HDV pro deck or little camera?

[Shane Ross]

Deck is better. The transport mechanism is designed for the constant playing, fast forwarding and rewinding that capturing requires. Capture enough from your camera, and you’ll wear it out…much faster than a deck would wear out. The camera is designed pretty much for recording.

Shane Ross
Alokut Productions
http://www.lfhd.net

[Steve Wargo]

Take Shane’s advice. Only a fool would use a camera as a tape deck. Also, the levels are usually enhanced on camera output.

Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona

It’s a dry heat!

[Graeme Nattress]

This is not the case for the HDV deck though – it’s a camera without a lens, that’s more expensive than the camera, and just as slow a transport.

Graeme

– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP

[Ming Saadprai]

I see what you’re getting at, but the cost of buying a little camera to use as a deck far outweighs buying a deck as a deck. Do you guys think there’s any difference in quality in capturing from a camera as compared to the deck?

[Graeme Nattress]

Zero quality difference.

Graeme

– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP

[Christopher Wright]

I have used the HC-HR1 cheap Sony HDV camera for both capturing and time-coded dubs for clients for several months now. As Graeme says, there is no difference in quality, and the tape transports are the same in both units. I am actually using the component cable out for full uncompressed 1080i HD capture through an AJA LH card, and skipping the firewire/HDV conundrum altogether. The small cheap camera is the way to go! Save your money for a real HD camera!!

[Christopher Wright]

I mean the HDR-HC1 of course!!

[Frank Nolan]

[Christopher Wright] “I am actually using the component cable out for full uncompressed 1080i HD capture through an AJA LH card, and skipping the firewire/HDV conundrum altogether”

I hate to burst your bubble here but if you’ve captured the footage to tape in the HDV camera, then you have already applied mpeg 2 compression. Going out the component cable from the camera now is not capturing full uncompressed HD into your NLE system. It is still compressed HDV footage now taking up a lot more hard drive space then it needs to. However if you captured straight from the component out of the camera to your NLE system while shooting, then forget about what I just said, you will indeed have uncompressed footage.

[Paul Harb]

I concur, those Sony HDV decks suck,very laggy…even look and feel cheap… buy the camera…….

[Dave Sullivan]

I agree…..the cheaper option would be to buy a second camera, which not only gives you a back-up HDV camera, but also ensures you don’t wear out you main HDV camera.
With regard to quality, it depends which camera you go for as a substitute for a HDV deck.
As we all know the output from a Sony is different to the output from a Canon, or a JVC…..it all boils down to budget.
In an ideal World I would opt for a Sony HDV deck, but they are still far too expensive.

Dave

Good Robot Productions UK