Hi - From Maine - USA
 

Hi All,

I'm new to DV Forums but have been into audio & Video for a while now and are shopping for a new camcorder right now and can't make my mind up if
I want to get a HD one.

Thanks and hope to hear from all of you soon !

Scott

Hi Scott, welcome aboard DV Info Net, good to have you with us!

Hi, Scott, from just across the border and welcome to DVinfo. You're gonna like it here.

I started using HDV cameras about a year ago and can't imagine ever going back to SD. After working with a Sony HC1 and FX1, I just recently started using the Canon XHA1. I highly recommend it.

I shoot mainly weddings. What kind of video work are you doing?

Is that you Scott, or is this me?

I'm also in Maine (central), also pretty new to these boards, also shopping for new camcorder and can't decide. I'm leaning toward the XH-A1 that Stephen speaks well of.

I have a local access TV show but hoping to take it to the web, as well as start a documentary idea of mine. Good to hear that there are other filmmakers in Maine.

Sd - Hd ?
 

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for your reply, I'm just getting into video after being in to Nikon
Photograply since the 80's.

I want to do outdoor sports and and landscape video - I have been looking at the XL2 Canon line.

But I'm open to any brand I have a lot of Sony equipment and if HD is the way to go I'm open to that with Sony HC1 and FX1.

Is the MINI DV format the way to go ?

I have a budget of 3k to 5k for the Camcorder - Any views that you could give me would be thankfull.

Thanks All for your input !

Scott Comeau

Scott,

I hope you're not one of those wedding photographers that's always getting in my way and getting paid twice as much as me to do it! :-)

But seriously, I would consider anything SD as just about obsolete. Sales of HDTV's are ramping up and anyone who gets used to an HD picture can't hardly stand to look at an SD one anymore.

I would almost consider the HC1 and the FX1 obsolete as well. I suppose "obsolete" is a little too strong. It's more like: There are better things out there now.

The HC1 is a consumer cam that should have a sticker on it reading "for outdoor use only" because it is horrible indoors in low light. It's manual controls are hard to access and when it auto mode it oversaturates, overexposes, and sometimes does weird things with the color red.

A year ago when I bought my FX1 it was "the best video camera--for the money." Now, a year later, I feel the Canon XHA1 deserves that title. For about the same money, the Canon makes the Sony look like a toy. Not just in looks, but in what it can do.

As far as the MiniDV format goes, HDV is actually defined as being recorded onto MiniDV tape. So any of the current HD prosumer cams in your 3-5k price range will use MiniDV. If you want to move beyond that the price increases considerably. HDV won't be around forever, but for now it's a pretty good compromise--high definition video recording at a reasonable price.

So that's my two cents.

Steve

Sony HD Cams?
 

Hi Steve,

Now that I'm going with the HD camcorder I just have to decide on the Canon or the Sony models.

I like Canon models a lot but I like the large LCD screen 3.5 on the Sony models.

What do you think of the Sony HDR-FX7 & HDR-FX1 models ?

And what about changing lens ? should this be on my must have list for a HD camcorder or will a fixed lens be ok.

What do you think of the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens vers the Canon Lens ?

And what about the weight of the camcorders I have to look at the specs and see if the Canon or Sony weight more or does this matter alot?

Thanks For all your help and input!

Scott

To answer your question, read my own quote from this thread:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...233#post670233

Quote:

"Sorry guys...
...but I have to side with Paulo on this one. For just a little more money, The Canon A1 is a much better camera. It will do everything the FX1 will and more. It is much newer technology than the Sony. It's lens is just as wide as the FX1, but goes much further on the tele end. It has built-in XLR. It is much more customizable and professional.

I, too, was once nervous about the smaller LCD, but not after using it. The A1's screen is very sharp, the peaking function seems much better than the FX1's, and the autofocus works much better.

About the only thing I miss from the Sony is the nifty little lens cover thingy!

I have never used the DVX100's so I can't comment on them other than to say that SD's days are numbered."

End quote.

"FX1" is short for "Sony HDR-FX1"--just in case you didn't know. I've never used the HDR-FX7, but from what I've read, it doesn't handle low-light situations as well as the FX1. And low-light performance is very important for wedding receptions. Another drawback to a smaller camera is that there's less space for manual controls. And I've just found that the bigger the camera, the more respect you get at weddings and events--people are more likely to get out of your way! The 20x zoom on the FX7 is nice, but that brings us right back to the Canon XHA1, which has a ton of additional features.

The least expensive HD camera with interchangeable lenses is the Canon XL-H1, which is $9,000! The range of a fixed lens can be extended with the use of wide-angle and telephoto adaptors which "only" cost a few hundred dollars.

From what I've read, the Canon lenses are supposed to be better than the Zeiss, but they're both pretty decent. I just assumed the Canon took better pictures because of the electronics, but maybe the lens does make a difference.

The Canon A1 weighs about the same as the FX1 but is surprisingly smaller. The FX7 is noticeably smaller and I believe about a pound lighter. Once you load up a cam with mics, lights, big batteries, etc. one more pound doesn't matter much. If you're on a tripod it won't matter at all. I actually prefer a heavier camera because the extra inertia can help smooth out some bumps.

You can do a search on any of these cams in DVinfo and get a lot more (and probably better) opinions than mine. That's what I did.

Scott, what camera did you end up getting, may I ask? If you did get one, that is, of course. I just got my Canon XH-A1 and it's impressive. There's going to be some learning, that's absolutely certain. After a couple days I've decided to order the Vasst tutorial of the camera. It seems to be a solid camera and it looks nice, too, I must say.