Going from DVX100 to HMC150

[SaintEuphoria]

I have owned a DVX100a since 2005 and to date shot five features on it. I'm starting to feel like it's time to upgrade to something HD and am looking at the HMC150. Is this a good idea? Aside from the obvious resolution upgrade, how comparable are the two cameras? I really like the way my DVX footage looks and I like its features but, as you all know, it's an SD-only camera.

All my final films are black and white (for a reason) and I will continue to make black and white films. However, this presents a very particular dilemma in that digital noise and artifacts (and compression boxes) seemingly are more pronounced in black and white. I'm not sure why, it just seems to me the lack of color information makes some of those things stand out more. I keep reading stuff about the codec used by the HMC150 and it sounds like it's prone to digital noise. So is the HMC150 more prone to artifacting? I've done a lot of shooting outdoors near lakes and in the woods (I'm in Minnesota). This brings in lots of movement when it's a windy day with waves or leaves blowing around.

So, my real question is should I go for the HMC150 or spend more for the HVX? What about any of the other similarly priced HD cameras out there?

 

[ikander]

If you want to stick with Panasonic Cameras, I'd recommend the HMC-150, based on the price point. It handles very similar to the DVX and footage has a similar feel to it. I love it and think my footage I've shot with it looks wonderful.

If you're willing to drop the cash on the P2 workflow, the HPX 170/HVX 200A has definite advantages—the codec is more reliable and more supported, plus variable framerates are pretty neato.

In the end, you have to way Budget against those features.

Another one to consider is Sony's upcoming NXCAM...but I'm Panny guy, so I can't really comment on it.