Uses of the DVX100
 

I am going to buy a new camera soon, and I was thinking heavily abou the DVX100.

What I'm planning to do with it first is to create a documentary about my father. However, thereafter I'll be using it to make short films and things like that. Once in a while, I'd like to be able to tape a sports event or a play/musical, perhaps a wedding here or there.

Assuming I'd not be able to buy a lot of accessories (like an expensive tripod, a really nice xlr mic, a good lighting kit) immediately, and that I'm planning to do a lot of handheld shooting (which shouldn't be a problem should I invest in steadycam), would I be safe to go with the DVX100 over, say, a PD150?

I'm not very experienced in many of the manual features of the cam, but I've got the passion to learn and the willingness to take the time to get my shots right.

the PD-150 is a great cam from what ive seen, but the DVX just looks so cinelike. when you hook up 24p mode to your S-video and your TV and just play around, you might orgasm. PD-150 is better low light though.

The PD150 actually isn't better in low light, the two cameras are basically identical in low-light performance. If you don't use electronic gain to amplify the signal, the DVX100 will produce a slightly brighter, more accurate picture than the PD150. The only situation the PD150 has any sort of low-light advantage is when using +18db gain, and in that circumstance it appears that the PD150's gain circuitry produces a slightly less noisy image. Even then, the difference is splitting hairs -- some may prefer the slightly brighter, but slightly noisier, DVX100 image, others may prefer the PD150's.

and if u prefer to stay on the lower end of the gain field, u can mess with your master ped and gamma configs...

either way the DVX WILL give alot more flexibility in this situation...

In all honesty, i would rather wait for sonys new toy than go for a PD150 at this time.. its a great camera, no doubt, however age IS showing, and these days for the same money u can get something which will last you a little longer investment wise...
Now i know some people are gona say "ive had my sony for X amount of years, but thats my point... back then when people bought em when they first came out, they were new and flashy etc etc etc same goes with the XL1's i guess...

But
what i mean by a little longer "investment wise " is that as soon as Sony bring out the new replacement for the PD150, resale value on this will decrease coz it is so old...

dont get me wrong the same is gonna happen for the DVX, but not for a couple of years, so at least it has afew years before it becomes redundant by its new brother...

when investing in equipment like this, its always wise to look at the bigger picture...

So essentially, I can't go wrong choosing the DVX100 because I would still be getting good 60i footage (for a documentary or something like that)?

For some reason I was getting the idea that the Pana cam was only suitable for shooting movies that require the Cine-features. Does the 60i on the DVX100 compare well to the PD150's? I can see myself using 60i primarily, until I get the feel for 24p.

I have been told that 30p should not be used for some reason, but that might have been for film transfer. Considering I probably won't be going out to film anytime soon, could 30p be a better alternative to 60i?

60i on the DVX100 is pretty equal to 60i on PD150. 30P only should be avoided for film transfer (and 24p is so much better anyway). However, 30P is a great alternative to 60i. It's the least appreciated feature of the cam.

I leave mine in 30p 90% of the time. I hadn't used anything but 60i previously... so far the only time I've switched the dvx into 60i was when I was on a night boat ride around Chicago... The image was too dark when shooting 30p with 1/30th shutter and full zoom.

So I switched to 60i and gain... I varied the gain as needed, using the minimum required.

The ENTIRE rest of the time, night or day, I use 30p. To me the dvx is a 30p cam with the option of 60i or 24p.

Are there any differences between 60i and 30p when shooting other than the non-interlaced fields? Are there any extra "steps" to take when shooting with 30p (such as having to pan more slowly) other than focusing manually and not using gain?

Don't forget guys that there are many other reasons you should have a DVX then a PD-150. The bottom line is, you should only go with the PD-150 if you want to save a few hundred bucks or are on a tighter budget.

I read up on 3 cameras for 3 months before I bought one. One was the XL1s, the PD-150 and the DVX-100. It was staring me right in the face that the DVX100 was the best way to go.

First of all, the PD-150 doesn't have controls on the handle (Rec & Zoom) like the XL1s and DVX100 do. The PD-150 viewfinder is almost a gimmick it is SO SO small - like looking in a microscope viewfinder. The DVX100 and XL1s have a professional large viewfinder that blows it away.

So now we are down to the XL1s and the DVX100...

Well guess what? The XL1s doesn't have a freaking LCD screen! And no 24p.

So the answer is - DVX100. Until Canon or Sony come out with something better :-)