SDX900 or SPX800 footage uprezzed to HD

Eclaire,

At this point looking at your need for a camera I would have to say go with the HVX. I have used it extensively in the same manner you describe : live event videography from dance recitals to weddings as well as commercial work.

Yes the camera is less sensitive than the DVX100, however, with adecent on camera light it will work on most situations. I am currently using a VidLED and while having to gaff tape cut gels to diffuse/color correct (when needed) can be a PITA, its a great light for the money.

I suggest you rent out an HVX with an on camera light package and test it out. You mentioned you also own a DVX, why can't you shoot the low light videography with the DVX and use the HVX for the higher end projects?

It sounds like you are stuck between price points: looking for something more than the HVX while not able to afford the HPX, which also makes my wonder why you bring up the SDXs, arent those cameras more expensive than the HPX?
 
eclaire said:
Complicating matters is that the majority of my paying work is SD multi camera event stuff, especially dance recitals.
Click to expand...

So you need more than one camera, right?
Can you afford two 800s or 900s?
Or two 500s?
If so I will look into dance recital gigs :thumbsup:
Seriously, I´d get two HVXs, that´s two times DVCpro50 for your day job and 1080p for your first short (and the second HVX for offloading the P2 cards or multiangle dialogue or...)
And yeah, rent the HVX first to see if the low light performance suits your needs as suggested above.
..
 
Thanks to VenezualanD and Spartacus for your input.

I already played with the HVX some weeks ago and came away thoroughly underwhelmed by its sensitivity. You can't even compare it to, say, my Sony DSR300 or the DVX at 0dB because the HVX is inherently noisier than both those cameras (especially the Sony) at the same gain setting. There are many times in shooting towards the back of a poorly/unevenly lit stage where I'm at wide open iris on my Sony. The HVX couldn't begin to handle that kind of situation (nevermind the more restricted lens zoom).

So the HVX is definitely ruled out. With a used SD lens, I could get a new, 5-year warrantied 500 and 4 16 GB P2 cards for around $15,000. I'd thus be equipped to shoot great SD, even in low light, in DVCPro50 mode. In addition, this camera would offer HD-SDI and native DVCPro HD recording so that when/if I buy or rent an HD lens, I'm shooting HD with the same camera and with the option of uncompressed streaming output.

A USED SPX 800 is ruled in, possibly, because it would obviously be very sensitive and give me all the other great benefits of 2/3" CCDs and because I expect the price on used units to have to compete value for value against the above costs of a new HPX 500 with P2 and used SD lens. I've been following the ebay listings of SPX800s for weeks now. One company has multiple units listed without lens with a starting bid in the mid 6K region. Another has seven used units with a starting bid on each of $7,500 WITH lens. There has not been a single bid on any of these cameras in all these weeks. That tells me it's a buyer's market and that, when the time comes, I'll probably be able to get a great deal on one of those cameras. I've no doubt that the HPX500 is a factor in driving the price and demand for used SPX800s.

I'm still juggling a number of factors on my next camera purchase, including whether I should just film the short next month with my DVX and not buy anything until next year. (I'm very interested to see what the RED mini will spec out to as well as seeing if ReelStream will end up making a DVX version of Hydra available for us poor disenfranchised PC folks.) I have made up my mind that I'm not going to go much over $15K for any camera not named RED. If I'm going to plunk down $20K on an HPX500 with cheapest HD lens, I might as well add another 5-7K and launch into another stratosphere of image acquisition.
 
"If I'm going to plunk down $20K on an HPX500 with cheapest HD lens, I might as well add another 5-7K and launch into another stratosphere of image acquisition."

There you have it !
Succinct and to the point. In the proverbial nutshell.

Same decisions here, eclaire ... right now I'm just making do with all my old gear and renting if I have to.
I still haven't made a decision on Red and will likely see how it all pans out a few months after they start shipping.
 
I have both the SDX900 and HVX200, and can mix the footage very easily out of both cameras. I shoot mostly sports documentaries, and the variable frame rates of the HVX is a very welcome feature. Unfortunately, I have found that using it as the primary camera has some deficiencies -- most notably my need for more range on the zoom lens, and the difficulty of focusing when in a run 'n gun situation where you can't have an external monitor.

My SDX had been sitting on the sidelines lately, but I've been using it recently to shoot some local news coverage of curling in Seattle, and love the camera.

I had an HD project shot on the HVX, and found that I needed some footage from Colorado that I had shot a couple years ago on the SDX. I was somewhat skeptical that the two sources would mix well, but the DVCPRO50 and DVCPROHD looked like they were shot with the same camera.

I would like to sell my SDX body, because I like shooting tapeless, and because I could use the Firestore and P2 with the HPX500, too, and could really use the variable frame rates and the longer zoom.

Not trying to stray too far off-topic -- If anyone is interested in my SDX (250h on the drums), I'd be open to offers.

-- Andrew
 
Last edited:
On the topic of uprezzing., I wonder whats better InstantHD or the Algosuite package from Algolith - its discontinued, but maybe I can get a license still for sale..
Jan, Did Panasonic compare InstantHD with other competitors i.e. Algosuite before deciding to bundle it with their camcorders ?
The reviews that I have seen for Algosuite indicate that it is much better than InstantHD..
 
We owned an SDX900 before buying our HPX500, and we had HD edit capability long before we bought the 500. I had plenty of SDX900 footage shot 16:9 anamorphic, and ingested some through our BlackMagic Multibridge. The Multibridge has a hardware converter to and from 1080x1920. I brought the footage in as 1080x1920 16:9.

I have to say that the uprezzed footage viewed on a 1080native 42 inch LCD was pretty soft compared to footage we have since shot with the HPX500.

I also have to say that the SDX900 was the best Standard def camera I have ever worked with, and I had the pleasure of shooting with it for 4 years. We shot spots with the 900 that seasoned pros thought were shot on film.

We have had the 500 for about 3 months now, and we are very pleased with our footage.

Here is a link to a spot shot on the 500 that I have posted in this forum before.

http://www.4shared.com/file/39375160/1e1f5378/Cox_60.html?dirPwdVerified=e3102043

(This sharing site will show a small version. Below the movie there will be some text that says "Loading file info. Please wait..." Wait til it loads, and a "Download" link will appear, allowing you to download the full 720 file.)



The uprez test I did with the 900 convinced my company to move to the 500.


We don't release finished work in HD yet, as none of our local stations have any interned HD infrastructure. All of our work is released SD letterboxed or full frame.

-scott
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top