now my turn, TRV950 or VX2000?
 

I need your advice guys... Im strictly recreational, travel etc, I am limited by budget (my wife) and I cant decide if I should go for the newer technology TRV950 with the smaller ccds, not so hot low light performance but larger LCD screen with touch focus and usb streaming, light weight etc... or should I go with the older, heavier Vx2000 with less features but better quality video?

How much of a photographer are you David? When you go shooting stills, are you an 'auto-everything' man or do you like to work in the shutter priority mode so that you can manipulate the speeds and apertures?

I ask because the 950 is the 'auto-everything' equivalent where you're not told the apertre it's shooting at and you've no idea how much ND the camera has applied but by golly, the footage comes out well. The VX2k is for those who appreciate the control offered by a zoom ring, the aperture readout, the choice of NDs, the better low light capability.

Your wife will appreciate the money you've saved though I know you'll need to buy a wide-angle converter straight away - the 950's wide is pathetic. She might use the 950 more than she'd use the VX, and the side screen is streets ahead of the VX's.

It's a difficult one. The good thing is that whichever you buy you'll love - the quality of the results from both is wonderful.

tom.

<<<-- Originally posted by Tom Hardwick : I know you'll need to buy a wide-angle converter straight away - the 950's wide is pathetic -->>>

One nice thing that might not be obvious about the TRV-950 and PDX-10... it uses 37mm filters and adaptor lenses which are significantly cheaper than the VX-2000's 58mm variety.

<<<-- Originally posted by Tom Hardwick : I know you'll need to buy a wide-angle converter straight away - the 950's wide is pathetic -->>>

Which wide-angle converter will you suggest, keeping in mind:
1: the best over-all picture quality
2: the TRV 950’s ability to keep focus through the whole zoom range
3: less barrel distortion
4: price is of minor interest

There are just so many wide-angle converters out there Frode. The best advice I can give you is this: Take your cam town and shoot through as many wide-angle converters as you can find. Talk to the microphones as you do it, saying things such as, "This is the Tokina 0.55x zoom through at max wide and max aperture, now at max tele". Tale the lens off and film it as you turn it over in your hands. Film the box if you like.

Then move on. Screw in another converter and shoot as much as you like. Include doors, window frames, buildings. At home, upload the tape to the timeline and take your time. Look for vignetted corners of the frame, look for linear distortion. make note on the various costs and your thoughts on the multi-coating's effectiveness.

I pull frames into Photoshop and look at the edge definition. I've bought a few wide-angles in my time. Some have been bad, some have been good. Sometimes they're bad and expensive at the same time. But mainly the dearer ones are the better ones.

tom.

When I walk around with my 950 I get sort of a "touristic license" to shoot under circumstances where people would be wary of a more "professional looking" camera. This feature is often overlooked or underestimated. And like Tom said: the footage come out well.
I usually leave the white balance and focus on auto and always set the exposure manually. Works great.

I'm just dying to hear how many 37 mm wide angle converters it is possible to lay one's hands on in Namsos, Norway.

Ah, you've got a good point there. I'm 35 minutes from London, so it's easier for me. If you can get to a Video Forum sort of thing in one of the major cities, that's the very best way to shoot through a lot of converters I find. There will be manufacturers with their stalls and I find they're only too happy to let you use their kit and film.

tom.

Tiffen makes a nice wide in the 37mm size. It's better than their 43mm version. You can always order one from here:

http://www.leoscamera.com
peter@leoscamera.com

Yes, they'll ship it to Norway.

Thank you!
 

Thank you all for your excellent advice, quality issues aside I am leaning away from the Vx2000 for one reason, its size... I have a medium format still film camera that now stays at home in its case when I go travelling just because it is too big to comfotrably fit a day pack and I dont want to lug a hard case everywhere with me.

So now Im going to have a look at the PDX-10 as an option.

Let me know if you seriously think the size of the Vx2000 is not a problem when you are travelling, going fishing etc.

I have both, and they each have their strengths. However I like the fact that I can hike around with the PDX-10 hanging from a strap around my neck and barely notice it's there. You can remove the XLR adaptor and mike to make it even smaller.

I tend to agree about the size and when in "auto" mode I take the tiny Panasonic MX300 rather than the VX. Simply because the camera isn't so good I tend to not care as much. The movies I come home with show it.

tom.