XL2 vs. "HD"
 

sorry for yet another post about comparing a camera and a which one to buy thread...
but im really at the point of being stuck.

for the past while i have had my eyes set on an XL2. i currently shoot an XL1 and its time for an upgrade.

the camera will be used to film an indy "low budget" feature as well as every day filming.

24P and 16:9 are two things that i know i want on a camera.

basically my question is this.

is an XL2 the smart way to go or for a comparable price point is it alot smarter to go with something HD.

i am planning to buy a 35mm adapter to go along with the set of nikon lenses i already have if that helps to influence which camera i should be looking at

thanks again for anyone who can help out

MEKHAEL

what is your target distribution method? If not film or Blu-RAY HD dvd kinda thing, then HD isn't necessary, just cool.

You're overlooking the broadcast doco markets such as PBS, Discovery, etc. Nowadays they too prefer HD to SD - whether HDV is adequate might be another issue.

Buy a Canon XH A1: it's a bit less or equal as expensive as an XL2 and shoots in HDV, 24p,...

I like the XL cameras, I shoot with an XL1s, and the XL2 is a good camera, but the extra detail in HD is very handy for filmmaking.
Results will be better then from an XL2.

Of course you loose the interchangible lens system and the ergonomics of an XL-camera (which is, to my opinion pretty handy, with much buttons for every feature).

Good point, thank you. I don't have any HD in my house, so I constantly overlook it as just cooler than whale snot, but not technically useful for my distro chain or possible viewing in my house. All the TV we watch is NTSC.

thanks for the answeres from everyone
as far as dist. goes the final plan was just to be done on normal DVD's there were no plans to venture into blue ray and that sort of thing.

i guess where my question really stands is...

i have my skript screen plays and so on all written out. actors and locations are all chosen. and really the project is ready to start.
my gut feeling tells me that i have come up with something good that many people "should" find interesting to watch.

when all is said and done and ready to be shown to the general public. is having a good SD camera "XL2" or an HD camera such as XHA1 or sony Z1U, panasonic P2, JVC HD 100 or anything along those lines. is it really going to make enough difference for people to see it...

i only get to shoot this project once its going to take me a good year to complete it and i only want to buy one camera. just trying to make the best possible desicion before hand

thanks again to all who respond it really does help

MEKHAEL

If you've got the money go HD for sure. HD isn't going away and could possibly become the standard to which video needs to measure up to, so if you are planning on using the camcorder more than just for your one movie, and have the extra bit to get it, go for the newest HD camcorder out there. I wouldn't go with the Canon XL H1, but I hear good things about the Panasonic AGHVX200. Price will probably look like what Canon's xl2 is too, and this camcorder is two years newer.

Just my say, and I'm a bit inexperienced! But it's what I'd do.

hey kyle thanks for the reply and if im not mistaken your just down the street from me im in north van.

well it apears ive found a JVC HD100. for not a whole lot more than what i was going to pay for an XL2.

everything i read about the hd100 leaves me pretty excited to get my hands on it.

thanks to those who replyd.

if anyones got any last minute advice on my choice please chime in now

MEKHAEL

Just remember that if you are buying the JVC you need to budget for better batteries as the stock battery is pretty poor

hey paul thanks for the tip
the seller has a couple anton bauer batteries included in the deal.

anyone else have any last minute insight before i buy ??

thanks

MEKHAEL

you won't be dissapointed I've had one for over a year and imo it has the best film look out there. Also true 24p as opposed to some of the work arounds by other manufacturers. Happy shooting.

Greg

Great choice with the HD100 especially the Anton Bauer batteries. You won't be compromising with anything regardless of your future distribution (35mm, SD-DVD, blue-ray, windows/quicktime, etc). The filmlike texture and the true progressive chips of the HD100 are to die for.

I tested the JVC GY-250 (big brother to the 100) and have ruled it out because of these factors.
Only shoots 720p
Viewfinder is terrible
Battery life is very short
Camera is noisy. (200-250 model only I believe)
Stock lens is poor quality
No stabilizer

These things may not be a factor for you but for
me they make it hard to justify the price.

As I only shoot for television I think the XL-H1
might be the way to go for me. It has issues of it's own
but so far seems to be best of the bunch.

Sean, it's true that the XLH1 has crisper images than an HD250 outfitted with the stock lens. And it's definitely fair to compare them together as they are both approaching $9000 US-$10k. I'd pick an XLH1 at this price range.

However, used HD100s are going for $3500-$4200 right now and I'd say the HD100 has at least 95% of the image quality of the XLH1. And the XLH1 only wins at landscape type shots. For medium to close-up shots, they are close to dead even (HD100's 720 upscaled to 1080 or XLH1's 24f downscaled to 720p).

If filmlook for a low budget feature is what Mekhael is after, it's hard to go wrong with a true progressive 24p HD camera.

Then again as you said, the XLH1 has OIS, better battery life and batteries are cheap and plentiful, very clean and crisp image, good lens, etc. If it boils down to $$ for an indie feature, it's clear which one has the best bang for the buck.

More pluses for both:

XLH1 - Great 6X Zoom wide angle lens available for under 3k, HD-SDI,
HD100 - Great form factor, focus assist, decent 17x lens for $3.5k, lots of cool accessories.

Both can be outfitted with good lens 35mm adapters.

You have to keep in mind that the GY-HD100 been replaced with the GY-HD110 so you may be better off with HD110 even if you do pay several hundred dollars more. That’s nothing compared to the HD250 where you would have to pay around double.