DVX100b or HVX200.....need help deciding.

S

slowrecords

New member
hello everyone..... I am a novice to film.....I am currently an audio engineer.

I am starting a live music performance show for the web, where I will be doing live performances of bands out of my studio. recording 16 tracks audio, and ideally 3 cameras shooting. The videos will go to Vimeo, and embedded into my site.

I have everything audio under control.

I have been doing a lot of research about video and cameras, and have narrowed my choices down to 2 cameras:

DVX100b
or
HVX200


I understand and can see the differences in the picture each of these cameras give...i have spent a lot of time on Vimeo. I love them both, but I am huge fan of the 720, 24p of the HVX200. The 24p on the DVX is beautiful as well, but obviously not as high a resolution, as it is not HD. I will be editing in Final Cut.

So these are my questions:

1. Other than the price differences of the cameras themselves, will it be more expensive and more difficult for me to shoot in HD with the HVX, vs. SD with DVX? ideally 720p, 24fps. Will hard drive space become a serious issue? and is the workflow more complex?

2. Is HD really neccasary? I do enjoy the look of the DVX in 24p. All I will be doing is shooting the band playing live in the studio...3 cameras......this is my model for what I am doing....www.fromthebasement.tv
This stuff looks and sounds amazing. Obviously I have a lot to learn about lighting, etc....but if i am going to spend the money now to learn and take on this serious venture, should i just dive into HD?

3. Does anyone think I could pull this off with 2 cameras? I would ideally like 3. or should I just try to rock it with 1?

I have the audio under control as that is what I do. I am very excited to dive into video, and this is a very serious business venture for me.

Any help in deciding how to do this would be greatly appreciated. I am really leaning towards the HVX......but I want to understand how much more expense and work comes with owning and using it. Will I save a gigantic amount of money using the DVX? Remember....everything I will be shooting will end up on Vimeo only!!

Thank you all!!!!

C.k.
 
1) Once you have the camera and the P2 cards, from a camera standpoint, it will be less expensive. You will need more hard drive space and more computer power, but the workflow is actually simpler.

2) That's up to you.

3) That, too, depends on what you want to do.
 
Thank you so much for the quick reply.

Why will it be less expensive? can you explain?

I am working on a brand new 17" Macbook Pro.

in 720, 24p.....how much video can i capture on a P2 card?

thank you for dealing with a novice like me!!!
 
Because you won't need any tapes, you won't need to clean heads, no moving parts to maintain, etc.

You can get about 2.5 minutes per gigabyte in 720/24pN mode.
 
i would look on the hmc150. its basically the HD dvx. Costs less...equal quality as HVX200 and HPX170. U can get 2 of them...shoots to SDHC cards(class 4 and above) . However u will have to learn the workflow. people usually transcode(change) the files into a more edit friendly file using in intermediary program like neoscene. once trascoded the files get quite large so u'll need space ...but its easy to edit after that. the native AVCHD files the camera records in is very processor heavy so if u dont have a beefy pc just trascode and ur fine.

hmc150 is about $3200-$3400
p2 is expensive...u can record up to 3 hrs on a 16gb SDHC card in the highest quailty on the hmc150 i believe. once u wrap ur brain around the post workflow u should be ok.
 
Last edited:
Well, no, it's not equal quality. But it's similar. You can look around here and read about the differences.
 
slowrecords said:
hello everyone..... I am a novice to film.....I am currently an audio engineer.

I am starting a live music performance show for the web, where I will be doing live performances of bands out of my studio. recording 16 tracks audio, and ideally 3 cameras shooting. The videos will go to Vimeo, and embedded into my site.

I have everything audio under control.

I have been doing a lot of research about video and cameras, and have narrowed my choices down to 2 cameras:

DVX100b
or
HVX200


I understand and can see the differences in the picture each of these cameras give...i have spent a lot of time on Vimeo. I love them both, but I am huge fan of the 720, 24p of the HVX200. The 24p on the DVX is beautiful as well, but obviously not as high a resolution, as it is not HD. I will be editing in Final Cut.

So these are my questions:

1. Other than the price differences of the cameras themselves, will it be more expensive and more difficult for me to shoot in HD with the HVX, vs. SD with DVX? ideally 720p, 24fps. Will hard drive space become a serious issue? and is the workflow more complex?

2. Is HD really neccasary? I do enjoy the look of the DVX in 24p. All I will be doing is shooting the band playing live in the studio...3 cameras......this is my model for what I am doing....www.fromthebasement.tv
This stuff looks and sounds amazing. Obviously I have a lot to learn about lighting, etc....but if i am going to spend the money now to learn and take on this serious venture, should i just dive into HD?

3. Does anyone think I could pull this off with 2 cameras? I would ideally like 3. or should I just try to rock it with 1?

I have the audio under control as that is what I do. I am very excited to dive into video, and this is a very serious business venture for me.

Any help in deciding how to do this would be greatly appreciated. I am really leaning towards the HVX......but I want to understand how much more expense and work comes with owning and using it. Will I save a gigantic amount of money using the DVX? Remember....everything I will be shooting will end up on Vimeo only!!

Thank you all!!!!

C.k.
Click to expand...
Slowrecords, I'm a musician (shakuhachi), and now I'm doing music videos for local bands, pro bono until I get better at this. I have owned a dvx100B for four years, shooting in 24pA (widescreen/squeeze), and get fine quality on Vimeo. I have a thread on dvxUser, asking for advice about upgrading to the Panasonic 150/175/200 range. After all comments, I'm going for the 150: great quality resolution in HD, able to shoot SD on inexpensive cards, light (I also do nature videos, carrying the camera into the woods), much less expensive. If you shoot in HD, I recommend that you get a RAID-5 set of hard drives. I chose Maxx Digital: they have many good choices. I went for the 16Tb chassis, which is fantastic. I was able to get 7 LaCie drives off my floor. Good luck.
 
I've been doing some stuff with a 150 just like this, just shot a lot of live video with a 150 at Wintergrass. Check out a 10 minute sample at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXa7et-VoL0&feature=player_embedded#

I decided to stay away from tape and jump directly into SD card HD. I agree that the workflow is easier. Just go with Pro Res as I have used Pro Res HD and I'm pulling back as I don't think the quality is needed. Think about your end product, if it's not being blown up larger than a 50" tv I doubt you would need ProRes HD.

I choose to save money by not going to the P2 but would love to have the 4:2:2 codec of the 200. I was able to buy some great mics for that extra price difference! Not that I used them on this particular shoot....too bad. I did use a shotgun off the camera (AudioTronics 897 to capture live room sound).

Go for it! Good luck and see you on YouTube!
 
no live tech support

no live tech support

there is no direct number for tech support for professional panasonic camcorders. when you call (800-524-1448) you get to talk to an operator who promises you an email within two days from a tech support rep. that's not support. my AG-DVX100B had a defect from the factory. three months after a warrantee repair the problem has returned. i can't get them on the phone. i would not buy panasonic again. an email in two days for a professional $3000+ camera? i can't afford to buy cameras in pairs. if i had a panasonic consumer camera i would have been able to get thru to tech support.
 
Panasonic Tech Support

Panasonic Tech Support

I had a different experience when I called Panasonic. First, I didn't ask for tech support, I asked to speak with a salesman who put me in touch directly with technical support at Panasonic. Even though I got through I wasn't impressed with his lackluster and unenthusiastic answers. :angry:
 
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