Why get a HVX 200?

B

burt_benson

Member
I'm mostly knowledgable about video production (I just graduated in Digital Media), and after shooting two weddings over two weeks and talking to my wife about getting a camera, she has consented to let me get a good camera. I immediately jumped on the fact that I would like to get a HVX 200 only because I have heard that it is super-awesome. Other than the fact that it is capable of better formats, I don't know why I would want to get this camera otherwise. I'm looking at doing wedding videos, podcasting, and any other freelance jobs that come my way. I know that it might be overkill for weddings and podcasting, but I'm kind of wanting something that will also be applicable for the trend towards HD.
So now that I've gone on for too long, my ultimate question is why I would want to buy it, and whether you think it is right for me. Or should I just go for a DVX.
 
I do very, very few wedding. Don't like the pressure.

However, the slow motion footage of bride and husband and bride and father really sells.

The cam is so versatile, produces great images, and has immense control.

You are future proofing with the HVX200. While the DVX100 has dropped in price, the HVX200 isn't much more.
 
I agree, everything is moving twords the trend of HD and If you have the money to buy an HVX I highly recommend it. Just consider how best to find the workflow you want and how you want to get things done. Who knows, the camera may inspire you into different areas such as music videos, short films and whatever else and you would be ready to meet those intrests with a great camera :)
 
I bought the HVX solely for standard-def DVCPRO50. I was trying to do talking head stuff in front of a green screen with a DVX, and trying to get great believable keys with DV will make you jump in front of a truck, so I gave in and bought the HVX. It was *well* worth it ... the footage keys right out and looks very real and believable - all of my instructional DVD subscribers think I spent a hundred grand on a killer set - and even casual family videos are stunning, my friends and family are blown away by the quality in standard-def DVCPRO50.

And, I'm glad that I future-proofed myself ... I figured I only needed standard-def since I'm only doing DVDs and video podcasting, but now today I learned that iTunes now handles 720p HD podcasts, so tomorrow, guess what I'm doing .... switching over to 720p on the HVX in professional DVCPRO-HD and getting on the HD podcast bandwagon!!!!

Future-proofing is very smart and very necessary nowadays. Get the HVX. Oh yeah and P2 cards are coming down in price and big/huge cards are on the horizon.
 
I don't know. The HVX is a- BEYOND awesome camera, but I think it sounds like for your uses an HDV camera might be more well suited.

Cheap tapes, HD, etc. It's less expensive, and since you're doing podcasting and wedding videos, you really don't need the crazy crazy quality of the HVX. That said, if you want to do it anyway it certianly is NOT a bad idea, it just may be overkill for your use.

just my opinion
 
If you don´t need HD then go with the DVX. Much easier to pay for, in standard def pretty much similar images. The color of the DVX is insane. I shoot lots of stuff for hotels and tourism boards (who want feelings in their pictures just like in weddings) and the DVX tuned a little to the warm side creates impressive, progressiv images. But in SD.
The HVX does a lot more if you need: variable framerates, P2 workflow etc. But these upgrades are costintensive (editing, archive, P2 media). HDV is another option for sure. Best is to go try the cams out at a rental place.
 
Having both the DVX and HVX and a couple of Sony 2/3 chip cams and shooting all kinds of stuff from events (Weddings, parties, etc.) to features, commercial, and corporate stuff, I don't think (right now) the HVX is your ideal event camera. It really shines on a set, in a controlled environment using it in HD. For that matter the DVX while being a fine run and gun and event camera still suffers (albeit slightly) from those 63 minute tapes. For weddings, and other event work I always lean on the Sony 450... just for those 3 hour DVCam tapes... one tape- one job. Don't get me wrong, the DVX works great as well, you just have plan ahead in your mind where your changes are going to be. The HVX is really a Film cam. Great for commercial, corporate industrial and feature work. Plus folks who want their wedding to be recorded in HD because they just got themselves a 42' Plasma sometimes balk at the extra cost of the job.

So it really depends on how much event work is headed your way and how soon it will be coming. If it is right now and it needs to be in HD, maybe an HDV camera would be best for you. If it is just some event work here and there but more corporate/film stuff in your future then, the HVX might be the way to go.

In the current state of things (and of course this is slowly changing... but very slowly if you make your living on events) the short recording times and IT workflow of HVX are not suited for events, particularly weddings.
Just my two cents.
 
I would NOT, and I repeat NOT want to recommend the HVX for weddings in HD. Remember that 2x16GB cards cost 2000$ extra, and doesn't even cover the whole event in full HD (30 minutes). I do own the HVX, and I have to shoot SD in weddings. I would go for HDV any day when it comes to wedding and concerts.

You do know also that you'll get 2 Canon HD-A1 for the price of 1 HVX200? Much fairer bet.

Tapeless is FAR from the revolution it should be... The constant copying and formatting of the P2 cards means it's SLOWER than tape IMHO. When we shoot 16 minutes of DVCPRO HD, it takes at least 16 minutes to download it to a computer and get rolling again.

IMHO, the HVX200 is strictly for film work, while HDV is for video work.
 
Ursa said:
I would NOT, and I repeat NOT want to recommend the HVX for weddings in HD. Remember that 2x16GB cards cost 2000$ extra, and doesn't even cover the whole event in full HD (30 minutes). I do own the HVX, and I have to shoot SD in weddings. I would go for HDV any day when it comes to wedding and concerts.

You do know also that you'll get 2 Canon HD-A1 for the price of 1 HVX200? Much fairer bet.

Tapeless is FAR from the revolution it should be... The constant copying and formatting of the P2 cards means it's SLOWER than tape IMHO. When we shoot 16 minutes of DVCPRO HD, it takes at least 16 minutes to download it to a computer and get rolling again.

IMHO, the HVX200 is strictly for film work, while HDV is for video work.
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Just think of the HVX as a package. HVX + 2x 16 gb= 7600 USD. I would add a 8gb Just for backup. Total cost 8250 USD. Still cheaper than a Canon XL-H1 or a JVC HD250. This will get you more than enough time to cover a wedding. Just know what to shoot and be economical with it. Wedding consumers still want their copies in DVD. you can shoot 720pn and deliver that HD file if they desire. I beileve 95% of your business will require you to deliver on DVD. You can even shoot in DVCPRO 50, or DV tape, if you desire. Just use the cards for the slow motion effects, then downconvert to DV. It will still look fantastic on DVD.

I have to say, however, that HDV is more economically viable for Weddings due to the very long day coverage and immediate delivery. But for TV commercials, TV shows, Films, Sports Events coverage, ENG (Immediate editing), and even Documentary production- if you have the money for the cards- the HVX is the better choice.
 
I would shoot DV to tape and then you can acquire P2 cards as HD distribution get more established and have a future-proof work flow.
 
If you're doing a wedding for George Lucas then the HVX would be a good choice. Otherwise, the DVX or an HDV cam would be the way to go, unless you plan on indie work in the future, and even then, DVX, VERY well shot can uprez to 720p pretty well.
 
Ursa said:
Tapeless is FAR from the revolution it should be... The constant copying and formatting of the P2 cards means it's SLOWER than tape IMHO. When we shoot 16 minutes of DVCPRO HD, it takes at least 16 minutes to download it to a computer and get rolling again.

IMHO, the HVX200 is strictly for film work, while HDV is for video work.
Click to expand...

The future is indeed tapeless, but it's not quite here yet. I make some extra money filming live shows and sometimes it's a stretch to even get it on a single tape in 90 min LP mode. The camera has to roll until intermission and an HVX would be completely unusable in that situation. The day will come though when we can record over an hour of footage on a single card (maybe P2, maybe not).
 
There are so many clients that want different formats today. With the HVX you can take on more of those jobs then with any other camera.
Not sure the HVX is the best bet for weddings. With a firestore or other hard drive option it might work fine though.
Do your homework, think what other gigs you want to do and you'll do fine.
 
It also depends on what you *hope* to do with the medium. It is possible to work with the HVX for events as it currently sits. The easiest workflow would be to use the dv tape mechanism. However, when Panasonic releases the AVC-Intra codec for the HVX it will double the capacity of the P2 cards.

Now, if you want to use P2 cards in a an event, you need to have a plan to offload the footage to some device periodically. A laptop would work or Panny's device. You should probably have an assistent there to help with that so you can just swap cards and keep shooting.

It is possible and the creative elements of the camera would really bring some nice texture to the work but there are trade offs. It is certainly worth it if you plan to do more commercial work in the future as this camera stands up very well as a 16mm replacement.

-gl
 
_gl said:
It also depends on what you *hope* to do with the medium. It is possible to work with the HVX for events as it currently sits. The easiest workflow would be to use the dv tape mechanism. However, when Panasonic releases the AVC-Intra codec for the HVX it will double the capacity of the P2 cards.

Now, if you want to use P2 cards in a an event, you need to have a plan to offload the footage to some device periodically. A laptop would work or Panny's device. You should probably have an assistent there to help with that so you can just swap cards and keep shooting.

It is possible and the creative elements of the camera would really bring some nice texture to the work but there are trade offs. It is certainly worth it if you plan to do more commercial work in the future as this camera stands up very well as a 16mm replacement.

-gl
Click to expand...

Panasonic never said anything about releasing avc intra to the HVX. The only cameras from Panasonic available for upgrade are the 20k+ HPX2000 and the Hsomethingx3000 (the new varicam, ok? :) )

Both the HVX and the new HPX500 are dvcpro HD only. Maybe in an HVX200A we'll see avcintra.
 
The HPX3000 is not "the new Varicam" though; it doesn't have variable frame rates. There will someday be a VariCam II, but the HPX3000 isn't it.

I doubt we'll see AVC-Intra in an HVX200 form factor anytime soon. I'm instead lobbying heavily for AVC-HD; 24 megabits of AVC-HD would give us some real workflow options.
 
Barry_Green said:
The HPX3000 is not "the new Varicam" though; it doesn't have variable frame rates. There will someday be a VariCam II, but the HPX3000 isn't it.

I doubt we'll see AVC-Intra in an HVX200 form factor anytime soon. I'm instead lobbying heavily for AVC-HD; 24 megabits of AVC-HD would give us some real workflow options.
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I tought the HPX3000 had variable frame rates... So what's the advantage of the 3000 compared to the 2000? Both have native 1920x1080 ccd's, right? What's the "catch" for such big difference in price?

It would be a shame, Barry, if the next HVX didn't have avc intra. It certainly is a better codec than the avc-hd one, specially on color space- 4:2:0 vs 4:2:2. It would be like going back again.

DVX2 with avc-hd? Ok. But we are already in a different ball game with the HVX. And with the introduction of xdcam EX, I just can't see them going "back" with their best selling product.

Anyway, it certainly wouldn't attract me to "upgrade".
 
I highly recommend the HVX for weddings. I shoot to a firestore at 720 24p, add some slowmo stuff in there, and put it all on sd dvd for the clients and it looks stunning. Then I back up the HD footage on DVD's for later release on HD. I'm booked for weddings this year since getting mine.
 
pmpworks said:
I highly recommend the HVX for weddings. I shoot to a firestore at 720 24p, add some slowmo stuff in there, and put it all on sd dvd for the clients and it looks stunning. Then I back up the HD footage on DVD's for later release on HD. I'm booked for weddings this year since getting mine.
Click to expand...

pmpworks

Do you trust a firestore for such important work?

Drew
 
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