Decided to Get a HD100
 

So after a few weeks of wrestling whith which format to move to (and with appreciation to all the good folks here and at dvxuser) I've decided to just pick up an HD-100 tomorrow and use it for the projects we're shooting through Feb.
While we wait for the format, editing 24p FCP and delivery issues to settle, I've suddenly got a few HD prjects that need to be shot in the coming weeks (and not edited for a while except for the Olympic Center stuff).
So buying a JVC for $5k and using it for six weeks makes a lot of sense. It will make a profit on the first shoot and if I decide that the XDCam is the system then when it's available in a few months just trade up the HD-100 and it's win win...probably just keep the JVC as a 2nd or 3rd HD camera.
The HVX won't be available till well past all of these projects that have to be produced.
In the meantime if the Firestore is a viable way to bypass the nuttiness of P2 cost then I'll pick that up and see how they can match as a two camera setup.
Same for the XL-H1 if that ends up being a great first or second camera.
One good thing is we'll be shooting some nice stuff with the JVC so I'll have some good comparison footage in the coming weeks.
The first is some pre-Olympic stuff...spped skating with Apollo Ono and some colorful action scenes shot at the Olympic Center should put it through it's paces right off.

Wow... great move, Jim. Can't wait to hear your initial first thoughts after using it!

Well the kicker was this last opportunity for promo stuff we've been producing that needs to be shot next week before the US team heads to Torino. I made a commitment to produce all the future work in HD because this stuff gets used over and over through the years (like all the original 25 year old ABC footage I used for last years film on the "Miracle on Ice").

I'll have some footage to post in a week or so and I'll probably shoot 30p so I can work with it in FCP.

Jim, it sounds like you're in exactly the same situation I'm in. I also have an HD shoot this winter, and although I was hoping to get my hands on the Panasonic HVX200, its delays forced me to postpone that purchase and get the HD-100 instead. My project, too, will cover the entire cost of the camera, so it was definitely worth it even if I still plan on getting the HVX later on. But I'm finding the HD-100 more capable than I expected. Slow motion was one of my criteria for the HVX, but even the HD-100 can do slow motion with an external capture card. And I love going back to manual lens control. So far I've been very happy with it.

Cool Earl, I'm anxious to see the colorimetry and latitude versus the Canon...but mostly the overall image quality....how does it look making movies.
Everything so far indicates that the look of the H1 is pretty much exactly the look of the XL2.
I'm pretty confident that aside from resolution, I'll be able to shoot the Xl2 and HD100 side by side and get a quick sense of which look I prefer aesthetically.
I would have done ths same thing and just picked up an HVX if they were actually available for production.
Personally I think they make a nice camera but Panasonic took a bizarre route announcing a camera a year in advance and stringing people along for months on waiting lists...plus honestly I couldn't get my noodle around the concept in 2006 of investing long term in a system where storage costs are like they were back in the early 90's when we were paying $4,000 for 4 gig raid arrays for our Avid and Media 100 systems.
I mean seriously what the hell are they thinking with $3500-$4000 for two 8gig cards?
And I just love the idea of someone having to manage a laptop for each camera setup to keep offloading and rerecording those cards.
Did I mention this was 2006 <g>?
If P2 were even remotely reasonabley priced and you could load the cameras up with no managment BS then it could be a cool tapeless approach, but absurd costs and increased management when you need to be focused on actors and action...well I think a lot of people are going to have second thoughts about P2 until they start making 32 gig cards for $1000 each.
Even then though, the XHDCam is going to arrive about the same time Pana finally gets to shipping these and you're looking at 100 gig reusabe blue ray discs for $30 - practically no more cost than DV.
I'm really starting to look at the HD100 as a tool to deliver in the coming weeks like you and then becoming an additional HD camera with a serious eye towards the XHDCam this spring.
Then again I hope I fall in loe with the JVC look and ergonomics because a 3 camera setup would be ridiculously cheap.
So how are you liking the over all image of the JVC?
What were you shooting with before?
Are you working in 24p?

I'm actually okay with the P2 concept. It isn't too far removed from using 16mm film. The cards are just a replacement for magazines, and hard drives a replacement for raw stock. But I do understand why a lot of people aren't too happy with the concept right now. I wouldn't argue against you.

The only issue I have against the HVX, other than the delay and uncertainty about delivery dates, is the minimal support for P2 in the Windows arena. I think Panasonic needs to be much more pro-active in getting support out there. I use Premiere Pro currently, and wasn't happy to hear P2 is not natively supported in the 2.0 update.

Depending on the project, either a Bolex SBM (16mm), or a Canon GL1. Mostly the Canon in the past few years. I love the little guy, but feel it's time to upgrade. I would've considered the XLH1 because I like Canon's quality, but couldn't afford the higher price. There were a few other fiddly details why I gave it a miss and went for the JVC instead.

(oops..almost missed this question)

I quite like it. I'm finding it very film-like, and especially like the way it handles highlights and a wider latitude over the GL1.

The only two drawbacks I find are the potential for the split-screen effect (which is easy to avoid) and the chromatic abberations in the supplied lens. The latter bothers me more. I do realize I can replace the lens eventually, and probably will, but I can't afford it right now.

That said, even the HVX has some CA. Not as much, but that lens cannot be changed, so one would be stuck with it. Definitely something I keep in the back of my mind.

I'm used to the Aton 16 (not that the camera means much versus the glass and film stock).

How do you like the look of the HD100 on a 720p monitor versus the Bolex?

That's hard to say because the lenses I have for the Bolex aren't great. However, compared to an Arri BL I used on a shoot once, I find the quality very similar to 16mm (more like Super 16). Maybe even a tad sharper, and that's with detail set to "MINIMUM".