sony z1 or wait for dvx200 help please

[Noah Kadner]

It’s the 24p and higher quality HD codec that’s prized in the HVX200. You mention being satisfied with the 60i look of the PD. In that case the Z1 may be up your alley. I’d suggest renting to see what you think especially as the HVX will not be available until later this year. If there’s not an immediate need for HD right this moment it might be wise to sit tight and wait for the HVX hands-on reviews to appear.

Noah

[Vaughan Wood]

Or at least wait for a month to check out the JVC GY-HD100U.

It looks a much more interesting camera than the Z1.

Cheers Vaughan

[Graeme Nattress]

Surely much less interesting?? The HD100 does indeed look best of bunch with regards to HDV shooters, looking better than the Sony IMHO. But the HVX200 is doing everything 720, 1080, i & p, and most importantly for the original poster, a high quality SD DVCpro50 mode, which sounds to me right up their alley.

Graeme

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

[Graeme Nattress]

HVX200 gives choice, p or i, 1080 or 720. And, what could be very useful for you, a DVCpro50 mode for very high quality standard def shooting.

Graeme

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

[Barry Green]

[dave] “Is the P2 dvx200 expected to be supirior as an sd camera to that of the z1?”

The HVX200 should be a substantially superior SD camera than the Sonys, for several reasons. First, it includes DVCPRO50 recording, which gives you 4:2:2 color sampling and much milder compression than DV. If you haven’t seen the differences, check out https://www.eleventy.org/dv-en/. The HVX, when recording in DV50 mode, should provide the finest recorded image possible on a 1/3″ camera.

Second, the HVX will be capable of variable frame rates, something the Sonys can’t match. You can shoot at 60 progressive frames per second (or any frame rate that the camera supports, from 4 to 60) and then downconvert that footage from the P2 card onto the miniDV tape. So for DV projects you’ll have full variable frame rate capability too.

And you’ll get the best chroma keying possible in an under-$10,000 camera, since the HVX will offer full 4:2:2 color sampling in DVCPRO-50 mode (as well as in high-def DVCPRO-HD mode).

Plus, the HVX includes genuine progressive scan in 24p and 30p, in DV and DVCPRO50 modes. If you want the best, most well-rounded, most full-featured standard-def camera, the HVX will be it.

[dave] “Is it expected to hadle motion much better? “
Yes, most definitely, if talking about HD mode. The motion issues arise when recording in MPEG-2 format. The HVX doesn’t use MPEG-2, it uses frame-discrete compression that never suffers motion-related artifacting.

Keeping apples to apples, however, the Sony cameras, when in DV mode, will exhibit identical motion rendition as the HVX would when it records in DV mode, at the same frame rate. DV is DV, and motion rendition would be the same (except, of course, that the HVX would be able to shoot genuine 24p and 30p, plus downconverted 720/60p, as well as 4:2:2 DVCPRO50, which are things the Sony couldn’t).

[dave] “We don’t forsee a lot of hd use in the near 2 year term with the exception of the odd trade show.”

Again, the HVX is ideal, offering SD today and a migration path to HD (through P2, firewire streaming, forthcoming firestore-type devices, and potentially other types of recording). If you do little HD work now, but plan on a lot more of it in a couple of years, you can use the by-far-best-featured SD camera today, and take advantage of plummeting P2 card prices by the time you need HD capability.

The one area where the FX1/Z1 have a commanding advantage over the Panasonic is: they’re available now. The HVX won’t be on the market for another six months or so. If you need something NOW, and you need HD NOW, then the Sonys are the only game in town. But if you’re content with your PD150 for now, and it’ll do the job for you for the next six months, you may be very pleased with the HVX for your purposes — it sounds to me like you’re the ideal candidate for one.

—————–
Get the most from your DVX camera. The DVX Book and DVX DVD are now available at https://www.dvxuser.com/articles/dvxbook/ and at Amazon (https://tinyurl.com/54u4a)

[Brian Deviteri]

Have you read about the two new Sony HDV releases?

HVR-A1U – https://news.sel.sony.com/pressrelease/5925
rumored to cost $3500

HDR-HC1 – https://news.sel.sony.com/pressrelease/5930
rumored to cost $1800-2000

This may be a “cheaper” alternative for a “while you wait” camera if the image quality is on par with the FX1/Z1U. The smaller one is definately nice for a crash cam on a slightly larger budget shoot…

[Dave]

Does DVCpro50 require p2 chips?
We edit with vegas 6, does this present an hd issue?
thanks again

[Noah Kadner]

Yes on the first- or hard drive. On the second- it will not support native DVCPROHD. You’ll need some kind of HD capture card for that. For native DVCPROHD via Firewire you need Avid HD. Or FCP on a Mac.

[Barry Green]

Vegas could edit DVCPRO-50 material if you got the MainConcept DVCPRO-50 codec. I think they charge $349 for it. (or, if anyone else wrote a DVCPRO-50 codec, Vegas could use it).

For importing and exporting to tape, you’d need some sort of capture utility. But with P2 that step is eliminated, so you can just copy the files off the P2 card and edit them directly.

So the answer is basically, yes, Vegas can edit DVCPRO50 — but as things stand now, you need to buy the MainConcept codec in order to be able to do it.

—————–
Get the most from your DVX camera. The DVX Book and DVX DVD are now available at https://www.dvxuser.com/articles/dvxbook/ and at Amazon (https://tinyurl.com/54u4a)

[Accountclosedduetopolicyviolations]

Who will bother with DVCPRO 50 and DVCAM next year.
How many minutes can one record of “true HD” on 2 P2 sticks?(with plastic lens and 1/3″block)??
Pana Camera is an additional gear for big brother Varicam.
It is not practical gear for Weddings,Corporates etc….
jiri vrozina