Too late to by an XL2?

S

sgebhardt76

New member
hi,

I am looking at buying a video camera to do short films. I have looked at many of the HD camera's in my price range(2000 and below) but the XL2 is intriguing for it's quality of picture. Buying one would also allow me to spend money on other things as well(lights, lenses, etc.). So, just starting out, is it foolish not to buy an HD camera?

Thanks for any help!
 
Yeah SD is not something you want to be dropping money into at all. Infact even HDV is something that I personally would avoid.

You might want to look at a Panasonic HMC40 with XLR adapter or a used Panasonic HMC 150.

Now if you want to do video on DSLR you could get a 7D like Steve laramie mentioned (they are from Canon actually, NOT Nikon) However if you arnt into stills save some money on the body and get a 60D or T2i.... they are all 18mpx CMOS censors with Digic 4 processors.... get the rebel and but a Zoom H4n or Tasacam and a nice prime for the money that would net you only the 7D......

For the record, I have spent enough on DSLR that I should have just bought the EX1 I wanted in the first place..... so they are pro's and cons to shoothing with them.

Lastly, I see HVX200's on sale ALL THE TIME for sub $2000..... if you can score a P2 card or two that would be a fine investment
 
I would look at the new Canon XA10, the price range is below $2000, it has most of Canon's pro features in a small package, even XLR inputs, the only drawback is that you can't change lenses, if you like shallow DOF, then go with any of the new DSLR's. (7D, 60D, T2i, T3i and Nikon D7000) or micro 4/3 Panasonic Lumix GH2.

Here is a video showing the XA10.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn-iw8Aa3uY&feature=related.
Gio
 
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When making a short film, it's really key to get good audio. I wouldn't worry as much about depth of field as I would about clean audio. One of the many signs of bad filmmaking is poor audio.
As such, a camera with XLR inputs will be a great help in that regard. There are several low cost HD options available in the $2,000 price range: the aforementioned XA10, the Panasonic HMC80, the Sony MC2000.
Going used, you can get the Panasonic HVX200 and JVC HM100. If you don't mind used HDV, there's the Canon XH-A1, the JVC HD100, The Sony Z1, the V1, quite a bit more! There are new HDV cameras that cost in your price range.
The point is, there's many HD options available in the $2,000 range, and I only listed those with XLR input. Any of these will beat SD cameras, as far as images.

But it should be noted the movie "28 Days Later" was shot on XL-1s. I saw it recently on my big HD TV, and I didn't think it held up too well. I think the DP went with the XL-1s for the gritty look and the fact he could use different lenses, but I wonder if he shot it today if he would opt for a more modern small HD camera, or a DSLR. In 2002, there were no small HD cameras.
"Crank 2" was shot on HDV Canon XH-A1s in 2009.
 
sgebhardt76 said:
hi,

I am looking at buying a video camera to do short films. I have looked at many of the HD camera's in my price range(2000 and below) but the XL2 is intriguing for it's quality of picture. Buying one would also allow me to spend money on other things as well(lights, lenses, etc.). So, just starting out, is it foolish not to buy an HD camera?

Thanks for any help!
Click to expand...

I'd get one buddy. Ignore the trend setters here. Get what you A) can afford, and B) the camera for the type of shoot and effect you'd like.

I'm tired of hearing about DSLR's to be honest. People don't talk about the fact that they are LIMITED by 12 minutes of MAXIMUM shooting time! Useless!

Stick with a camcorder pal. :)
 
Price is relative, and the OP didn't mention a budget. For a lot of work, SD, especially 16:9 SD is still a viable delivery format. If you output to DVD, something like a bargain priced XL2 would be viable. Newer cams have tapeless workflow which is really nice, but tape has the ability to be its own archive which save money. HD is a wonderful thing, but look at your distribution model before you jump on the hype. The DSLR crowd has their fanboys, but no matter what they say, the workflow is more difficult. You might also consider a DVX100 (a or b), both are terrific SD cams, but the XL2 will deliver native 16x9 and has a couple of genuine manual lens options, and an adapter for EF lenses also.

I made the jump from a DVX100a to HD a couple of years ago, and haven't looked back, but most product I deliver is down-rezed, so the biggest advantage for me has been tapeless workflow.

Grant
 
Last I heard, making short films is not a business, so the equipment for it is not an investment. 2012 reality check. Most people watch 4/3 sd stretched to fit their flat screens, and either don't know the difference or don't care. Youtube still defaults to 360p unless you bother to change it, I suspect that most don't. The biggest growth market for video is mobile screens, no need for HD there. 480p is an acceptable delivery format under ATSC standards. Even most small festivals screen from data projectors from dvd.

If your budget it very low, you'll get much more out of an older pro camera with money for needed extras, than just a camera. DV is very easy to edit, no need to transcode, master tapes as stated. The main issue now is a computer capable of capturing the footage, as most PC's never had a firewire interface. If you have that then no problem. You can find consumer dv cams for dirt cheap, less than $100 usually, to use as a capture deck.

I use HV20's which I got as they were my cheapest route to 24p at the time, not for HD, I've never needed to deliver better than dvd. I find the final output comparable to what I got on short I did on borrowed dvx's. I just put a project into distribution for the educational market, signed for 5 years, the deliverable was master DVD, they didn't even care that we shot HD. Some markets are not upgrading any time soon. For the price that DVX's and XL2's are going for now, I'm seriously considering getting a couple for my next project. Xlr audio and full manual controls, not to mention better no gain low light, and global shutter ccd's will do far more for my production values, than the fact that it was mastered in HD.

Just a thought. My opinions may not reflect the greater DVXuser community that are chomping at the bit for cheap 4k raw, but I just don't think the rest of the world is there yet.
 
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