On the fence about buying an HVX200a

M

mcstrangelove

Member
I've been out of the shooting game for a long time and need to buy a new camera. I had intended on going with an HVX200a, but have been lured towards DSLRs due to their picture quality, flexibility of lenses, depth of field and CHEAP sd cards.

Aside from lack of traditional camcorder ergonomics and audio inputs, why should I stick with an HVX instead of going with a DSLR?

Thanks for your opinions!
 
1. You would have a lot more control over the image with an hvx - gamma curves, detail coring, matrix, etc. etc
2. Built in ND filters
3. Longer record times per clip...how much depends on which DLSR
4. No overheating issues- again depends on which DLSR
5. Won't get caught in the lens moneypit - you all know what I'm talking about!
6. No intermittent image problems - moire and alising (with DLSRs sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't)
6. Nice slow motion....over and undercranking
7. Image holds up to grading much better...taking the word of MANY professionals on this site!
8. Sometimes having zoom and af can be handy...as well as image stabilization
9. CCDs means no rolling shutter! aka Jello-cam
10. You can open up the iris all the way in low light and not worry about too shallow dof (yes it can be too shallow)
11. No need for all kinds of add ons (vfs, cages, follow focus gadgets, sound modules, etc etc)
12. Panasonic color = AWESOME
13. Much better battery life
14. With an HVX in tow....you could add a simple DLSR setup for occasional beauty shots (so you wouldn't need that many lenses). The other way around...without a proper video camera, you end up wanting all the gadgets to make the DLSR versatile enough for many situations.
15. This is not anti DLSR, this is : Using the two together can mean film making potential that used to cost 10 times as much IMO.
16. If you are worried about P2...go with the HMC150. the price right now is incredible $2795
17. Sorry for the long reply!
 
Wow, I appreciate the list. I'm trying to weigh the pros and cons. Some of those I've heard about, like the jello-cam and lack of variable frame rates. I was also contemplating the new AF100 from Panasonic, although it might be out of my price range. But I like that it doesn't have a fixed lens and also uses SD cards (a 16 gb p2 card is 20x more expensive than the comparable SD card). Seems like it has the best of both the HVX and DSLRs.
 
It is absolutely! It is pricey for some of us though. To me, the next best thing is a combination of a prosumer style video camera (it could even be upper end cosumer) and a simple dlsr set up. Remember to price out lenses if you go for the AF100. It'll be around $4795 for just the camera. Part of the beauty of the AF is the versatility when it comes to picking out lenses because the format can take just about anything. There are some informative threads in the AF100 section on what lenses people plan on using.
I'm kind of in the same boat as you as I'd love to have the AF, but I think I'll probably get one of the new high end Canon consumer video cameras when they come out (the HF G10) and either a GH2 or T2i...depending on what's available. The GH2 is nowhere to be found right now...looks like a great camera.
 
i depends on what you shoot.

if you shoot primarily "feature" or artistic type stuff, with locked-off or small camera movement. the benefits of the dslr MAY outweigh its long list of drawbacks.
if you do ANY run and gun or eng type work. the dslr aint for you.

id say your best bang for buck right now would be an hpx170 and a 35mm adapter rig like a brevis, letus, sgpro, redrock, etc...
i sold my brevis rig (and my nikon d200 kit) about 6 months ago with the intent of getting a 5Dll. and there have been few decisions in life that ive regretted more...
 
Thanks for the info. I like to think that I'll be doing both (traditional narrative & handheld documentary). I shoot a lot of "high-end home videos" (if that makes sense!) which require things like autofocus and tip top ergonomics (not to mention a flip out screen), but I want to get back into traditional narrative projects. Everything I've ever shot narratively was on 16mm film so I am kind of addicted to that "film look."

I'll have to do more research, but what are the drawbacks of the "high end consumer video cameras?"
 
The drawbacks IMO are less physical controls on the body, single sensors vs 3, no image parameter adjustments (gamma, knee, etc.), not as much manual control, standard batteries are weak (definitely get extended life if you buy one), audio is not as good. The nice ,thing though is now a lot of consumer cams have better lcds than their prosumer counterparts. For example HFS200 = 3.5 inches, 920,000dots . xha1s = 2.7inches and 230,000 (I believe) The HMC and HVX also have lower resolution screens but are 3.5inches. Also the cosumer cams have some cool features - touch focus, face recognition, touch and track focus. It's pretty nice doing a rack focus by touching the screen. I tried it out on the Canon HFS20, and it works well. The IQ on a lot of them is quite good as long as you don't shoot in very low light (where the dlsr steps in) and the modern ois is steady cam like esp. the Sony's. The Canon's let you limit gain, adjust audio levels, have some image adjustments, zebras. The not yet released XH G10 and XA 10 have even more control included- full manual, waveform, cinema filters, adjustable gain in 1db increments , an apparently very nice focus ring, and even better audio support.
 
Agree completely with Pulpfiction007's list.

Cameras like the HPX170 and HMC150, and even the AF100 are do-everything cameras. DSLRs are more limited, more like a one-trick pony. As WGZN says, great for locked off beauty shots. They can do more, sure, but it's more difficult than shooting with a camera designed for video.
 
i have both, HVX200 with 2 32gb p2 cards and Canon T3i. i am doing mostly photography with the Canon but most recently i did a music video shoot. the video was awesome, i had a 50mm f1.8 lens that was out of this world.
my T3i will probably replace my hvx200 one day but until then my camcorder rules the video for me.
 
Yes, I think it all depends on what you are shooting. I think a lot of people who purchase DSLRs don't realize they aren't really camcorders with all their creature comforts for shooting video. Thus, they can take fantastic video, but they aren't the "do-all video" camera your HVX is.
 
I would recommend you also check out the HMC-150. It's like the HPX-170, but shoots on cheaper (and easier to ingest) SD card media.
 
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