-
HVX-200 vs. DVX-100
-
Hi Jeremy,
while you are right about detail, the same technology (like CCD) doesn’t deliver more latitude in HD or better highlights.
Just one extreme example: At IBC I had the opportunity to watch Ultra HD in 8K (!). While you might have been able to count the hairs on someones head in a wide shot, the highlights on the cheekbones looked as bad as on a cheapo DV videocam. A DVX100 can look better in the right hands than what they presented there as the technology of the future…
Color space is a different thing: Off the CCDs it is always pretty good, but during compression it get’s reduced massively. While DV and HDV reduce it to one fourth of the original (4:2:0), DVCProHD and DV50 reduce it to only half the original (4:2:2), which can be a great advantage in post for color-correction or keying. This is why the advice of using DV50 oder DV when shooting for SD is correct.
One more note: you can’t seriously compare a Cine Alta or Varicam with the cameras we discuss here. Better CCDs, better electronics, better glass.
Regards,
Uli
Author of “DVDs gestalten und produzieren”, a book on professional DVD-authoring in German.
-
[Uli Plank] “the same technology (like CCD) doesn’t deliver more latitude in HD or better highlights.”
Well, Uli, we will have to agree to disagree. At least compared to NTSC, the latitude I get with highlights and color with HD is much better and more forgiving. I can constantly ‘push’ HD more to my liking than I can NTSC.
[Uli Plank] “you can’t seriously compare a Cine Alta or Varicam with the cameras we discuss here. Better CCDs, better electronics, better glass.”
Well, yeah. Better glass alone is a huge factor. Although, we CONSTANTLY use an HVX200 as a B camera (along side SDX and Varicam) and I beg you to tell the difference (really) of a Varicam shot or an HVX200 shot when the sequence is all edited together. I’ll compare them, I’d be silly not to. I’m not saying the HVX is the absolute correct camera end-all-be-all for every shooting situation, but they way we use it there’s nothing better. DO you really mean to tell me you’d take a DVX DV over an HVX HD, or DV50 over DV100? Sorry man, but that’s just goofy.
Jeremy
-
Side by side, DV to DV, the HVX looks better. In 4:3 it can be pretty darn close, but in 16:9 the HVX looks noticeably better.
HVX gets about 1 stop more dynamic range than the DVX as well.
In DV50 there’s no contest, the HVX is noticeably superior.
—————–
Get the most from your DVX camera. The DVX Book and DVX DVD are now available on ebay and at Amazon (https://www.fiftv.com/db) -
I own a HVX200, and I like it. My comments were aiming at the discussion at hand, not at the HVX in general. And, yes, it’s pretty darn good alongside a Varicam.
Regarding latitude: I always find the HVX200 a bit noisy in dark areas, and that’s a factor to consider when discussing latitude.
For sure DV50 is a huge advantage over DV, I never denied that.
Regards,
Uli
Author of “DVDs gestalten und produzieren”, a book on professional DVD-authoring in German.
-
Are the DV50 and DVCPro formats only recordable on this camera to a P2 card?…..or can I actually buy those tapes and record onto those? I can’t figure out if the HVX can record onto tapes other than Mini DV…..in either SD or HD.
-
Hi,
DVCPRO, DVCPRO50 and DVCPRO HD can only be recorded on the P2 card. These formats are based, in the tape domain, Metal Particle tape, which is not available in such a small size. Additionall there are not enough records heads in there for the DVCPRO50 or DVCPRO HD recording.
Hope this helps,
Jan
Jan Crittenden Livingston
Product Manager, DVCPRO, DVCPRO50, AG-DVX100
Panasonic Broadcast & TV Systems -
That helps very much!!! Thank you!
-
Another question…….I have Final Cut Pro 4.5………can I import HD footage through P2 cards into version 4.5?……or do I need version 5?
-
-
But if you decide to go the P2 route I’d suggest upgrading to FCP 5.1.2 right away, since the handling of P2 data has been improved significantly in the latest version.
Regards,
Uli
Author of “DVDs gestalten und produzieren”, a book on professional DVD-authoring in German.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up