My own Production company!

[Reem]

Hi all,

Well, I am starting my own mini production company that deals with shooting documentaries for several organisations and covering engagement parties, etc.

I already bought all the necessary equipment for the post production - (Final Cut studio, dual monitors, lacie drive, DSR11, Professional speakers, LMD- Monitor) and it is working very well.

But now, I need to buy professional production equipmet. I am thinking of buying the Sony HDV CAM Z1, with a tripod and audio neck mikes..!! I am heading towards HDV as I believe that is the future of all cameras..

The HDV CAM Z1 is not a cheap camera and therefore I want to make sure it is the right decision..

I am waiting to hear your comments and advice on which camera should I buy?

 

[evil_santa]

Speaking as an Editor a decent Tripod, some light & good sound, always helps the editing process. If you are doing a lot of interviews, get some one to help you with the sound, so they can monitor it through headphones as it recording. Editing interviews with poor sound really sucks!

 

[bigbossbmb]

dude, if you have that much saved for a camera already, then save a couple hundred more for the Panasonic HVX...Hi-Def is the future, but HDV is not. If you want an HDV cam, then go with the new Canon XH-A1 comparable to the Z1 and is less expensive.

 

[SRSound]

I'm gonna go ahead and say you should save a bit more and go for the RED ONE camera (if you want to get a head start on future technology)

 

[bigbossbmb]

RED one is definitely the cream of the crop...but for the $5k price range, the HVX is undisputed king of quality. Some people gripe about P2, but if you are doing a lot of set-up shots (as you described) then you shouldn't have a problem shooting tethered to a computer if you don't want to use P2.

 

[yoak]

I don´t think the HVX is the right camera for you. You can only record HD quality on to the P2 cards and they are expensive and only takes 8 minuts each. I think the Sony or Canon would suite your needs better. Personaly I would get the JVC 100 camera, but that has a (semi) pro lens with no auto-focus, so you have to learn how to use it before you charge anyone.

From the sound of your experience level, I say go for the Sony or Canon. Then maybe upgrade later.

Also get some lights (or rent them) and proper mics.

PS The RED camera does not come with lenses, it targeted at a quite different segment. A lot of people dosen´t seem to understand this. (Not saying the previous poster think so)

EDIT: As of the moment you don´t have any way of distributing the HD material, and for a long time most of your clients won´t have the neccesary equipement for viewing HD images even when you can provide a HD DVD for them

 

[-DH]

>> I am heading towards HDV as I believe that is the future of all cameras<<

I'm with bigbossbmb on this; HDV won't be the future of all cameras, let alone HD production. I'm predicting a relatively short life span for HDV.

-DH

 

[spicyapple]

The HDV CAM Z1 is not a cheap camera and therefore I want to make sure it is the right decision..

The Z1 is a nice camera, NTSC and PAL switchable, so you can use it in a variety of situations, including creating true 24P film-like content if you know the process of slowing down footage/pitching audio. It's a great workhorse with XLR inputs, manual audio, decent lens, etc. HDV is sticking around for a LONG time, despite what some have said here.

The HVX is good, but the sensor resolution itself is pretty awful and has a tremendous amount of noise in the blue channels. Plus, you need expensive P2 cards, not likely to be cheap enough by the time the next gen HD camcorders roll around.

I would look into the Sony V1 and the Canon G1/A1 series of camcorders. I've seen some of the footage from these new breeds and they look fantastic. The Z1 is 2-3 years old, already.

 

[LethalWolfe]

RED one is definitely the cream of the crop...but for the $5k price range, the HVX is undisputed king of quality. Some people gripe about P2, but if you are doing a lot of set-up shots (as you described) then you shouldn't have a problem shooting tethered to a computer if you don't want to use P2.

But, as has been mentioned, the HVX+P2 cards or Firestore lifts it out of that $5k range and shooting doc's and events means lots of run 'n gun which isn't conducive to being tethered to a laptop. For uncontrollable ligthing situations the HVX has an advantage in that it is faster (can shoot better in lower light) than cameras like the Z1U, but that's an empty advantage if you are on long days of continuous shooting.

>> I am heading towards HDV as I believe that is the future of all cameras<<

I'm with bigbossbmb on this; HDV won't be the future of all cameras, let alone HD production. I'm predicting a relatively short life span for HDV.

-DH

I agree w/your agreement. Once the tapeless workflow matures a bit more and storage gets bigger and cheaper HDVs biggest advantage will be negated.

The HVX is good, but the sensor resolution itself is pretty awful and has a tremendous amount of noise in the blue channels. Plus, you need expensive P2 cards, not likely to be cheap enough by the time the next gen HD camcorders roll around.

But sensor rez is just part of the equation. The HVX makes very good use of pixel shifting. There was a pretty thorough comparison done between the HD100, HVX200, Z1U, and XLH1 and all the camera's images, overall, came out pretty comparable (if you dig thru dvxuser.com, dvinfo.net, or hdforindies.com you should be able to find it). Each camera had pro's and con's but no camera uniformly performed better than another. Now, in these tests the cameras we fed straight into computers so it's basically a test of the camera head as the compression schemes (DVCPRO HD or HDV) didn't factor in.


Lethal

 

[Reem]

Production stuff..!!

12-10-2006 03:38 PM
evil_santa Speaking as an Editor a decent Tripod, some light & good sound, always helps the editing process. If you are doing a lot of interviews, get some one to help you with the sound, so they can monitor it through headphones as it recording. Editing interviews with poor sound really sucks!

>>>Yes- I totally agree with you because I have worked on some great docs but had very poor audio which ruined the whole thing!! So, yes I am defintelty getting a tripod and the professional neck mics.

bigbossbmb dude, if you have that much saved for a camera already, then save a couple hundred more for the Panasonic HVX...Hi-Def is the future, but HDV is not. If you want an HDV cam, then go with the new Canon XH-A1 comparable to the Z1 and is less expensive.

>>> Well, there is one problem though. Since I dont have an HD player or an HD monitor, so that's why I am going towards the Z1 as I can record both dvcam and HD. I am planning to use dvcam for a while, then sell the DRS 11 and the monitor to get the HD format. But not for the mean time as I think it is too early and I will loose as well !!

ThanksSss GuyzzZz so much for all your valuable replies... It is really been very difficult for me to decide as I feel I am between DVCAM and the HD revolution..
It is a tough decision .. but I am weighing more towards Sony products.. Though.. I may look at the Canon A series..and the Panasonic..!! The probelm is that It is taking Such a LoOong time to decide ..and I really Really want it ASAP LooOOoL

Merci again guys....