New DVC60

Re: New DVC60

Oh, by the way, on that three camera shoot I just mentioned - my DVX footage came out much brighter than I thought it was going to - especially the faces which I though would be too dark due to back lighting from windows in the church behind them. This pleasant surprise seems to parallel your experience. I didn't really notice it during editing in Final Cut Pro. I noticed it when I watched it on a TV.
 
Re: New DVC60

Yes... The lens makes a big difference. The Canon 19x IF lens was a big improvement over the stock Fujinon. The combination of a longer zoom and better light gathering helped give a shallower depth of field. The better color rendition and overall sharpness was also quite noticeable over the Fujinon. I am not familiar with the current Canon 16x that I believe Panasonic is bundling now, but would assume it's a bit better than the older Fujinon 14x. The Sony 370/390 series is worth a look too, albeit a bit more expensive.

One important thing to keep in mind when moving up to a full size camera - accessory cost.
Good batteries and a charger can easily run you another $1k. You'll also need a heavier duty tripod as well. With some cameras (i.e., DVC200) the tape cost will increase significantly as well since it's full size DV only.

Good luck to you!

Andrew
Crystal Clear Media
 
Re: New DVC60

Thanks. I've seen those battery and charger prices! Does the camera come with a stock battery or is even that extra? I noticed that the Canon 16x lens only adds a couple of hundred dollars to the cost over the Fujinon so in the grand scheme it would be worth it. I'll do some researching to check the specs on that 16x vs. the 19x you have.

My plan is a full sized camera (DVC200) as the main camera for weddings, the DVX would be the second camera for weddings and the (only) camera for my 24p projects. For a third camera, I'll be looking at the $1500 Panasonic GS400 comming out soon (which looks like it's going to replace the Sony TRV900/950 as the low cost 3 CCD event camera) as my balcony cam for weddings. It would also double as our family cam (travel that is - right now, my DVX has replaced my old Sony as the family cam around home!). So the DVC200 would be my big investment and the DVX and GS400 would each serve dual purposes.

My only decision is whether to go with the DVC200 (my first preference), or a second DVX with a DVRigPro for the shoulder support. Since that recent wedding video mentioned above, I've decided I can't mix the DVX with my old one chippers - the contrast is too great (almost embarrassing - those cameras which by themselves looked fine now look very crummy cut in with the DVX). So I'll be bumping up my line - I've been getting more calls and I'm thinking of raising my prices a bit to recover the investment.

Thanks you very much for all of your help on this.
 
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