another which camera for me thread

Z1Scottie

Z1Scottie

Well-known member
hey guys, thought I would post up here. I am currently a die hard Sony fan.
I shoot with Z1us, and love them. However, i had the chance to shoot with the HVX200 for a job last week, and really loved the DVCPRO HD format and the look
i got with it. and tapeless workflow was da bomb! I mainly shoot weddings and events, and am trying to decide between the EX1, HVX200a (170) or Z7u. I am thinking I can be hired out more with a true HD format vs HDV. Plus, I am not too happy with the EX1's rolling shutter and motion problems. I do want 1/2 chips.
Any suggestions, or just keep my current gear and shoot to tape?
 
If you've already got z1u's and like them then why upgrade? Is HDV actually losing you any business? I dont think any of my clients have a clue what I'm shooting other than its "HD". Any of the codecs work fine for my work. I prefer DVCProHD, but HDV and I would imagine (havent had the pleasure yet) XDCAM would be fine as well. Why do you want 1/2" chips? That would leave you with the ex-1. I dont know much about the rolling shutter problems but most seem to not be affected at all and some find it unuseable. Next question would be - would a tapeless workflow help you? Would it hurt you? Moving to tapeless can be a big investment in media, backup media, something to capture media on site, etc. If it all ends up where there wouldnt be much of a true business advantage to switch, I'd just stick with what you have. Dont fix whats not broken.
 
Panasonic won't give you 1/2 inch chips with the HVX200a or 170.

But as asked above, why do you want them?

It's the footage, not the chips.
 
better low light performance. my main issue is CCD vs cmos and rolling shutter. I love Sony, but I dont want to give them that kind of money for cameras with serious potential setbacks. And P2 media is really ridiculously overpriced
 
CCD vs CMOS is a no brainer...CCD wins. Rolling shudder is a bad thing, and even affects the RED camera.

Then we come down to codec. Long GOP MPEG-2 at 4:2:0 is a very LEGACY codec...old old old. Why shoot that when you can shoot DVCPRO HD i-frame at 4:2:2? Sensors and lens might lead you to think one thing, but then the RECORDED IMAGE is what you should be looking at. Sony at NAB showed off all their cameras connected directly to monitors. Looked great. But did they record anything? Play it back? Nope. Asked them and they said "uh, we don't seem to have any tape right now, and the SxS cards are all dummy models..."

That should tell you something.

The HVX-200 and 170 chips are plenty good, and much better in low light that the previous model.
 
When would "Rolling Shutter" ruin a Wedding video?

Lack of creativity ruins most films.....

That said...... If I was a wedding guy...... I probably would choose the 170 because the smaller size, weight and cheap batteries.

frisco
 
I could see how you would not like the Sony for issues at weddings, but are your customers going to notice? However, don't forget that 16 minutes of DVCPRO HD footage is 16 GB...so you'll be switching cards a lot!
Clearly, each camera has pros and cons. I'm sure both cameras could and would work for you. It's a cliché, but it all comes down to how you use the cam.

Short answer: both cameras would do you well.
 
well, i certainly don't have creative issues at weddings. what i want, is a more filmic look.
I would probably go with a 200a due to the fact, I can still shoot to tape if I need to.
 
However, Sony gives you something like 50 minutes of 1080i material on a 16 GB card, while Panasonic gives you 16. Panasonic charges 3x the price per minute than Sony.
However, I'm not saying SxS is better than P2. P2 has the distinct advantage of a 100mbps intraframe codec, and that's better than long GOP for many people. I'm just saying that in this case, you can't compare these 2 cards by price alone.
 
let me rephrase they both are shamelessly expensive. I would love an EX3, but I just can't fork
over that kind of money for a camera with rolling shutter weaknesses as my primary work is wedding
and event. i watched some footage today, and the half frames disgust me.
 
Aroon_Narayanan said:
However, Sony gives you something like 50 minutes of 1080i material on a 16 GB card, while Panasonic gives you 16. Panasonic charges 3x the price per minute than Sony.
However, I'm not saying SxS is better than P2. P2 has the distinct advantage of a 100mbps intraframe codec, and that's better than long GOP for many people. I'm just saying that in this case, you can't compare these 2 cards by price alone.
Click to expand...

As you observe, the data rates are different.

Which means DVCProHD is much less compressed.
 
egads, the P2 workflow i just went though feels as bad as tape. having to import the clips into FCP from the log and transfer, ugh. takes up more HDD space and time. the EX1s drag and drop beats the crap out of it. Always trade offs with gear.
 
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