Does buying XL2 make sense?
 

Hi everyone!

I was just wondering - I'll need a prosumer camera at some point, and XL2 looked like one of the best candidates to me. But, sooner or later canon will release a HD camera.

My question is - does it make sense buying SD cameras, or, does anyone know how much popular HDTV gets?

'Cause I don't want to pay 5 grand just to find out a year later that it's not that much "complient" with current standarts.
Of cours no such rapid changes will occur, but what's the average "lifetime" of a camera like XL2?

The XL2 is a fine camera. But you say you "may" need one "soon". With the rapidly-evolving camcorder industry, it's usually wise to wait until you NEED to buy one... so if you need it now, buy now. But if you can afford to wait, there will always be changes and improvements coming.

As for HDTV popularity, HD has been around for several years now and has penetrated maybe 7% of American homes. It'll grow, certainly, especially as prices drop. But it will take a while for it to become the prevalent video standard, and even longer for standard-def to disappear... many years, likely. As long as DVD remains a viable distribution medium, the XL2 will be a viable production tool.

As for lifespan... that's harder to answer. I mean, consider that DV as a format has only been with us for about 7 years. People used VX1000's for a long, long time, and it was only really obsoleted about five years later when the PD150 came out. So the XL2 will likely not remain "cutting edge" or "first and foremost" for very long, as there will always be something new introduced, but just because something new is out doesn't mean that your camera magically stops working. It'll be a viable and useful tool for years.

That said, wait as long as you can, because things move fast in this industry.

All right, I will wait :). Thanks for advice.
I know that cameras don't stop working when newer models come out, but I'm a kind of guy who always needs the latest gear. But I guess I'll have to deal with my habit in this case.

If you always have to have the latest gear, well, video will be an expensive hobby! :)

Seriously, think about it -- just a few months ago the DVX was the latest thing out. In just the last few months the XL2 arrived, then the FX1. And a couple of months from now the Z1 will be out, and then shortly after that people keep rumoring of new entries from JVC and Panasonic... and Canon's perhaps going to introduce an HDV version of the GL2 maybe...

You can get the latest and the greatest, but it won't stay the latest for very long!

It don't want to leave it as hobby. I want to make living out of it.

So XL2 is actually my only option, as I see it. Because other cameras don't have interchangable lenses and XLR sound. The two things I'll need for good picture and sound.
At least, for this much money.

But as I understand it, to stay "tuned" I need to buy a film camera, and it will stay 'fresh' for a long time. Not for my budget right now though :).

By the way, I have this idea of a website I'm developing right now.

I want to make a website and host a DC (Direct Connect) hub. The website will be a database of indie and amateur films containing descriptions, ratings, discussions, and magnet links to the files on the P2P Direct Connect Network.

So if you want to get feedback aboutyour movie, you connect to the hub, share the movie, and post a link to the database so people can know what the film is about and download it.

What do you think? I think everyone will benefit from this kind of website + there's no need to pay for expensive hosting and bandwidth as people themselves share their own movies, which is also completely legal. You just have to have at least a DSL or ISDN connection so people can download your stuff relatively fast.

I'm coding the website and linking it to the message board right now.

Oh, and one more thing :) (not that I want to increase my post counter). I'm sure people asked this before but, is there some sample footage of XL2 I can download in different modes (60i, 24p etc.)?
Thanks!

I like your idea about the website!
And I think if you do a search here you will find some threads with the name: XL2 footage, also in the Mini35 forum I think.

Good luck!

Thanks! I'll search the forum.
And I'll let everyone know when the project is ready.

Temporary URL is http://at24p.co.nr/.