Is noise objectionable, or is it a non-issue?
 

Hi Tim,

Hoping you can help me out here as you're both an XL2/HD100 owner.

I'm currently using the XL2. I like the camera but it may be time to move to HD. The HD100 looks like an impressive unit to me, especially at its price point. However, what I've heard about its low-light, noise performance worries me, especially coming from an XL2 background (as you will appreciate, the XL2 produces very clean images).

So, after your experience with the XL2, do you find noise in the HD100 objectionable, or is it a non-issue? And how much more sensitive would you say the XL2 is? After switching to the HD100, do you miss anything about the XL2?

Hey, if you find time to answer this I'd really appreciate it (the same goes for anyone else whose familiar with both cameras).

Cheers.

I've had an XL2 also, before buying my HD101. To me it is a non-issue. moveover, it is a delight working with this JVC, and although I loved my XL2, I wouldn't go back to it....

In low-light-conditions, I found my XL2 quite noisy as well - but I'm not shooting a lot in these conditions. In normal conditions with a lot of light, The JVC isn't terrebly noisier then the XL2, and certainly a lot less noisy than a DVX....

Thanks Werner.

I appreciate your response. I had a couple of DVXs and they were a tad noisy, but if the HD100/1 is no worse, or in fact a step up in the noise department, I could live with that.

Thanks.

The thing is, if you want less noise in a HD camera you either need to buy a Varicam or F900 or set for the lower resolution and interlaced only mode of a Z1. It seems the Canon, Panasonic and JVC are pretty much in the same level when it comes to noise.

Are they? I thought the JVC trailed the Panny and Canon in this area. I just wanted to establish what the margin is.

Anyway, I hope the JVC is in the same ballpark as it's definitely the best camera on price-performance.

Josh,

Sorry it took so long for me to respond. I haven't been around for a couple of days.

Anyway, I have never found the noise levels in the HD100 to cause any sort of problem. In fact, I find that it lends a nice "film stock" quality to the image. Of course, I am referring to 0dB. I prefer to increase the gamma instead of gain for extra low-light sensitivity. Gamma increases create a more "filmic" noise than standard video gain.

I love the clean image of the XL2, but sometimes it is so clean that it is a tell-tale sign of video.

Thanks Tim, much appreciated