HVX-200 or HMC-150, please help!

811productions

811productions

Well-known member
I currently have a HVX-200 that I love. I am getting rid of my 2 dvx-100a's (anyone want them?) and was thinking of getting another 200. I have to do a lot of 2 camera work. But now I'm wondering about this new guy. Should I sell the 200 and get 2 150's? I shoot primarily in the 720 24pn format if this helps. Please help.
 
All of the above honestly.... that's why having the tape drive in the hvx is so useful. I used my dvx's for doing my wedding work, but I'm getting out of that game. I try to shoot as much stuff as possible with p2, but it's hard unless I'm in a controlled shoot. I'm shooting in Chicago tomorrow (all day conference, 2 cameras) Definately can't use p2 there. Just started looking into the 150, and with the price of p2 cards not going down any time soon it seems, I was rethinking purchasing another 200. Does the 150 shoot 720 p 24 native and can it do variable frame rates? Is there any time-lapse functions? Even used the dvx a lot for that.
 
720p/24 native? Yes. At the highest bitrate settings, it will do 1080p/24 and 30; 1080i; and 720p/24, 30, and 60. That is ALL it will do. So if variable frame rate is an absolute must, the 150 isn't an option. But if it isn't a requirement, I would look into it.

As for time lapse, I don't think so. Don't know for sure, since I have no use for it and haven't checked, but I don't think it's an option.
 
Thanks...Honestly how good does it look next to the 200? I live in Wisconsin and can't go put one in my hands, so I have to rely on advice. My 720 24pn footage that I have shot looks awesome, wanted to know how close the 150 is to that. Sorry I have ocd and couldn't even sleep last night trying to decide.
 
No time lapse on HMC150 :( Those SDHC cards allow for quite long recording times, so depending on how long the time lapse clip needs to be there might be a workaround... Think the recording time is limited by the FAT maximum file size of 4GB, though.
The european version (HMC151) adds 25 and 50fps. You can get plain slow motion at full resolution. Sure, the HVX200 variable frame rate is much more versatile.
 
The concensus is that at 720p the HMC150 is even a little bit better than the HVX200. 720p is PH mode only, which gives a record time of 90 minutes on a 16Gb card. The lower bitrate modes are 1080i only.
 
Do you have the 200 or 200a? Because it uses the same chips as the 200a and the HPX170 (it also uses the same glass as the 170). I haven't done a side by side, but I can say that the 150 looks freaking awesome (that's a technical term) at 1080p/24. 720 should look equally as good.

The real downside I can see is that the AVCCam format is that the long-GOP codec can be a bit of a bear to work with. If you have Cineform, or FCP with the latest update and can use one of it's intermediate codecs, or have a beast of a machine with Vegas or CS4, than it shouldn't be much of an issue. My quadcore with CS4 gives me hickups. How much of that is CS4 and how much of that is the footage I don't know. But it's definitely something to keep in mind.
 
I have the latest version of FCP and I have the 200 right now not the a. Does the codec work ok with FCP? Because DVCPROHD 24 is awesome in it.
I'm just so conflicted right now. I'm driving my wife nuts!
 
HMC, no question. unless of course you feel like spending thousands more for the heck of it.

with the HMC you will get just as good image quality if not better. the HMC sensor is better than the HVX's sensor, and the HMC does better in low light. you can do slow motion in HMC too by simply shooting in 60p and then putting that footage into a 24p timeline and slowing it down 40% for perfect slowmo.

a 16GB card for HMC is around 20-30 bucks...

a 16GB P2 card for HVX is $800....

nuff said.



P2 is complete bull**** and will not last. mini sdhc is the present and the future, unless it is replaced by something even better and cheaper.

so as stated previously, there is no reason to buy the HVX unless you have the extra money and feel like spending the extra money for no reason.
 
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dr jones said:
P2 is complete bull**** and will not last. mini sdhc is the present and the future, unless it is replaced by something even better and cheaper.

so as stated previously, there is no reason to buy the HVX unless you have the extra money and feel like spending the extra money for no reason.
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I absolutely have to disagree. The HVX and HPX offers some features the HMC doesn't that a lot of people want. I'm not one of those people, hence the reason I bought a HMC. But I don't represent most people, not by a longshot. Plus, there is something to be said about 4:2:2 and I-frame. For some folks, that extra $4k they spend on the 170/200a plus P2 cards will pay itself off in a few gigs.

As to P2 not lasting... I doubt that. Maybe not in the sub $5k market, but that isn't the bulk of P2 sales. The TV station I work at has completely switch over (save for one HDV camera in the web department) to P2. As has all of the stations owned by our parent company, which I beleive is 17. That is millions of dollars. And that is the norm. There are hundreds of televisions stations investing hundreds of thousands... if not millions... of dollars apiece in the P2 workflow.

It's not going anywhere anytime soon.
 
Actually, there are plenty of reasons to purchase a HVX/HPX. No transcoding, better color space, and of course native support for MXF or for DVCProHD in all the leading NLEs.

There is very, very limited support for native AVCHD footage on any platform, and you need some real horsepower even for that.

Comments like "P2 is complete bull**** and will not last" are the type of hyperbole that, in my view, serve no useful purpose.

We like what we see in the 150 and will use it as a B roll to our 170.
 
im in the same predicament, i cant decide between: hvx200, hpx170, or hmc150. right now i have a budget of about 4000. on one hand, i want to go with hmc150, just for the sheer fact of not having to deal with p2 at all. but on the other hand i would like to get the hvx, just because i am extremely familiar with it, i know its capabilities, etc etc, but the only problem is the stupid (just because it costs so much haha) p2 factor, which is another reason i want to rule out the hpx, the price, p2, and im not familiar with anything about it. which leads me to my other point, the only reason i am leaning toward hvx is the fact it can do tape and p2. but do you think that if i got one nice 8 or 16 gb p2, id be set? i mainly just document skating, events, trips, and i work on set with a local company filming events, just b-roll small stuff, just enjoying filming, i plan on getting deeper into filming but i am stumped on which camera to get. right now i have a dvx100b, firestore, and a few other accessories, my computer setup is hand built by me, with cs4 master collection, vegas, and edius all on it. it is something like 3.5ghz-4.0ghz on a good day (overclocked) and i havent had any problems running 4 or 5 adobe programs simultaneously. I am stumped, hvx, hpx, or hmc. honest opinion please.

oh and sorry for hijacking your thread!!!
 
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