Sound & Light: PD 150 vs. VX2000?
 

Hello,

I too am looking at purchasing either the PD 150 or the VX2000, and I currently leaning toward the PD 150 as the ability to film in 2 Lux is much more appealing than the 4 Lux capability of the latter, as well as the additional features. I have been researching the two cameras rather extensively, including reading older posts on this forum. A couple quick questions I have:

1. What do people perceive in the sound of the two cameras? I noted that the VX2000 has stereo, where as the PD 150 is mono. Can anyone comment on the sound of one or both of these cameras?

2. As mentioned above, the 2 Lux capability was one advantage I favored, as I tend to be filming in lower light conditions. Can anyone comment on this for one or both of these cameras?

I do not film musical performances or anything of that nature, as it has previously been noted that the PD 150 would not necessarily be the best camera for that purpose. I tend to film more scenary and interview material. Any observations for above inquires that you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to share your other relevant observations with either camera, as I (and probably others too) will find them valuable. It would be interesting to hear why someone else picked one camera over the other.

Thanks in advance!

Mick

Hi Mick,

The VX2000 and PD-150 use identical CCD's, optics etc so the picture quality on both is exactly the same. The minimum lux setting for the VX2k in the user manual is also 2 lux so I don't know where 4 lux came from. I can't really say how much different the audio is, the PD-150 has built in XPR inputs for pro mics whereas the VX2k does not. It all depends on how important this is to you, but the main thing you need to be aware of is the picture is exactly the same and don't let anyone tell you different. :-)

John.

The PD-150 has stereo record capability, just comes with a mono microphone.

Low light performance is identical between the two camcorders.

Where did you get the misconceptions about low-light performance and sound channels?

'Interviews' mean many things to people. do you mean ad-hoc work with friends or a for-pay taping? If for-pay, then the XLR connections and the ability to power microphones at 48 volts can make a difference.

Follow up ...

One of the websites that I looked at had some misinformation, including a citing that the VX2000 specifications were 4 lux minimum illumination. Today I looked at some other sites and noted that 2 lux minimum illumination is indeed correct.

I have to confess to enjoying the "ad-hoc" interviews with friends and general scenic filming, but I am also doing some research-based material with a camera, mostly interview. The interviews are research-based for ongoing Alzheimer's caregiving project that a colleague and I are working on. The interviews will be of health care professionals, care givers, and family members of Alzheimer patients. The interviews will be edited and compiled for use by university medical students as a means of education. Sadly, funding by the university has been cut amid an already tight budget. Obviously the quality of 8mm and Hi8mm is too low, and frequently renting a Betacam and using the editing facilities proved to costly. In the end, the purchase of one of these cameras will be for both personal and professional use.

I would like to thank you guys for your corrections and observations posted thus far! Thank you very much for your time!

Mick

The PD150 comes with a few more pro features that maybe you do not need. The savings you would get by purchasing a VX2K would pay for a number of accessories, like a good tripod or a wireless mic.

As far as audio goes, a good mic goes a long way. The PD150's advantage here is that it already comes XLR ready giving you the option of using a wide array of pro mics.

That said, there are after market boxes that mount on the VX2K giving it XLR capabilities too. Most of these cost around $250.

Either cam is going to be a good choice. Best advice is TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!!!

Nathan Gifford