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Replacing my GY-DV700W
I’ve been the contented owner of a GY-DV700 SD DV camcorder for a while now and a marvellous camera it’s turned out to be. 2/3-inch CCD and fitted with a Angenieux T15X8.3 lens, it produces really great images.
I decided last year to buy a Sony XDCAM EX1 in what seems an obvious upgrade path for high-quality tapeless acquisition and the picture quality is excellent. The downside – and this is a major downside for me – is the handheld element of its design when compared to the shoulder-mount design of the DV700. Now I knew that I would have to adapt to a different shooting style and thought this would not be problematic as I shoot mostly on a tripod. Which is where I am finding my framing is beginning to look a little shoddy.
The LCD monitor is very difficult to use in bright sunlight and so one has to revert to the small viewfinder on the back of the camera. And panning or tilting can be a problem when tripod-mounted. Keeping your eye stuck to a peep-hole while panning through 120 degrees seems more challenging than doing the same on my JVC. And off tripod I seem to see a lot of nostrils.
So I am looking for a 1/2-inch 3-ccd or cmos camcorder that can be shoulder-mounted with a conventional viewfinder, Easy! Not for me, though. I shoot with my left eye and sometimes wear headphones. My DV700W has an added adaptor that allows me to shift the vf over just that extra inch or so to accommodate glasses wearers or headphones. So the camera I’m looking for needs to accomodate left-eye shooting with cans.
I’ve owned JVC cameras since the KY1900 (back in the 80’s) and always found the colours more agreeable than the rather clinical Sony alternatives, so my foray into Sony’s XDCAM world was a little feckless and impulsive but I’ll get over that.
So I’m looking for advice. Where better to come. What would you guys recommend?
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2 Replies
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We have been using the jvc 200 and we like it for the viewfinder although it is only 1/3 chips. It shoot decent but I don’t know about flipping the viewfinder to the left. Have you sold your 700 or is it just too used to bother.
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Thanks, Lauren, I am considering the JVC 200 but the 1/3 format makes me a bit hesitant. I’m hoping JVC will bring out something in the larger format that would sit comfortably on the shoulder with an interchangeable lens mount.
My GY700 is in excellent condition and has only recorded about 120 hours in the 3 years I’ve had it. It’s just one of those cameras that only comes out when the situation justifies it.
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