help wanted

paradax · September 10, 2004

hi,

it's my first post but I'm sure the not last.

my problem is classic.

Our company id decided to work on production so now we are trying to buy a system(camera (+accessories)+vtr+nle+jimmy jib)

our limit is 125.000 euro

but we can't decide which system is a future.

Sony or panasonic

And with this money which system for us please help me

thanks

Vincent Onderwaater · September 10, 2004

I'm absolutely no expert on filmmaking, not even currently active in the industry, but consider the following:

HD as a recording format ís the future. No doubt about that. You can always downconvert later.
Then again, all post houses can work with digi-beta , maybe not with HD (I don't know what country you're in).

But however, I don't think you can get a decent High-def VTR and camera for less than 129.000 ?'s, leave alone the lenses.

Dó think about the SDX-900. It can make great images in SD at a modest price.

Phil Rhodes · September 10, 2004

Hi,

I don't think you can afford HDCAM, but you can probably put together a DVCPRO-HD setup with FCP and a Varicam. Just about.

Phil

Mitch Gross · September 12, 2004

An NLE system is easily upgradeable and relatively cheap. The accessories to it (monitors, memory, tbc, waveform, vectorscope, etc.) all will last for years no matter what you change in the main system. A Jimmy Jib is essentially a big camera accessory that doesn't care what camera you stick on the end, so that will last you forever. Any professional video camera will take the same pro batteries, mattebox, filters, followfocus and other accessories so they are a safe investment. Even the highest quality HD lenses will stand the test of time--the modern glass is expensive but top notch. What will definitely change at an alarming rate will be the camera itself. Don't invest in a camera that you cannot pay off within two years, as it may not be worth bothering with after that time. You may find that the best way to spend your company's budget is to buy everything else and then rent the camera itself on a per-job basis until you find the time is right to buy.

paradax · September 13, 2004

first of all thanks for advice

and first we preferred 2(sdx 900) but then in ankara (in Turkey) we think that if we want to be different to other production companies we must choose Digi-beta or dvcpro HD and now we are trying to decide this subject.

DVCPRO hd is really HD...?
Dİgi beta performance is enough for dvc pro hd

what you prefer?

And for DVCpro hd editing they offer me apple and to transfer data fire wire

ı wonder this configuration performance?

Thanks

Phil Rhodes · September 13, 2004

Hi,

The performance of DVCPRO-HD is not as high as HDCAM, but it is very, very much cheaper to implement, particularly in an Apple based firewire system. It really is HD, I've no idea where people get other views from - it has 200 more lines than any SD format, if you except that odd, practically unknown 800-line monochrome format which preceded SECAM in France.

I'll second Mr. Gross's comments about paying it off within two years, but in your position, I'd be pricing up a Varicam.

Phil