HVX200 killer on the horizon?

Sjur Pollen · July 7, 2006

Hi! I'm currently considering buying the HVX200, and of cours one of the things that holds me back is the fact that technology is developing so fast...

Is there any new camera's released in the somewhat near future that would be in the same price-range as the HVX, but besting it in features/quality?

Michael Nash · July 7, 2006

I don't know too many specifics of camera models coming out, but most manufacturers look for a reasonable period of time for sales to recoup their R&D with new cameras. And since most of these pro-sumer HD cameras are less than a year old, you're only likely to see feature upgrades to the existing models over the next year or two. For example, the JVC HD200/250 is supposed to come out in a couple months.

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/JVC-I...nd-GY-HD250.htm

There is also a new prosumer HD format (ACV) coming out, I'm not sure what cameras will use it though.

http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=33183

Scott Fritzshall · July 8, 2006

I'd kind of recommend against buying a prosumer camera right now for most people, since the market is so volatile. Anything you buy right now will be superceded very quickly, and you may very well be regretting your decision in a year. Have you considered renting? If you rent, you never have to worry about your equipment going obsolete; you can always have the most up-to-date gear, and without the huge investment.

July 8, 2006

Renting can be good, but if you are like me where you are relying on the whims of your friends to get an ambitious project done....you need to own your equipment.

John Mastrogiacomo · July 8, 2006

Renting can be good, but if you are like me where you are relying on the whims of your friends to get an ambitious project done....you need to own your equipment.

When you order new equipment, remember to have it shipped next day FEDEX so you can have the latest and greatest for at least one day! :D :D :D

Scott Fritzshall · July 8, 2006

Renting can be good, but if you are like me where you are relying on the whims of your friends to get an ambitious project done....you need to own your equipment.

Well I certainly can't tell you how to run your own productions, but consider the money you're spending. $6000 gets you the camera. You'll need to pay several thousand more for the memory cards or HDD, last I checked. A tripod with a good head can run another thousand. And don't forget accessories, such as matte box/follow focus. Your package will probably come in close to $10,000. And that obviously doesn't even touch lighting or grip equipment. That's what you're paying for the ability to shoot on the whims of your friends.

There's a link on the side of this page to rent an HVX for $1600/month, that's with just the camera and memory cards. You can add a bunch of accessories for another $300. I have no idea if that's a reliable company or what, but it sounds like a pretty reasonable deal.

I just want to make sure you're really thinking through the economics of this; plenty of people spend thousands to buy the camera and have nothing left for even a tripod, or other essentials. If you've got $10,000 for the camera package, and are comfortable with the idea that it will be outdated in a year or so, then by all means go for it. I don't mean to come across as rude by saying that, but I've heard plenty of stories of people spending thousands on a camera for a project that never even gets finished. If you're going to use it constantly then it may be worth it for you to buy, but with cameras like this one, I think more people need to be thinking about going towards the traditional rental route, and away from the "buying a cheap miniDV camera" paradigm.

Sjur Pollen · July 8, 2006

Thanks for the advice. I'm still unsure though. If I buy the camera, I will also get a tripod and P2 cards/harddisk recorder as well. How important is the mattebox and follow focus? (I sort of come from a television background, and would like to do more narratives/commercials/musicvideos and such. Hence I'm not to formilliar with stuff like matteboxes.)

The reason I'm buing the camera (if I do) is to not having to worry about getting a camera for any kind of job really. As an indie kind of guy (jack of all trades), I will have the oppertunity to experiment with stuff whenever I feel like it. I also do some ENG work, and owning a camera will make me more flexible for the networks that I work for. Oh, and I will have the possibillity to rent the camera out.

I do have access to quite a lot of lighting and grip (dolly, jib, glidecam) from a production company I do a lot of work for (they owe me....), and cameras as well, but only SD, and none of them shoot progressive or 4:2:2, and I would like to do more chroma and compositing stuff.

Any thoughts on my thoughts?

The way I see it, this is a forum for HVX200 owners, and thus you guys must know why you got the camera yourself. Was it worth it?

Douglas Hunter · July 12, 2006

(I sort of come from a television background, and would like to do more narratives/commercials/musicvideos and such. Hence I'm not to formilliar with stuff like matteboxes.)

But if you work in TV I would think that you see on a daily basis that purchasing a camera only makes sense if the cost of rentals per time exceeds the purchase cost of the equipment. Or you have the ability to turn the camera system into a money maker by placing it in a rental pool that is active enough to pay off the camera and beat the devaluation in a reasonable time period.

It seems to me that if you get on the phone with a rental company, tell them how many rentals you want to do over how much time they will work the numbers for you so that its considerably cheaper to rent. At least that's what a good company would do. Even if you can't give them exact numbers having the conversation with them, letting them know you want to become a repeat customer can do a heck of a lot of good.

Scott is right to properly equip a HVX200 with memory, sticks, post support etc. easily costs 10 grand. and if you want to do a great job equipping it think about spending 12 grand or more. A matte box and follow focus are always a great idea but many low budget productions try to do without them. Renting a tripod is always the way to do it. the $1,000 you spend to buy a tripod gets you far less tripod for your money than the $60 you pay to rent a better tripod for a few days.