3 Days left to return DVX Need Advice?

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Patapoo

Member
OK I have 3 days left to return my DVX100b to Amazon. I recently came into a few more bucks and was wondering if I should jump to a Canon XHA1. I presently shoot corporate videos, infomercials for web, and How To videos for DVD and internet distribution. Currently I have have only needed SD but there's no telling what the future will bring. My NLE is Sony Vegas 8 Pro.

Your Thoughts?

Thanks....
 
HD technology is going to keep going and going, so you're not goint to miss out on the opportunity to go HD if you keep your DVX now.

But take a look around these forums. There are folks here who are still doing incredible things with their DVX cameras. Yeah, it'd be nice to go HD now, but the reality is that SD isn't going away too soon and this camera will still be a very useful tool in capable hands.

In fact, check out this thread for a little encouragement: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=148001

Be sure to read all the way through. There's a great link in there to a video posted on vimeo that was shot on a DVX. It's stunning. Again... more the user than the tool, but also proves the camera to be a very capable tool.
 
I concur with matt s. Read the (extremely lengthy) HMC150 thread in the DVXuser News section. You're probably going to get a lot more bang for your buck that way. No standard def recording, but you can downconvert in post. There is some footage posted in the thread, and I've played with a preproduction unit briefly. It's like the DVX... except on steroids.
 
You might also benefit from using the extra cash to get some accessories... like a mattebox and rod system, Litepanel, etc. Those are things that will still be usable when you eventually do go HD (depending on the camera, of course).
 
It seems when considering a HD option there is so much more to worry about. Such as the different HD formats and are they recognizable in Sony Vegas Pro, faster computer, render times. I have to admit the DVX and Vegas worked flawlessly together. From most of the post I have read HD looks great but is a big pain in the butt for so many reasons. The Xha1 seems to add a lot for about a grand more. But seems to have problems with the format in Vegas. The HMC 150 is HD only so has to be down converted for DVD and Web distribution. And also has a file format that apparently doesn't work with Vegas. From a compatibility and no hassle work flow stand point the DVX looks better and better. Where am I going wrong?
 
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You aren't going wrong at all. HD adds a new thinking to your workflow, and it adds a few other equipment requirements. You need to make sure that both your computer hardware and software can handle it, and then you need to ensure that you have proper external monitoring, possibly even a new tape deck (depending on what format you shoot and if you think you might have a need for HD distribution on tape).

And, yes, the HMC-150 is HD only. But having to convert its footage for certain types of distribution is not unique to that camera. That'll happen with any HD flavor yoou choose. What that camera does mean is that you are committed to HD and cannot shoot in SD. So if you're really still thinking about returning for exchange, a camera that can still shoot SD might be a better fit for your needs.

You may not even use the HD format for a while, so you need to ask yourself this: do you see the DVX-100B paying for itself within a year, maybe two? If so, then you have some time to plot your HD migration. Of course, you also need to figure out when you want to make that move.

In all, I'd say that the DVX is going to do you right for some time, and could end up paying for a really killer HD upgrade later.
 
It seems like this is something you should have thought about before buying. If the camera is in good working order, you have no moral right to send it back in. It is a decent camera, and something that you can learn with, the trade in down the road.
 
Just take a look at the link below, and watch on what a DVX100 is capable...
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=147548
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Patapoo said:
OK I have 3 days left to return my DVX100b to Amazon. I recently came into a few more bucks and was wondering if I should jump to a Canon XHA1. I presently shoot corporate videos, infomercials for web, and How To videos for DVD and internet distribution. Currently I have have only needed SD but there's no telling what the future will bring. My NLE is Sony Vegas 8 Pro.

Your Thoughts?

Thanks....
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