Am I foolish for not going HD with my new camcorder purchase?

June 25, 2008 10:44 AM

Am I foolish for not going HD with my new camcorder purchase?

I'm about to upgrade my camcorder. I have been using a Panasonic AGDVX100A for a few years with great success. I love the DVX and was thinking of going with the newest "B." But am I foolish for not going HD? How much new equipment would I need? Is the creation of HD DVDs, particularly using FinalCut Pro and associated programs, an easier process than a couple years back? What am I not considering?

I've searched the archives but it appears it's been at least a year since the last discussion on HD camcorders.

Any input is welcome. Oh, and uses are anything from basic video production for events to indie film making, both documentary and otherwise. Thank you!

posted by Roach to technology (6 comments total)

You can always down sample...
posted by zeoslap at 11:13 AM on June 25

Define foolish.
Personally, I don't think the dvx100b is worth the price, as fine of a camera as it is, because it is just standard def. And there isn't a problem with HD DVDs because you could always export to a standard def DVD if you needed to. The big problem with high def, so far for me, is the storage issue. The files are significantly bigger to work with and storage hasn't completely caught up. If you're going to go with tape, you have to protect the tape like with minidv; if you're going to go solid state, you have to figure out the storage and backup solution.
posted by history is a weapon at 11:21 AM on June 25

I own the DVX100b and I guess my thought is that although I love the camera, I can't really see the big advantage to upgrading to that from the A. I couldn't afford to go HD, but if you were going to upgrade, I would think that it might be worth your while to upgrade to the HVX (assuming you stay with Panasonic). I mean, if you're going to upgrade, then really upgrade!
posted by stefnet at 12:07 PM on June 25

The HVX202 can record DVCPRO HD on P2 cards, and can also record SD DV on MiniDV tapes, so it straddles the gap quite nicely.

Personally I prefer the Sony EX1, but it's all Solid State and no SD so is making the big HD jump really. That said, the image (IMHO) is better than the HVX, the camera is better designed and the SxS cards are cheaper than P2.
posted by sycophant at 5:25 PM on June 25

Man, I just got a Sony HD 1080i (HDR-SR12) and it is a boomer when it comes to output. I don't know how it compares to the DVX100b but this thing is pretty incredible compared to my past cams. Caveat- I don't do high end stuff apart from dropping footage in iMovie and doing my video journal but the improvement in quality is amazing going to Apple TV.
posted by bkeene12 at 8:00 PM on June 25

HD DVD is dead. We're all waiting around for apple to embrace blu ray.

And yeah, there's little advantage to bumping the A to the B. Save the money and wait till you can get the HVX.
posted by filmgeek at 6:46 PM on June 26