HVX, DVX or Other for feature?

T

TMFilms

Well-known member
Hi everyone,
I have been reading the forums for a couple months and finally decided to start posting here. I am planning to shoot my first feature summer and have a few questions that I would like to get everyone’s opinions on. My movie is going to be about 90 minutes and is going to be a thriller/horror flick that about ¾ of it takes place in the woods of northern Wisconsin and most of the really important parts of the woods scenes will be at night of in low light such as dusk/dawn.

I have some experience shooting various shorts on a Canon GL2 that was borrowed from the local cable access station and am going to be purchasing a camera and accessories for this film instead of borrowing or renting stuff. I was originally thinking of going with the DVX but have been doing quite a bit of reading on here about the new HVX and some Reading on the Sony Z1U. I have decided that I really don’t want to go with the Sony due to the simulated 24p frame rate that it uses. I do like the sound of the HDV format though since you can use MiniDV tapes instead of buying the P2 cards or a Firestore (if they are even available by my shooting date) to record on.

I know that the script and sound are probably more important that the picture definition but I really want to get the most bang for my buck on the picture side as well. I am really not sure if I want to go with SD or HD at this point, I can probably swing buying a brand new 100b and a ton of extras or and HVX with a Firestore and a few extras. I would obviously like to spend the lowest amount possible to buy a camera and accessories, which is why I keep getting drawn back to the DVX. I have a fully loaded Mac G5 with FCP HD and a 23” cinema HD monitor so I can edit all of the formats.

Now that I am done with my little rant, here are my questions.

  • Which camera will be best in the lower light situations, will the HVX work better than the DVX, if so why?
  • If I go HD, is there a cheaper 24p option than the HVX like something that shoots to DV tapes that is going to have better end results than the DVX?
  • If I go with the HVX what accessories should I get to get a really high production film like end result? What about with the DVX? Please give the reasons for each accessory.
I would appreciate as much feedback as possible
Thanks
Travis
 
If 16:9 is important, remember that the HVX is native and even in SD mode to DV tapes the 16:9 will outperform the DVX 16:9. If you have budget and can get a hold of one, I would say HVX is the way to go...


ash =o)
 
DVX is better in low light, but you should light your scenes anyway.
As far as bang for the buck, I'd have to say the DVX is it.
Less bang than an HVX, but you'll save at least $2000.
Those 2G's can get you some nice lights, and/or audio gear.

-BillP
 
Now I guess I should have mentioned that I want to do 16x9. If I want ot shoot this on a DVX I would need a 16x9 conversion lens, correct? If I use one of those won't I get an even lower res image since I will not be using all of the pixles in the ccd chips?

Also what camera accessories would everyone suggest to get a really good professional feel to the end footage?

-Travis
 
You wouldn't NEED a conversion lens, no -- you could use in-camera Squeeze mode to get 16x9 on the DVX100B. It won't be as crisp as it would be on a native 16x9 camera like the HVX or XL2, but it'll still be pretty good. Using the anamorphic adapter can give you a substantial boost in resolution but it's a little pricey (~$900) and kind of a pain in the patootie to work with. If you were considering getting a DVX100B+anamorphic, I'd say no question but that you should spend a little more and get the HVX instead. HVX will deliver better 16x9 than DVX100B+anamorphic, with a lot less hassle, more telephoto, sharper optics, and tapeless recording (if you so choose to go tapeless). It'll be more expensive, but then you'll always have the option to go to HD (or to the dynamite DVCPRO50 mode too!)
 
I agree, the anamorphic option is a pain, slight aberrations, harder to focus and you have to look at everything stretched which can make your framing weird.



ash =o)
 
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