new camera, 2500 dollar budget, what to get?
 

hey ive had a vx2100 for the past couple years that ive been using and ive been really pleased with it, but im going to start trying wedding video's for my friend who owns a wedding dj business. and im doing alot more filming in general just for fun.
ive been thinking i should really go HD, though id love to go with a DVX, but HD is becoming the standard now and i dont wanna be left behind.

so anyway.. my budget is around 2500, i can go a little more if i need. ive seen some xha1's for around there used. and ive been pleased with the image they produce but i want some more options.

i really dont want a digital look at all, i had to really fight with my vx to get a more film look and it got old.
ill be using it for like i said weddings, but who knows if i will actually stick with it, i might just do a couple to try it out.

other than that i like to film alot of action sports like skateboarding and skiing/snowboarding.
and i usually do a couple short films a year with friends and people from my film class.

so anyone got some reccomendations for me? and what about cheaper camera's with a 35mm adapter?

If you stay with Sony your NPF batteries, chargers, Lanc controllers and so on will carry-over, so you could look at a secondhand Z1 for that money. That would get you into 16:9 and HDV should you want to go that route. Coming from the VX2k1 you'd be up and running with the Z1 in a couple of hours, the FX1 in 20 minutes. The canon XH-A1 is a goodie too, but you'd be going to a whole new system.

I'd forget the 4:3 DVX, but the new HMC150 is worth a very close look - though a bit expensive on your budget.

Cheaper + 35 mm adapter (say the Canon HV30) means you'll have to think twice about the run 'n' gun side of your filming, and as you mention fast sports this may not be for you. Even on a wedding day it's a time-consuming set-up to manipulate.

tom.

I'll just second what Tom said -- if you want to stay within the Sony family you have a lot of choices. All their pro and prosumer cams have roughly the same look, feel and ergonomics.

On your budget you could get a new FX7, which will feel the most familiar to you coming from the VX, or you might even be able to find its big brother the V1 in your price range (B&H has a couple of "demo" units for $2699, but note that starting today they are closed for a week for Passover). If you to a lot of sports you may like the extra tele that these models offer.

Or, as Tom said, a used FX1 or Z1. These go wider if you're shooting indoors. In terms of tele, the FX7/V1 are almost double the focal length of the FX1/Z1. I have both and find I use the FX7s much more for sports, the FX1s for indoors.

Whats being ignored here is the lack of 24p for these options. Many people think 24p would be a major step in getting him to the film look he is seeking. FX1 has Cineframe24, and I have used it. It does occasionally look a bit off, but I have been able to cut around weird motion artifacts.

If 24p is your thing, and you want to use an adapter, you should consider the Canon HV40. Canon also offers 24p in its hard drive and memory card models. These can all be paired with a 35mm adapter for depth of field control for around your $ 2,500 mark. All you would need to add is 35mm lenses. By the way, I suggested HV40 because of tape. Despite the wonders of media cards, and camera hard drives, you still have to put the video in storage somewhere. Tape still is best storage media, and so the little bit of extra time for capture is worth it.

Finally, not knowing what you are shooting, you might want to consider waiting a bit for the Panny Lumix DSLR, or look at the Canon 5D Mark II. These are both SLR that give you image and depth of field characteristics of a real film camera.

With your budget ($2500) ' I would look for a used Canon XH A1. For filmic stuff just look at the work of Dijecta on this forum.
And for the sport stuff , you can use the 1080i and the superb canon long lense (20x) of the XH A1 should cover a lot of your need.

I look at Dijecta's stuff when I want to know how far I have to go.

The A1 is nearly perfect for action sports. I use mine for shooting motor races on a 5/8 mile oval from atop the stands and the long lens is priceless for that. I wish I had an A1s so I could zoom and focus at the same time. However, with the right iris setting, I can cover the entire track without having to refocus. The good news is that if you're shooting something close, the autofocus is stellar.

Agreed - XH-A1 is great!