Grant Kikkert
February 8th, 2011, 01:13 AM
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 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.