Hi, I am a producer/director who with times went from 35mm, to 16mm and eventually to digi Beta as the market changed. I do not know how my "crew" does it but I have delivered to many mainstream TV stations ( and of course for DVD) digi Beta masters shot on digi Beta while making them "think" its super 16 film...By lighting for film, keeping lenses longer, deinterlacing and film filtering in Avid over exposed film grain...I made and delivered like this about 10 films in the last 5 years or so.....and got away with it ;)
Now I am told that HVX ( or other such prosumer camera) even in mini DV tape mode (since I am scared of P2 cards for now), I can do the same and "upconvert" to digi Beta with (almost) the same quality. Some even say as good as digi Beta...
As I am NOT at all technician I do not understand most of what is written here, but I do understand things like: As good, will be crap, better, 80% of digi Beta, a lot better etc...
Any simple info as to which type of camera would be the closest would be much appreciated.