Hpx500 ???

Barry - Forgive my ignorance, but there should still be a world of improvement over the 1/2" DVCPRO25 format cameras I am used to shooting with, correct? I haven't used the HVX200, so this is the only frame of reference that I have.
 
Barry how many cameras do you own? just wondering....

Do you own a RED yet? lol


I bet Barry has like...a separate room in his house with shelves up to the top of a 12 foot ceiling with cameras sitting on them. Each wall has different brands...then from left to right..the oldest to newest.

thatd be siick. haha
 
Barry_Green said:
I'm juggling that very decision right now...

I am too, i mean it does look like a great camera.... especially for the price, but i'm not too sure. What i would really like is to get an HPX2000 but man, that's a nice chunk of change.... i probably could get the body, EVF, and 5 P2 cards now, and then wait for a bit (save some cash) to get a lens!? I'm sure that the 2000 is steps ahead of the 500 in giving a really sharp image, and thats what i'm looking for...plus i dont really want to find that because of the 960X540 CCDs it will be unacceptable by some broadcasters. Can the 2000 use the 16Gig Cards? And who are the dealers who are selling the 2000? i wouldn't mind to see some packages.
 
You know it's funny, as the RED and all of the other new digital cinema cameras come out, including the pannies, I keep wondering what I'd do with an unlimited budget.

There's something about RED that... it doesn't push me away, but it's more like even though on paper the RED is superior to the higher end Pannies, the pannies just draw me closer.

I love P2. But more important, I love the look.

I've been thinking a lot that while imagers are like format, the codec imparts a "look" to the footage, so chosing an aquisition camera with a certian codec, is almost like chosing a stock of 35mm.

With the film guys coming out of NAB (interview with the Dalsa guy on freshdv) calling 4k the new 70mm, and 2k the new 35mm... or more like comparing those as comperable.

So as the market floods up with new choices, and quality reaches acceptable standards within reasonable deviation, people will hopefully begin to choose based on artistic preference.

For me, the pannies just have this great, "real" warm, look. And their motion is like butter. RED looks great too, but it totally does "look" like high budget hollywood.

I wonder if I got a dream job, the HPX3000 is out, so is RED, I have my pick, budget it not an issue... I'd estimate that I'd go with the HPX if I like the look even 1 iota over RED.

That said, with RAW-anything, you can do alot.

I keep beating the drum... no matter what you pick, it's the best time for digital cinema ever. We all get to witness the birth and growth of a historic transition.
 
blckhawk542 said:
Barry how many cameras do you own? just wondering....

Do you own a RED yet? lol
Don't have it yet, but I'm reservation #364.

I don't have that many, but if I were to catalog them off the top of my head there's three 16mm cameras, one Super16, one 35mm, the HVX, the DVX, the HV20, the forthcoming Red... um... well, my phone is an N93, which is marketed primarily as a video camera... um, what else... oh, a PowerShot that does 640x480x30fps... and... um... well, probably a couple others stashed away somewhere that I don't use anymore...


I bet Barry has like...a separate room in his house with shelves up to the top of a 12 foot ceiling with cameras sitting on them. Each wall has different brands...then from left to right..the oldest to newest.

thatd be siick. haha
Actually I had almost that at one point, with Super 8 cameras. I went on a mad collecting spree when I first found ebay, so I had dozens of Super 8 cams including all the top models like the Beaulieu 6008PRO, Elmo 1012XL-S, and the Chinon Pacific 200/8XL, etc., several old Auricons, Eyemos, three or four CP16s, an Eclair ACL or two, a bunch of Filmos... my old office had display racks all over the walls, stuffed to the brim with classic S8 cams, and old cams like a WW1 Filmo set out on a tripod in the corner, etc.

I haven't really bought a lot of video cameras, I mainly shot film and rented the Sony lineup of video cams up until the DVX came out. That changed everything, but I'm still clinging onto the film equipment for some reason...
 
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NorthernFilmMaker said:
I am too, i mean it does look like a great camera.... especially for the price, but i'm not too sure. What i would really like is to get an HPX2000 but man, that's a nice chunk of change....
2000 does things the 500 doesn't, but mainly those features are news-related. Or ENG-related. 2000 doesn't do variable frame rates, and doesn't currently do 24pN mode (or 30pN or 25pN). The 2000's big features are that it has the option-card slot for expansion to AVC-Intra, it has a digital doubler for no-light-loss tele-extending, and it has digital super gain for see-in-the-dark performance. It also has much more extensive menu controls, being in the AJ series instead of the AG series.

I'm sure that the 2000 is steps ahead of the 500 in giving a really sharp image,
Not really. They had the 2000 and the 500 set right next to each other, and they looked extremely comparable.

plus i dont really want to find that because of the 960X540 CCDs it will be unacceptable by some broadcasters.
Hasn't stopped the HVX, and I'm certain it won't stop the HPX500.

Can the 2000 use the 16Gig Cards?
Not until September or so.

And who are the dealers who are selling the 2000? i wouldn't mind to see some packages.
Any larger dealer should be carrying it; guys like Abel and CineQuipt and Roscor and Lerro and ... well, probably any "Flagship" dealer should have it. It's on the market now, although as I understand it supplies are very limited because basically Fox is buying them all.
 
Not really. They had the 2000 and the 500 set right next to each other, and they looked extremely comparable.


They were probably comparably when the HPX500 was equipped with the big Cine style HD lens though right? or are we talking one of the lenses that are offered in the sub 26,000 dollar package deal?
 
Lenses are lenses; if you put the same lens on both I believe they'll deliver a quite comparable picture. But if you put a cheap $5,000 lens on one and a $60,000 lens on the other, you're going to see big differences in how they look.

As for the base camera body, I think they're comparable in image recording capability. With comparable lenses you'll get comparable results.
 
And who are the dealers who are selling the 2000? i wouldn't mind to see some packages.

I purchased my HPX2000 at WH Platts in Charlotte. They met the price quoate at dealers in LA and Chicago. It is promissed in early May. We'll see.
Mule
 
The HVX200 costs less than just about any of those lenses. I mean, you're talking about a $25,000 to $32,000 camera package, vs. a $5,995 one. I don't see how you'd even compare 'em.

The 500 does everything the 200 does and lots lots lots lots more. But it costs about 4x as much as well, so it had better do more. It all comes down to what you need.
 
Barry_Green said:
It all comes down to what you need.

For me, there are a few reasons why i didn't get an HVX.....and why i'm seriously considering the HPX....

HVX200

1. it's much too big as a handycam style camcorder, for long periods of hand held work, which i do alot of...you'd need support devices ie, steadicam vest system= more $$

2. the focussing tools are lacking .... so its hard to get really sharp focus 100% of the time, unless you have a third party monitor = more $$

3. only 2 P2 slots, and small capacity P2 cards, (until recently), then you'd need a firestore, and P2 store ....again = more $$

4. fixed 13X lens..... which is much to short for the work i do.... another add on (telephoto lens adapter) = yes, more $$

5. poor low light performance due to the 1/3" chips....more $$ on good lighting setups....

so after all these add ons i bet i would be able to easily buy a HPX500 package and have most of the things that i personally need dealt with. This is all based on my own personal needs as a cameraman....
 
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Northern, don't forget DOF is much better on the 500. I think that's one reason so many people add extra hardware and then more hardware to support that hardware. :D
 
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