DVX100a now or HVX200 later?

David Beier · October 13, 2005

I had plans recently to purchase a DVX100a as I've worked with it many times before, shot some fairly pretty stuff, and feel I know the camera well. Now, it seems there is a new model coming out called the HVX200 which will still be in the $5000 range and I'm wondering if it's worth waiting.

So, assuming that I'm a five-year-old who understands very little about cameras, what exactly are the key differences between the two cameras and what do they mean for someone one a limited budget? Also, how does the HVX200 compare to the Cannon XL2?

Joshua Provost · October 13, 2005

David,

The obvious is that the HVX200 shoots HD and the DVX100A SD. You'll have to consider what your workflow will be like, since you need to use P2 memory cards for shooting HD.

HVX200 also has some cool features, enabled by the memory cards, such as variable frame rates. It shoots a lot of HD formats, and can record to miniDV tapes for SD. Perhaps you can pick up an HVX200, and shoot SD, until the HD workflow works itself out?

Otherwise, it looks like Panasonic has done a good job of making the HVX200 very familiar in operation to anyone who has used the DVX100 series.

Josh

Delorme Jean-Marie · October 23, 2005

an other advantage for the new panasonic if you work sd it's with an hd chip and it does hd in progressive.

it only alows 3 chips of 8 mn each that you can download on a dedicated item.

Josh Bass · October 23, 2005

NOT within the 5000 range. . .I believe it starts at $6000, and you still need some way to store your HD footage, either a hard drive system or the P2 cards. Either way, your cost is going up.