Shooting a documentary with AJ-SDX900

[John Sharaf]

Mike,

I don’t know but your questions really reveal that you might be in over your head; the lens has little if nothing to di with “film liik”. The real distinction in the lenses is that there are shorter, lighter, wider lenses (11x) which are more consusive to hand held documentary style and then there are longer, heavier lenses (21x) which are more appropriate to tripod use as in theatrical projects. There are further distinctions for “cine” style lenses which offer larger nomenclature for a camera ass’t to see, less breathing and no built in servo motor, as well as longer turning ratio to focus, all of which make the lens more filmlike in operating style.

[Providmike]

I ment the choice between the Canon J17ax.7BWRSD or Fujinon A20x8.6BERM. Which had the best look.

—
Phantazma Pictures
phantazmapictures.com
sweetdreamsmovie.com
—

[Matthew Romanis]

Basically the Canon will be a little wider, but the Fujinon will zoom in a lot further. The difference between the two manufacturers is where they place the aspheric elemenet in the lens, and how this effects chromatic aberation at different focal lengths.
The most important thing to do is get your hands on both and discover the difference for yourself. Most people prefer one or the other from the feel of the lens rather than any technical reasons. I tend to prefer the Fujinon as the zoom servo motor reacts a little quicker on most of the examples I have tested. Other people will have different reasons as to why they would prefer the Canon over the Fujinon. Test them to discover for yourself.

[Daniel Weber]

I believe that both of those lenses are on the lower end of the quality scale. I would consider getting the highest quality glass that you can afford.

You don’t want to put a $4000 lens on a $25000 camera. You will only be cutting the quality of the image that you new camera can produce.

The SDX900 is one of the best SD cameras that you can buy for the money, if you know how to use it and set it up properly.

If you will go with the SDX900 you will love it, though it is a totally different world than the DVX100 that you are used to. Big difference in the use and operation of the cameras.

Dan Weber

[Steve Gibby]

Proudkmike,

If you’re used to a camera the size of the DVX100A, but need increased resolution and 24p for shooting your documentary, have you considered the HVX200, which is reportedly ready to ship before Christmas? If the HVX performs as the specs indicate, and you outfit it with quality accessories, it could be an excellent option for your documentary in 720p24 or 1080p24.

Just a thought…

Steve Gibby
http://www.cut4.tv