Switching From Canon HV40 to Panasonic DXV100A
 

18 months ago I started filming shows and video promos for my band using a hand held Flip and an iMac/iMovie/FCE. I've since graduated to some higher end consumer gear... Canon HV40, Rode VideoMic for short export projects to the web. After alot of research and review reading I settled on HDV as a recording format and Canon's HV40 for it's excellent reviews, manual controls and great low light capture. It was a gamble.... I've been burned by purchases before only to find that the camera couldn't function well in low light settings. My research paid off and the HV40 has not only married well with my iMac/iMovie setup but it is pretty easy to use. As a result I've been planning for a while to purchase a 2nd to use as a backup and to take some strain off my primary camera with logging and transferring video. Of course tape is a real pain... and isn't easy to find (I can only buy miniDV tapes online these days).

I was about to order a 2nd HV40 through Canon's refurb department when I spotted a DXV100a for sale locally for $800. It only has 164 hrs on the head and is in excellent condition. I've also spotted an agDVC. Knowing a little about each I'm wondering how they compare to the HV40 and they would be a compliment.

A year ago the DVX was my dream camera until I thought about where I'm shooting (bars/nightclubs) and it's size. The HV40 can shoot SD & HD and the real caveat-native 24p. Not that I would use that for the stuff I shoot. Still it's a nice have for the future.

I might be missing something, but why would you do that? i mean why would you go from HD to SD, compare to HV40 you will get better low light performance from DVX, but it's standard definition camcorder, I know, budget is always first, but for less than $800 you can buy new Panasonic TM700 which will give you far better image quality than DVX100, and if you can stretch your budget a little 2011 consumer camcorders from all major manufacturers will perform better that 3-4 years old prosumer camcorders.

I see all your points... I guess I made mention of the DVX because of the low price and all the accessories thrown in. I'm invested in HDV or miniDV and I've looked at the TM300 but I'm not interested in moving to AVCHD just yet. It's not important for me to film in HD... in fact filming in HD in dark nightclub situations is actually a hinderence. Without abundant stage lighting I'm fighting noise and lighting abstracts while compressing and encoding the video. In fact the reason I chose the Canon HV40 is because it can still switch between SD and HD. So for my purposes HD isn't a neccesary benefit.

I'm thinking against the purchase anyway for the reason I'm on a tight budget and investing in another camera means more accessories and support gear to purchase. I'm more apt to get a second or even third HV40... at least that way I can share lenses, accessories... When I sell I can sell them as a package. Still I'd like to pick up a DVX or DVC down the road to experiment with.

Re: Switching From Canon HV40 to Panasonic DXV100A
 

Grant,

I have to say that I believe that the DVX has much better low light performance than the HV's do.

Re: Switching From Canon HV40 to Panasonic DXV100A
 

Why spend the money?
You've seen the ability of the HV line, right?
Why not get another HV?
The HV 20/30/40 lines are very similar. Just go with a 20 or 30.
Quick search on ebay found an HV30 for $300 and $150. People are going tapeless and dumping these great cameras for nothing. Hell, get 2, a couple cheap mini tripods and you can get multiple static angles along with your manned cam. The only negative is the volume of footage and your lack of multicam editing capability with FCExpress.

I am still impressed with that little camera.