720p Camera recommendations

Robert M Wright · March 4th, 2006, 11:13 PM

IMHO, the Sony's would generally be the HDV cam of choice for run and gun, but that wouldn't necessarily be the case for all run and gun purposes.

For sporting events an HD100U (or HVX200, even though not an HDV cam) could be preferable, since progressive frames can be superior to interlaced frames, for viewing stop action or slow motion footage, in scenes with fast movement.

Interlaced video can be deinterlaced, but there will be a degradation in resolution (that's not exactly entirely true in all cases, but that would be a whole different subject).

Xavier Etown · March 5th, 2006, 12:44 AM

Personally, I'd go with the Sony just because of all the traveling and portability required. I've seen de-interlaced videos from it and they look filmic, but of course, those were in mostly controlled environments.

But you should go to EVS. It's not far from your area and get a real feel for these cameras. Ask lots of questions, too. And you'll probably make a better purchase decision.

Robert M Wright · March 5th, 2006, 01:14 AM

I did a quick test the other night that satisfied me that shooting 60i with my FX1, and deinterlacing in post, can easily produce 30p footage that pretty much blows away anything an SD camera can do, in general.

Xavier Etown · March 5th, 2006, 04:02 AM

OK, Robert, you keep teasing us about your footage. Please share, man.

Reed Shea · March 5th, 2006, 10:50 PM

Thank you all for your helpful replies. Robert, no offense taken, I can definately see how my question would give the impression that I have no idea what I'm talking about. While I have nothing near the knowledge of many people on this message board, I have been shooting DV for a few years. I'm a student, and use a Sony VX2000 and a Canon GL2 (both owned by the school). I use Premiere Pro to edit.

I went into a camera shop yesterday, and was able to use several of the cameras. They had a XL-H1 and a Sony FX1. I hope I can get the money together to get the Canon, because it's an excellent camera. The guy I talked to at Samy's (the camera shop here in Santa Barbara) said that the image control on the Canon is light-years ahead of the options available on the Sony (FX1 and Z1). That is of much importance to me, primarily because I plan to use this camera for future films. I didn't get a chance to do too much with the cameras, other than walk around the store, but the shoulder mount of the Canon seems like it will be much more stable and less tiring than the Sony.

At the moment, my plan for post is not set. I will most likely edit in PPro or FCP. I plan to make a DVD of this documentary, retaining the original HDV tapes and master tape for the future, when it will be more affordable to output to HD-DVD/Blu-Ray/whatever. I don't plan on a very large distribution of this documentary, unless it turns out to be good enough to warrant entry into film festivals or some other distribution. While it may seem like I am putting a lot of money into a camera for a small project, I plan on using this camera for a long time to come - again, I am a student and plan to shoot future films in HD.

Please let me know if this sounds like a reasonable plan, or if I've made some incorrect assumptions and will be screwed when it comes to editing and producing DVDs and HD-DVDs.

Thanks again for your help.

-Reed

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March 4th, 2006, 11:13 PM	#16
Robert M Wright Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota (USA) Posts: 2,171	IMHO, the Sony's would generally be the HDV cam of choice for run and gun, but that wouldn't necessarily be the case for all run and gun purposes. For sporting events an HD100U (or HVX200, even though not an HDV cam) could be preferable, since progressive frames can be superior to interlaced frames, for viewing stop action or slow motion footage, in scenes with fast movement. Interlaced video can be deinterlaced, but there will be a degradation in resolution (that's not exactly entirely true in all cases, but that would be a whole different subject).

March 5th, 2006, 12:44 AM	#17
Xavier Etown Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 71	Personally, I'd go with the Sony just because of all the traveling and portability required. I've seen de-interlaced videos from it and they look filmic, but of course, those were in mostly controlled environments. But you should go to EVS. It's not far from your area and get a real feel for these cameras. Ask lots of questions, too. And you'll probably make a better purchase decision.

March 5th, 2006, 01:14 AM	#18
Robert M Wright Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota (USA) Posts: 2,171	I did a quick test the other night that satisfied me that shooting 60i with my FX1, and deinterlacing in post, can easily produce 30p footage that pretty much blows away anything an SD camera can do, in general.

March 5th, 2006, 04:02 AM	#19
Xavier Etown Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 71	OK, Robert, you keep teasing us about your footage. Please share, man.

March 5th, 2006, 10:50 PM	#20
Reed Shea New Boot Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: n/a, n/a Posts: 11	Thank you all for your helpful replies. Robert, no offense taken, I can definately see how my question would give the impression that I have no idea what I'm talking about. While I have nothing near the knowledge of many people on this message board, I have been shooting DV for a few years. I'm a student, and use a Sony VX2000 and a Canon GL2 (both owned by the school). I use Premiere Pro to edit. I went into a camera shop yesterday, and was able to use several of the cameras. They had a XL-H1 and a Sony FX1. I hope I can get the money together to get the Canon, because it's an excellent camera. The guy I talked to at Samy's (the camera shop here in Santa Barbara) said that the image control on the Canon is light-years ahead of the options available on the Sony (FX1 and Z1). That is of much importance to me, primarily because I plan to use this camera for future films. I didn't get a chance to do too much with the cameras, other than walk around the store, but the shoulder mount of the Canon seems like it will be much more stable and less tiring than the Sony. At the moment, my plan for post is not set. I will most likely edit in PPro or FCP. I plan to make a DVD of this documentary, retaining the original HDV tapes and master tape for the future, when it will be more affordable to output to HD-DVD/Blu-Ray/whatever. I don't plan on a very large distribution of this documentary, unless it turns out to be good enough to warrant entry into film festivals or some other distribution. While it may seem like I am putting a lot of money into a camera for a small project, I plan on using this camera for a long time to come - again, I am a student and plan to shoot future films in HD. Please let me know if this sounds like a reasonable plan, or if I've made some incorrect assumptions and will be screwed when it comes to editing and producing DVDs and HD-DVDs. Thanks again for your help. -Reed