Hi,

I would like to upgrade my trusty old HV30. I have done quite a bit of research and have considered the GH3, Canon HF G30, & Sony HDR-PJ790 as well as older variants of said cameras. I think a camcorder will suit my needs better than the mirror less systems. I'm pretty sure I have settled on the X920 but have a few questions:


I have read some people saying that the image quality of many of the new camcorders isn't actually as good as some of the HDV cameras, such as the HVxx's. Has anyone else heard this, or have any thoughts about that? The 2 main reasons I am upgrading are: (1) I would like to stop using tape, and (2) I feel like the newer cameras such as the X920 are easier to use in full manual than the HVxx cameras. I'm also impressed by the OIS that I've seen in use on the X920. It was a toss up between the X920 & the G30, and I felt like the G30's higher price wasn't justified for what I would be using the camera for, which is mostly lower budget promo / corporate videos.


I have also considered keeping the HV30 and getting a Ninja 2 recorder to use with it, if in fact it would benefit from the recorder. I do a lot of green screen work, and the 4.2.2 Pro Res would be great if I could use it with the HV30. After all of my research, it is still unclear to me whether or not the HDMI output of the HV30 is clean and would provide the 4.2.2 color to the Ninja.


For my ~$1000 budget, I feel like the X920 will do a nice job for me. I realize that I will not get the best results for keying and other PP by using any AVCHD or .mp4 camera, but I am hoping that my next purchase will be a solid step up from the HV30.

I appreciate any advice, or thoughts any of you may have for me.

Thanks!

George

Hi, you will never regret the X920, it is a beautiful camera, 1080/60p @ 28Mbps (50p here in Australia) and it has the brilliance of panasonics OIS and Auto Focus systems.

i currently have a Panasonic HDC- SDT750 that has the very same features, and i had an X920 (pal version) until i dropped it, and rather than have my insurance company replace it, i took a cash payout and am using that to put towards my new camera very soon.

I will of coarse keep the 750 camera, it is far too good to get rid of.

Oh, btw, i use a Rode videomic pro on my camera, the built in mic is hopeless, as are most mics on consumer grade cameras.

As for using a Ninja (i have one) on your new camera, or even your HV30 well bad news there, the Ninja does not support all video cameras, they have, or should have a camera support list on their website, but i bought mine to use with a new AG-AC90 camera that i was going to buy, that fell thru, and i then thought i can use the Ninja with my SDT750 and X920 but it did not work, so i emailed the Ninja people and sadly they told me they will not be adding support for consumer grade camcorders.

I would email them before making any decisions, and do not just take someone elses word for it (not even mine) because sometimes things do change.

Btw, with these consumer camcorders, you would probably not gain much advantage shooting in ProRes anyway, but thats just how i see it.

Anyway, good luck with it.

I would disagree with the comment that Ninja 2 doesn't work with a lot of video cameras. The issues have been pretty much exclusively with DSLR cameras. Early model DSLRs (with video) put out either a non-standard HDMI signal, or a signal with on-screen text overlays. Most newer DSLR cameras work, but may still require certain menu settings and workflow for best results.

As for "video" cameras, which to me means pretty much any consumer or prosumer or even pro model CAMCORDER from Sony, Panasonic, Canon, JVC, they should all work. Exceptions would be that Ninja does not accept 1080p60 or 1080p50 signals. The Canon HV30 mentioned will absolutely work.

If you can connect your camera directly to an HD display via HDMI and the image properly fills the screen and doesn't have overlays (can usually be turned off in menu), then that same HDMI signal ought to work with Ninja.

Thank you

George, you may need to upgrade your editing pc as it may not cope with the new format. Check before taking the plunge.

Canon hfm 506/56, hg10/25/30 all good as well as the Panasonic you mention