tape mode. I've used most every "flavor" of video this camera shoots. There are always the clients that demand a specific format. With the HVX I've never had to tell a client we can't do that. All with one camera.
Good luck with your decision!
 
I own and have been very satisfied with the HVX. Before I owned it, the production company I was at bought four of them and I shot with them five days a week. It is a great tool and I have made some very beautiful pictures with the HVX.

I have been impressed with Philip's clips with the EX-1, not so much with any other EX-1 clips I have seen yet but the increased resolution, bigger chips and probably better lens of the EX-1 are tantilizing too.

I am practical though. I have just "trained" my clients how to work with P2, they like P2, I give them P2. Just showing up one day and handing them these newfangled "XDCAM EX" clips would probably cause consternation in more than one of them.

I agree with Barry, something new will be showing up soon. Not sure if it will just be an HVX-200A or something better. But for now, I like the look of the HVX, the clients love the look of the HVX and it's making me money. Who needs anything else?

You do realize that all of us even reading this thread are probably too obsessed with technology and not enough with storytelling? I am looking at a video I shot last month with my trusty DVX-100A and it looks amazingly good. Buying the latest and greatest is a good way to go broke anyway.

Rock on!

Dan
 
puredrifting said:
You do realize that all of us even reading this thread are probably too obsessed with technology and not enough with storytelling?
Click to expand...

Thank you for posting that. Its 2:25am. I have work in the morning, but im still on dvxuser reading back-and-forth threads like this one. I'm too obsessed. Should have spent this time working on a timefest entry or something.

Shutting down now. Nite.
 
Here are some of the first test-shots I ever done,when I got my HVX new, during my England vacation. Maybe pictures can tell more than words.

No Adapter, no Post/CC - just plain of the camera with different scene settings.

As I said in my first post, it has the organic warmth of an valve amplifier.

The Brighton Pier almost looks like a dutch painting of the 17th century,
the Poeple in the Ballroom , no extra light - so filmish and beautyfull motion blur (25P over 50i).

Frank

Oh oh, one more: I want you guys to read that and think about it
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm
 

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Postmaster,

That image of the Brighton Pier is amazing. As you said, it is really "painterly" in the way the HVX rendered it.

I would put at least some credit with the photographer! I'm always in 720, but still manage to grab establishing shots whenever I travel. The HVX captures the most film-like images of any camera in its class. It is something about the cadence and within the curves.

During a recent political assignment in Boston, I spent some time around the harbor and grabbed this one from the hotel parking lot.

1205239449.jpg

Scene: 720-24PN / MP-5 / Chroma +2 / CineV / F4.0. Cropped to 2.35:1 in Photoshop, no additional shenanigans.

e
 
Imagemaking is all about the balance between color, contrast, resolution, gamma... there are many things that go into the image. Panasonic has struck upon a very pleasing combination that a lot of people really like. It started with the VariCam, progressed through the DVX, and is now here in the HVX. Hudson calls it "mojo". It's the way they designed the thing.

Others will undoubtedly argue that they can accomplish similar looks in post, and probably so. But with the HVX, you don't have to.
 
All makes for good reading. I personally think that time has given me more perspective and does to everyone. I was more fervently ready to defend the HVX and my choice when I had just bought it... when I was eager to know I had made the right decision. I was also horrified when I saw the grain the 2nd day of shooting under low light and the online world was rife with stories of terrible grain and pixel shifting and BS upon BS. Once I got to find the sweet spot in the settings and understood the differences to the SD I had been shooting, all of that frustration and skepticsm went away. I see the same thing with the EX people and anyone who just bought something... hoping for it to be the right thing. Time and work done and experience lends itself to an understanding that a camera is just a hammer.. and with my HVX I've been hammering away for almost two years. March 13th is it's 2 year anniversary and I'll be having a quite romantic dinner with my HVX to celebrate. Issues, maybe but REGRETS NONE. As Barry has said countless times, get the camera you want.. that works for your situations and then go for it and don't look back. The HVX has and is a rock-on camera. I do think it's a shame that people move to the RED or something else and then slam what got them there to begin with, or atleast was a temporary band-aid. For me, before the HVX I was using Canon XL1's and XL2s and sure I don't look back, but I also realize that they were good earners for years.

The only other thing to add a point of contention is that I do like the look of the EX1 on Blooms stuff. Looks the best buy far, but he uses a lot of Magic bullet, post work, and an adapter to get that. Otherwise the EX stuff I've seen IMHO does look too videolike... but with an adapter and post work, is a solid choice for narrative work to say the least. But handling one would be the test as I've grown to hate the Layout and controls of the Sony, but maybe this one is different and I'm deferring judgement till I get to hanlde and shoot with one... Just like I did with the A1 and the JVC.. The A1 footage I kind of liked... but what I loved was the LCD. The one thing we can agree on is that the HVX LCD is horrible. I have to appologize to clients when they view it as I get people asking me all the time.. is that soft and out of focus.. So, let's hate on the LCD, but love on the camera and for me... March 13th will be a happy day and I still love the phat little bugger and I'm hoping to get another camera to keep it company this year... but who knows what it will be? Come on NAB.....


cheers all and let's just get along!
 
Postmaster said:
Here are some of the first test-shots I ever done,when I got my HVX new, during my England vacation. Maybe pictures can tell more than words.

No Adapter, no Post/CC - just plain of the camera with different scene settings.

As I said in my first post, it has the organic warmth of an valve amplifier.

The Brighton Pier almost looks like a dutch painting of the 17th century,
the Poeple in the Ballroom , no extra light - so filmish and beautyfull motion blur (25P over 50i).

Frank

Oh oh, one more: I want you guys to read that and think about it
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm
Click to expand...

Frank:

You should be shooting dramas for the BBC, that's what those beautiful stills look like. Nice work man!

Dan
 
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