We need something new
 

Is it just me or does it seem like the current line up of video cameras is getting kind of old.

DVX100, XL2, Z1, FX1, A1.

It seems like its time to upgrade. Still a GL2?

Maybe I get bored to easy, but I'd like to see something new. GL3, Z1 or FX2 with 24p, a DVX100 with native 16:9.

Hopefully I'll be ready to buy something in a couple of months, but I'm going to wait till I see some kind of upgrade. Most of the camera's I listed are all pretty close to what I want, but the next round of them I hope will get closer.

Yep, it's just you I'm afraid ;-)

Seriously, the DVX is getting a little old as they just add letters behind the model number. You could make a pretty compelling case that the XL2 is the king of the 1/3" widescreen SD DV cameras so it's niche is pretty well carved out IMO.

The FX1 is something like 2 years old? The Z1 is closer to 1 year old I believe. Camcorders haven't been like computers with better models coming out every 6 months. While they may not have all the features everyone wants, the FX1 and Z1 are not "old" yet.

The Sony PDX-10 was just discontinued after 4 years on the market and that seems like a reasonable lifetime. The PD-170 is pretty much like the PD-150 (like the DVX-100a and DVX-100B) so that takes us back around 6 years, and same with the VX-2000 and VX-2100. To me, those models are looking very "old."

I think the HVX-200 is the DVX-100 with native 16:9, isn't it?

And what about the JVC and Canon HDV cameras. After participating in the Texas Shootout, they looked really nice to me. But the other general impression from the shootout was that all the current affordable HD cameras produce pretty impressive images for their cost. Of course it can't hurt to have yet another option, but IMO you could buy any of them today and produce great work for years to come, so I wouldn't let that hold you back.

The HVX200 is a HD camera with a tape transport for SD. For $6,000. I would rather have the DVX100b.

I guess I'll see in a month or two.

yeah, I know how it feels. I have a job coming up this summer and I need to buy whichever camera I choose by June. At this point, I'm so familiar and happy with the XL2 that it will probably be the camera I buy. But I do wish for something more DVX sized with a longer lens and native 16:9. If nothing new is announced in the next couple of weeks, I think the XL2 is the only camera that fullfills my needs (other than size) for a price I'm willing to pay.

Hey Boyd, don't diss the 100B, I'm buying one soon and can't handle buyers remorse before I've even bought ;)

I think Panasonic should have added 16:9 to the DVX100b to give it a real boost and more lease of life. But they did add underscan LCD and EVF which I think is a great feature and being able to sync to other firewire devices is nifty too.

Sure there's not a huge amount there, but the price can't be beat for what it is now.

Aaron

Bob: it sounds like we'll be getting a slew of interesting new camera announcements at NAB next week, but mostly in the $10K+ price range. The main thing I'd hope to see for the rest of us is a Canon "GLH1," but I'm not sure that's going to be particularly newsworthy. What we really need now are good HD DVD authoring tools and a rapid drop in the cost of blue-laser burners and discs...and some customers geeky enough to want to help us pay for all these upgrades.

I'm waiting for the real HD consumer stuff to come out and cheap. Wha---. So I'm cheap. The women get me for free. :-)

In the past, how often has information been leeked on new consumer products coming out at NAB?

Even though its only a week away, i'm searching every website with information on new gear... yea, i'm a dork...

Why not just relax for a few more days and then see what really comes from NAB instead of wasting time reading rumors that are probably wrong anyway? ;-)

Sometimes little tidbits of information can be found before the main event. For example, the JVC GY-HD250 was talked about a few weeks ago and is now making the rounds in the magazines:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=65530

It basically adds 60P recording and studio capabilities to the HD100.

If you want a small DVX or GL size, 16:9, SD/HDV or something, 24P with pro sound hook ups there isn't much out there?

Why is it we only get a few choices? Why is it "there is no one camera that does it all". Maybe they are working on some different camera's as we speak. But in the $3,000 to $5,000 price range there isn't much and why only one or two camera's from big company's like Sony or Panasonic.

Look at Nikon. D50, D70, D200, D2H, D2X. What if they said you can either buy the D50 or the D2X. There are a lot of sales between those two they are losing.