HVX vs. 2/3" SD Camera

M

meddesigner

Active member
Well I have been really looking at the HVX. For around $10k it looks like you can buy it with 2 P2 cards. But for not much more money you can buy a 2/3" SD camera and for a bit more it could have P2.

So at the end of the day I want a very high quality image and something keeps nagging at me about the compromises made with these lower cost HD camcorders.

If a camera states it records 720p or 1080i and at the end of the day because of compression technologies and CCD limitations it really is not without electronic "digital voodoo" then why blow 10k on a system that apparently is not that much better than what I have in a DVX.

Perhaps I would be better off with a very high quality 2/3" SD over the HVX. It looks like one has to spend at least 30k to get a true HD image.

Any ideas?
 
This is a question that more than a few people have been considering. The reality is that a 2/3" camera with SD resolution is going to have some specific advantages over a 1/3" HD one including:

Better low light performance
Shallower DOF

That said, until the HVX is released in its final form, any comparisons are speculation as we do not know yet what Panasonic has achieved.

Consider how you will be using a camera and weigh its pros and cons for the intended application including costs before getting too far into speculation.

For anyone contemplating the purchase of one camera as compared to another, you might want to invest a small amount into renting for a day or two so that you can get some test shots under conditions similar to how you intend to utilize it. Its a much cheaper solution than purchasing the wrong camera.
 
khmuse is right, it all depends on your application. That alone will drive your decision... and of course your budget. I always say it is better to have great SD then bad HD. But all things point to the HVX being a very nice product in HD. Until we see the footage, it's all speculation. If you can wait and see, then compare for yourself. If you don't need HD, then don't consider the HVX. If you do need it, or simply want 4:2:2 SD, you can always get the upcoming Firestore. It will surely be cheaper then the 2 P2 cards (and store a heck of a lot more).

Consider the price of, say the SPX800, and a couple of P2s, (or the SDX900, plus cost of DVCPRO50 tapes), a decent lens, decent viewfinder if not included, plus batteries and charger system (Anton Bauer and co. are usually much more expensive then DVX/HVX batteries), probably a sturdier tripod, zoom and focus handles, etc, etc, etc... Everything costs more when talking shoulder mount. Add all of this up, and it will be substantially more expensive then what you've most likely predicted from a 2/3" camera. Just saying that because I went through the exact same exercise recently for the production company I work for.
 
I was going to look at the SPC700 and the SPX800. I would concur from a strictly dollar point of view the 800 would be more. Having shoulder mount would be great as well. I can wait to this camera is released. I am going to Atlanta to meet with my vendor and to go see U2 in about two weeks. After that I am going to Macworld in San Francisco to meet with vendors and explore options.

In my initial pricing of the HVX - shooting to P2 which is more of a benefit in my case - I have found a budget target of around 20k-25k gets me everything I feel I will need. By boss also likes the idea of HD as he saw one of his buddies on Discovery HD so now he wants to be able to do something similar.

My target audience is mostly doctors. We currently distribute on DVD. HD would be great for presentations - play right off a PowerBook into a DLP projector. I just wonder given the same thing to shoot which camera would produce the best results and 2/3" SD or the 1/3" HD.

I don't think I can get them to for full a full 2/3" HD. Could we afford it - yes but the question is do we need to? Would the HVX really get us the quality our Chairman is looking for? He loves the idea of HD and I think it is going to be HD or bust.

Has anyone worked with the 900? Any feedback?

Thanks -
 
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