Fx1000/ax2000
 

Hey y'all...

I'm looking at upgrading my cam, a venerable PD-170, this summer (a few months away), and am looking for your thoughts, pros and cons, on getting an FX1000 HDV or the AVCHD AX2000. Basically the conflict I'm having is tape vs. SD cards.

I was thinking of going the HDSLR route, but I think I'm going to work up to that! I have a T2i coming in the summer, through work, that I can play with.

The cam will be used mainly for short-form narrative work, documentaries, and such. No long-form weddings or recitals. As far as workflow is concerned, I don't have the time constraints that make ingesting tape too much of a problem. I also do like having the tape as a backup, just in case. I deliver via the web and DVD right now, though I have clients that are asking for the Blu-Ray option, hence the jump, finally, to HD(V)! Now, as far as SD cards are concerned, I could back up to my computer and save that way. I know that there is less internal wear-and-tear on a solid state machine vs. a tape based cam. No worries about drop out, either!

So I'm looking for y'alls thoughts to help me make up my mind. It's not urgent now, just more of an academic exercise until the cash becomes available this summer! Thanks!

for what they're worth.....

a. you'll need a pretty umphy pc (and a reliable nle too!) to handle avchd.

b. tapeless is great (i have a mcr1k), but on paying jobs i ALWAYS shoot tape at the same time. if you're not a professional then it probably doesn't matter. if you are, it's a great archival process and lets you sleep well at nights.

c. i think all this hype about dslr video is bullsh-t. true, they make amazing pictures, but from the ergonomics through to abysmal audio (if any!), and the sheer practicality of using one - and i've got a 5d - is so much codswallop....

leslie.