Pro SD vs Consumer HD

[marioman38]

Pro SD vs Consumer HD... I can't decide which to get:

Something along the lines of a Prosumer PDX10 or VX2000

or a Consumer HV20...

Any thoughts as to which is more logical...

(I would be using FCP, and filming Skating, Nature, and Shorts)

 

[banjomamo]

will you ever be submitting your work for broadcast or to film festivals? do you only shoot with natural light? whats kind of look are you after with your shots - something cinematic or editorial?

 

[killr_b]

Even consumer HD takes up a lot more drive space. And more render time, more power needed for simple things, ect.

Don't know what your specs are, but it doesn't sound like HD is required for what you want.

I really enjoyed my VX2000s. And I still have one that gets its share of use.

 

[marioman38]

will you ever be submitting your work for broadcast or to film festivals? do you only shoot with natural light? whats kind of look are you after with your shots - something cinematic or editorial?

Film Festivals- There is a chance I would in the future
Natural Light- Yes, but I wouldn't mind buying a HotShoe Lamp if needed
Cinematic or Editorial- Honestly, I don't know... I'm kind of toying around at the moment....

Maybe you know of (or know a site with) pros and cons of each... I don't neeed HD, but the prices are dropping quick... If I were to buy an SD, I'd probably shoot in 16:9...

Thanks for the help

 

[seany916]

Audio options are what you need to consider along with flexibility in your video capturing. The HV20 rocks as a consumer cam and I love it.

It does not have very many options for customization.

 

[banjomamo]

If you are going to submit to festivals you should shoot HD. Its a real pain to upres your SD to make it look decent on the big screen.

Check out HDforindies.com There was a lot about this topic a year ago.

 

[marioman38]

Great site... Lots of info on 24p on the HV20

Looks like i'll be continuing my research...

 

[LethalWolfe]

Great site... Lots of info on 24p on the HV20

Looks like i'll be continuing my research...

You're asking a very broad question (what's best for shooting nature, and skating, and shorts), w/o providing much info (budget, what other gear do you want and/or already have, what features you are looking for in a camera, etc.,) on a topic that has been discussed many, many times in the past few months (HD vs SD). The more info you can give the more likely people are to help because they have a better idea of what advice to give.


Lethal

 

[marioman38]

I've pretty much narrowed it down to the HV20 and the VX2000/2100...

I guess the choice is HD with limited manual control and SD with much manual control? It's pretty much for personal use (no clients), I'm starting to switch hobbies from film photography. Does SD really look that bad on a 50" TV? (probably the largest it'd be displayed unless i enter a festival.) I've been switching back and forth leaning toward one, then the next day the other.

I like the low light on VX, but heard the 16:9 blows, which i would like to shoot, unless I shoot 4:3 and convert in FCP? Or does that reduce quality a noticable amount?

Thanks for the info...

 

[LethalWolfe]

I've pretty much narrowed it down to the HV20 and the VX2000/2100...

I guess the choice is HD with limited manual control and SD with much manual control? It's pretty much for personal use (no clients), I'm starting to switch hobbies from film photography. Does SD really look that bad on a 50" TV? (probably the largest it'd be displayed unless i enter a festival.) I've been switching back and forth leaning toward one, then the next day the other.

I like the low light on VX, but heard the 16:9 blows, which i would like to shoot, unless I shoot 4:3 and convert in FCP? Or does that reduce quality a noticable amount?

Thanks for the info...

Yes, getting 16x9 on any 4x3 native camera will cost you varying degrees of image quality. Whether or not it's significant is up to you. Ultimately the quality of the footage is determined by the user though. The movie 28 Days Later, November (which won Best Cinematography at Sundance a few years ago), and a number of theatrically released documentaries have been shot on 4x3 MiniDV cameras. The camera itself is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to solid production value and making a movie look, feel, and sound "professional". Lighting and audio equipment (as well as knowing how to effectively use them) are arguably more important than the type of camera you use.

W/all that being said though, the HV20 in combination w/a 35mm adapter (a contraption that allows you to use 35mm lenses w/video cameras) is becoming a big hit for low budget indie productions. But you are looking at $3-4k for a basic setup not including lenses so that might be out of your budget.

I don't shoot any skate/extreme sports so I can't really comment on that. Just a general observation though, the handle on top of the VX2x00 would make that camera easier to handle while on a board, but the HV20 is small enough that you could probably secure it to a helmet or something and get POV shots that you coudn't w/the VX.

I also don't shoot nature stuff, but some general observations are you'd want a wide angle adapter for big, landscape shots and the bigger zoom the better when trying to capture wildlife.

Whatever camera you decide to get keep in mind that you'll need to purchases accessories and extras get the most out of it.



Lethal

 

[Dave00]

The main thing you need to consider is how you're going to present your work. Right now storing and presenting in HD is rather onerous. You need to present from a computer, the camera itself or an HD/Blue Ray disc; and the screen has to be HD. For personal use, or to give to your friends/family, producing in HD will only be worth it in 4-5 years when TV sets are universally HD and presumably HD DVD/BD DVD cost alot less. For now, if you have HD material, most of the time you're going to have to downcode it to a format people can use. You can determine for yourself whether the extra processing power, time, and effort are worth it to produce something few people can use right now. For me, it's not.

 

[Peel]

For now, if you have HD material, most of the time you're going to have to downcode it to a format people can use. You can determine for yourself whether the extra processing power, time, and effort are worth it to produce something few people can use right now. For me, it's not.

Though the HV-20 will allow the OP the option of shooting in either DV or HDV, so he could do day-to-day stuff in DV, and know that he's got the HD capability for when he has the necessary delivery system.

 

[marioman38]

I guess the main "selling point" of the VX is greater manual control. AFAIK the HV20 is quite limited when it comes to this... As lethal pointed out, the handle on the VX would be usefull, i guess a visit to Fry's will be coming near... They should have both cameras i assume. One thing im wondering is battery life. I believe i read on camcorderinfo.com that sony was smoking canon when it comes to battery life (18hrs w/ NP-F970) does the HV20 have any extended (4hrs+) batteries?

Thanks All...

 

[jshbckr]

Last summer, I was in the market for getting a new camera. I wanted something with great image quality that I'd be able to use to produce great projects. I was in this same situation. I opted for a Canon XL2. I could have saved $600 and got a Sony HD camera, but the image quality wouldn't have looked nearly as nice. Not to mention the manual controls on the XL2.

The XL2 has 24p, and 16:9 CCDs. Sure the Sony would have been HD, but that's not the say the image is BETTER, it's just LARGER. It would just have a higher resolution and take up more space.

 

[bkvideography]

if you are going to burn a standard definition dvd when you're done, it's better to shoot in SD than HD because you get a lot of pixelation when you do the conversion from HD to SD.