HVX200 - M2 Encore not dead yet!

Hey Albert,
I will shoot some stuff and post over at my vimeo channel.
Hey EDV,
I guess the answer is, I like the look. I've owned a 5DMKII like everyone else did. I currently own a T2i. Yes the HDSLR is lighter, if you have it barebones with a lens but when you start to add all the other stuff it starts to get heavy. As heavy as this setup, no way. This setup ways in around 15lbs but balances on my shoulder quite nicely. Another reason I decided to go back to some old school tech is, DVCPRO HD 100 mbps, progressive CCDs, built in audio, nice slow motion that when adjusted in FCPX gives me a very smooth 120FPS. And P2 cards are now really cheap. And last but not least, this whole setup was CHEAP! With the exception of the Rokinon lens and the SmallHD DP4, this setup was under $1500 Canadian dollars. We do pay more for stuff. Sometimes ALOT more. Oh and the Pana batts, they last forever and the after market ones are cheap! I got four of the 5400s for $60! I found an old Panasonic adapter plate from an iKAN monitor i bought. I took that plate and built an adapter so I can power my SmallHD monitor and I gotta say, those batts last all day and into the next!

Anyway, in the end I like the look i get from this old cam. When I compare side by side with my T2i or some old footage from my 5DMKII, it just has a look that i kind of equate with 16mm film. The DSLR footage is beautiful but it has a certain look. Plasticky maybe is a good description. Call it what you want, noise or grain or whatever but the images i'm getting please me. In the end this is whats important.

I could buy a GH4 and I probably will, but for now this works, for me.
Cheers gents.
 
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Doug, yes definitely, the look of the footage from HVX has something that newer cameras just don't have. Must be that Panasonic mojo.

On batteries: I need to get some extra batteries for my camera. Where did you get yours? The rental shop I go to won't sell me used ones for cheap, and would rather sell me their pricey Panasonic batteries.. Can you ship me a couple batteries from Montreal? hah

I'm thinking of a GX7 or GX8 as a secondary cam, instead of a GH4 for portability. But those smaller cameras lack real camera features like audio inputs.
 
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mdk films, I definitely agree with you on the look of that set up. The closest thing to film I've gotten yet. That matchless pan mojo. If only that set up produced a higher resolution image but even so I still prefer the organic look of that set up over most dslrs.
 
Yeah reem12, they really do have a look. It is nice to see that I am not the only one that still likes the look. I'm going to shoot some footage, just kick around stuff nothing serious at this point, and post it over at my Vimeo channel. Soon.
 
Really amazing just to see people using older tech in general. I've tried my hardest to adapt over to HDSLRs and after owning my share of them, I just can not find myself to like the image.. plastic is a good word to use. I had an HVX200 back in 2008 and learned a lot from it.. I currently have a Varicam F (another old cam that still holds up.. that pana mojo is immortal :b). At the end of the day, you find a tool that works with you and if you never outgrow it so be it.. having the latest and greatest will only get you so far.. you have to have the tool/operator relationship as well. Hell, I still think some of my best work was done on a Canon XL2 back in the day and that's not even HD! To each his own my friend.. keep on rockin!
 
Thanks Mike. My sentiment exactly. When you find something that works go with it. Some of those old cams still work in today's work flows and if you are a one man show and don't have to worry about the work flow of others it is a good alternative. I see a bunch of REDONE MX cameras for sale over at the RED forum, and they are going cheap. And they shoot raw 4K! I am stunned at how cheap some of these old tech cameras are going for nowadays. And it's not like they are so antiquated you can't find media or lenses or accessories for them. In the last ten years there has been a real push to dump the old tech and keep buying new. I think the HVX, for me anyway, will remain a viable camera for awhile. My two cents. Too bad they have locked some of the old threads about adapters and such.
cheers.
 
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