WTB? HVX or DVX AND Macbook Pro?

H

halhiker

New member
My budget is around $6K. Since I'm just starting to film and edit, should I get the HVX now and wait to get the laptop or should I get the DVX and upgrade later when I know what I'm doing and maybe have the budget for it?

Hal
 
I have an iMac G5 and right now am using iMovieHD but am considering Final Cut once I know what I'm doing.

Hal

scharky said:
Do you have anything to edit on? If not, having a camera isn't going to do you any good at all.
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halhiker said:
My budget is around $6K. Since I'm just starting to film and edit, should I get the HVX now and wait to get the laptop or should I get the DVX and upgrade later when I know what I'm doing and maybe have the budget for it?

Hal
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The first question you'd have to answer is: what do I wanna do with the camera? Make money doing weddings, shoot a film, make a doc?
If you just wanna fool around with a camera and learn video editing- go for the DVX. That's more camera than most (beginning)filmers & videographers will use/need in their lifetime.
Unless you have a specific need for the HVX, it's overkill.

Good luck,

Wolf
 
Your iMac G5 is a decently fast computer... depending on the hard drive space you have and ram you have, it should do fine for editing DV stuff. I do tons of DV editing on my 1.2Ghz iBook with only the ram upgraded (to 1.25GB). Unless you really need mobile editing, you might do well with a DVX and an external firewire drive just to start out with.

I would say upgrading to FCStudio is well worth it, too (especially if you qualify for any discounts, student or otherwise). The flexibility of the software package will pretty much see you through the whole process of post.

Another note to mention - if your budget is just 6k and you decide you need mobile editing... don't be afraid to get the DVX vs. the HVX. With the right technique you can get it to look nice (not as nice, but still nice).
 
halhiker said:
My budget is around $6K. Since I'm just starting to film and edit, should I get the HVX now and wait to get the laptop or should I get the DVX and upgrade later when I know what I'm doing and maybe have the budget for it?

Hal
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If your planning on going for any of the P2 stuff, then you will need much more than $6k. I recommend that you get a DVX100B, because if you are just starting out, I think the HVX will be very intimdating, dealing with all of the technicalities of HD. Even the DVX100B, is overkill for a beginner, but you will grow into it.

As for the Macbook Pro, ask yourself this: Do I really need mobility for editing? If the answer is No, then I recommend that you stick with your iMac or get a Powermac.
 
Thanks for the thoughts. I've pretty much decided on the DVX for now. I'm doing some outdoor/hiking footage for local TV. If it turns into something more, hopefully I'll have the budget for a HVX or something else later.

Hal
 
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