Is the Panasoinic HVX200 better than the Canon Hv20

J

jideobi

Active member
Is the hvx200 an big improvement on the hv20 in terms of end of results picture quality on the internet ?
 
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I believe you mean HV20 and not HVX20. Yes it has huge differences. In everything from the way it records in HD to the quality of it's image and the amount of manual control you truly have over your image. You're talking a huge price difference... $1000 vs $5000+.
 
Yes Joseph I meant hv20
Thanks

In terms of functions and control I agree with you 100% that the hvx200 is much better but when it comes to image quality that I have seen on the Internet there does not seem to be much difference in my opinion . The reason why I am asking the question is that I currently own the hv20 and I am thinking of upgrading to the hvx200. I am asking myself in terms of end results picture quality destined for the Internet is the hvx200 worth the £2000 upgrade.
 
jideobi said:
Yes Joseph I meant hv20
Thanks

In terms of functions and control I agree with you 100% that the hvx200 is much better but when it comes to image quality that I have seen on the Internet there does not seem to be much difference in my opinion . The reason why I am asking the question is that I currently own the hv20 and I am thinking of upgrading to the hvx200. I am asking myself in terms of end results picture quality destined for the Internet is the hvx200 worth the £2000 upgrade.
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Haha. There are so many more factors that go into this than you will at first think of. There is a reason for that cost and of course it is worth it if you want to get professional results. Essentially it comes down to CONROL. You need to be able to control every single aspect of what your camera is doing many times. Or sometimes you just need to manually control a couple of things. Yes the canon has some of these manual controls but you have to search through menus and they are not user friendly, plus that camera will over ride a lot of what you tell it to do, thinking you are a typical user and you won't know what to do. With the HVX, not only will you have more manual controls than you could dream of (until you become very experienced), but they all have easily reachable buttons, switches and dials on the camera body that are placed in the best areas.

In addition, the codec caries much more info, especially in terms of color depth.

Also, you get 4 channels of audio with pro XLR ports and, once again, control (levels etc.).

Plus, the fact that the camera is around 5 lbs is good because that weight stabilizes all of your shots whereas small cameras have lots of uncontolable shake.


There are more things but I don't feel like listing them right now/can't think because i'm tired and have a final tomorrow.
 
Yes, the footage on those little cameras can be excellent... in the right situation. But outside of that situation? It's a completely different game. The efficiency that a good operator can have with an HVX is alone worth the investment. Audio is a big one for a lot of people. As was said, there are plenty of other things, too many to list, that make it a better camera on a different level. But it's also a lot more expensive, and you might not need it for what you're doing. Whatever that may be. Sometimes investing in other equipment (stabilizing, lighting, things like that) can be a better investment. So if you're looking for advice, it really depends on what you need.
 
HDV vs DVCProHD... big difference! 4:2:2 vs 4:2:0. Solid state recording format. I'm sure ppl on here can go on and on. Where are you looking? YouTube? Post a link (A vs B) and we might be able to guide you in the right direction.
 
Hello,

If you're ONLY ever going to web with your video and you want a more professional camera, you don't have to go with the HVX200. The HVX200 is in the P2 lineup for many reasons but the main reason is if you ever want to use tape. You can save a couple of dollars and go with the AG-HPX170 or a couple of thousand dollars and go with the AG-HMC150. If you STILL don't need that much camera than the new HMC40 is coming out or you can even look at the JVC HM100 if you're working in the FCP workflow.

$0.02

Sincerely,

Andrew Hoffman
Vice President
Specialized Communications Corp.
20940 Twin Springs Dr.
Smithsburg, MD 21783-1510 USA
800-359-1858 (US)
301-790-0103
Fax: 301-790-0173
andrewh@spec-comm.com
www.spec-comm.com
www.twitter.com/speccomm
 
Thanks everyone for your replies and advice I have narrowed the camera I am going to upgrade to the HVX200 and the HMC151 . The hvx200e costs £2600 (without p2 cards) The HMC151 costs £2900 I intend on making music and corporate videos which will either end up on the internet or dvd. My head is saying get the hvx200 because of the variable frame rates, 4:2:2 colour space and the dvcpro hd codec(p2 cards are now cheaper) My heart is saying get hmc151. sharper image better in low light less noise To be honest I am finding it impossible to decide on which camera to get . The whole thing is becoming very stressful. One day I will convince myself to get the hvx200 then the next it's the hmc151. It's driving me nuts . I am worrying over nothing will I be happy with either camera. Will I see upgrading to either camera as a big improvement to image quality compared to the hv20.
 
My 2c.. if you want more control and consistent images then spend the money on a prosumer cam like the ones mentioned. The HV20 on the other hand, under the right conditions, can get you just as nice or even better looking pictures than some of the cams mentioned. And if you think 4:2:0 looks good from the HV20 then you will be highly impressed with the 4:2:2 from its HDMI output. But then you would have more of an investment to make to get there. I don't think it would add up to $5,000 though (it depends on how you go about it). Also..low light would be greatly improved on with prosumer cams compared to the HV20. if that is important to you then I would condsider the HMC series over the HVX myself.
 
Guys
If money was not an issue and you only had a choice between the HMC151 and the HVX200 which camera would you get and why ?
 
i have both, hv20 & HPX170. If i had to choose one i would keep the HPX of course. the hv20 can make some nice footages, but the hpx is in a different league, the image is rock solid in comparison, colors are fantastic. and you can make any look u want. you have to deal with the look of the hv20. if you want to make a super colorful music video forget about it. and low light is really not nice with hv20. HPX slowmo is a nice feature too + all the manual controls. it's a non dilemna.
 
Hi delaro
Yes the hpx171 is a great but unfortunately I can't afford it. So it's the hmc151 or the hvx200 . Have you used the hmc151 or the hvx200 and if so which do you prefer and why
Thanks
 
The hvx200e costs £2600 (without p2 cards)
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Yes the hpx171 is a great but unfortunately I can't afford it.
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If you can't afford P2 cards why are you even considering the 200??? doesn't make sense to me. You're worried about image quality but without P2 you're stuck with miniDV unless you go straight to computer.
 
Hi jrmiller_entertainment
I never said that i could not afford p2 cards . I said that I could not afford the hpx171 camera .
I can buy a new hvx200 for £2600
Hpx171 costs £4000 almost double the price of the hvx200
The new 16gb e series p2 cards cost £270
 
jideobi said:
Guys
If money was not an issue and you only had a choice between the HMC151 and the HVX200 which camera would you get and why ?
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Well, between an HVX200A (the "A" is important) or an HMC150? For footage quality, and for flexibility, the 200A, unquestionably. The 200A does variable frame rates, it does standard-def, etc.

But between an original 200, and a 150? That's a tough choice. If you don't need variable frame rates or SD or tape, then I'd probably go with the 150. The codec is better on the 200, but the sensitivity and noise are better on the 150, plus you get the waveform monitor and better ergonomics...
 
sorry, so if you do plan on getting a P2 card then go with the hvx. I can tell you this, I used my hv20 to shoot a concert and cut it together with 2 hvx 200s. I would buy the hvx purely based on the DVCPRO HD codec. I HATED cutting hdv footage. It takes a lot more horsepower. Some people may not be bothered by it but the ease of dvcpro hd was enough to make me go purchase the 200a. Intra frame, immediate editing, it doesn't get much better.
 
Then HVX200a would be my choice. It's great for doing music video's. You have to consider the cost of storage for the footage but its leaps and bounds better than the HV30/20. I own both the HVX200a and the HV30. HPX170 would be better than both but image wise its the same as the HVX200a (but your really going to miss that waveform monitor).

HV30 plus a 35mm adapter would be a good way to go too. I've seen some impressive footage with that setup. If you can handle hacking the exposure setting on the HV30 between setups.
 
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