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hi,

 

I have been reading on this board for some time now and what I was wondering is that i see allot of the lower budget music videos and short films beeing shot on the HVX200 and i actually talked to a few dp's here in holland who prefer this camera over for instance a digibeta or XDCAM, even thought the output wil be PAL sd video.

 

Now i'm asking this because I work with XDCAM and digibeta everyday and i think they are easier to work with and beter quality wise, or am i missing something here.

 

greetz,

 

Sander

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There's a bit of a fashion thing with the HVX 200. For a SD delivery the DVW 970 would give nicer pictures. There's a lot of digi being shot, although there are increasing amounts on the HD cameras in Europe. The JVC HDV series does get plugged as well (also progressive) here, as do the other HDV cameras.

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Cost of course is the biggest factor. A $6,000 camera vs. a $34,000 camera, and no proprietary deck costs needed for post.

 

There's a subtle difference between a downconverted HD image and an SD-originated image. The higher pixel count and finer edge enhancement of an HD-originated image will often produce a smoother, sharper, and less "video-like" image after downconversion to SD. In the case of the HVX200 the chips aren't really much better than SD, but after the camera does its internal up-rezzing you end up with something that doesn't look like anything an SD camera can create. Sometimes it's hard to get around the "size" of the detail enhancement of an SD camera, now matter you set the frequency or levels. And turning it off completely leaves the image too soft, compared to an HD camera.

 

Now obviously there are many times when a downconverted HD image and an SD image will be indistinguishable. But many people seem to favor the HVX for its unique "Panasonic look," which some consider more film-like than Sony.

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Now obviously there are many times when a downconverted HD image and an SD image will be indistinguishable. But many people seem to favor the HVX for its unique "Panasonic look," which some consider more film-like than Sony.

 

Panasonic cameras do have their own look as against the Sony and in the end it's subjective choice.

 

I know someone who uses the JVC HD 250, using 16mm lenses on the JVC PL cine adapter and records the HD SDI out as DVPRO HD on a laptop. I suspect that might be more filmic looking than HVX 200. Although, you are getting into something more expensive than a HVX 200 and perhaps beginning to border onto a basic SI 2k Mini recording onto a laptop.

 

There are quite of few options now out there, although the budget at the lower end will always be the restricting factor on your camera choice.

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There are quite of few options now out there, although the budget at the lower end will always be the restricting factor on your camera choice.

 

I'm surprised that the HVX+35mm adapter setup has completely overshadowed the SDX900 for things like music videos. The SDX, with good glass, can create spectacular images with more "sharpness" than the HVX after it's gone through the resolution loss of the adapter. Pixel dimensions of the frame become less relevant when the image resolution isn't there in the first place...

 

And the SDX can be rented cheap with a basic zoom lens; for a little bit more you can get HD lenses and that camera SHINES. Plus, the DVCPRO/PRO50 post is easy to deal with.

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I'm surprised that the HVX+35mm adapter setup has completely overshadowed the SDX900 for things like music videos. The SDX, with good glass, can create spectacular images with more "sharpness" than the HVX after it's gone through the resolution loss of the adapter. Pixel dimensions of the frame become less relevant when the image resolution isn't there in the first place...

 

And the SDX can be rented cheap with a basic zoom lens; for a little bit more you can get HD lenses and that camera SHINES. Plus, the DVCPRO/PRO50 post is easy to deal with.

 

Yes, the SDX900 is great. Plus, there are quite a few looks that you can set up in the camera that would look wonderfully stylish in a music video.

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