While I am very skeptical of the high-definition format at this time due to the fact that there are very limited resources for delivering this product to your ultimate consumers, I have a very hard time believing that Canon would allow JVC and Sony to produce cameras in the high-definition format in this price range and not respond. Remember, image is everything. Please forgive the "run on" sentence.

Disagree with what?

RB

I am sure Canon will have something cool to offer us. Remember what happened when Sony turned the world upside down with the VX1000... Canon responded with the XL1. Imagine what can happen now, something to compete with Sony and JVC HDV offerings, with interchangeable lenses for a price we can afford. That's what we need for a real HDV revolution, because it's very unlikely those teeny weeny lenses can deliver, resolution will be far more critical now with all those many pixels...

Hopefully Canon's HDV cam will have a 35mm photo frame sized sensor so we can use Canon photo lenses. Especially good because we all know that so many pixels means lower pixel size means less light sensitivity. So a bigger sensor and fast lenses is the way to go.

Anybody from Canon reading this?

How much would you be willing to pay for that camera feature set?

- don

I have a very hard time believing that Canon would allow JVC and Sony to produce cameras in the high-definition format in this price range and not respond. Remember, image is everythingHehe..., meaning? MPEG2 verses DV? :-))

> How much would you be willing to pay for that
> camera feature set?

It would be great for Canon to charge a little less than Sony... but I would be willing to pay a little more, say US$6k for the camera body and a good general purpose lens with stabilization and good WA, like the DVX100/DVX80.

Ignacio
To put something into perspective for you, (and the point Don was getting at)...
Canon makes a digital SLR camera that has a 35mm sensor. It costs around $8000us (here anyway). It does not come with a lens. It does not come with a tape transport. It does not have image stabilization. It only captures one frame at a time.

Based on that, the video camera you are suggesting woul cost in the mid to high five figure price range.

However, I agree with you, that it SHOULD cost $6000. <g>
I'll be the first to sign your petition to Canon. :)

Yes Dylan, I agree that judging by last year's technology (which you buy in this year's market) you could expect to pay (and actually can pay) big cash for what we are imagining. However, remember the times of the VX1000 and the XL1, remember how revolutionary the XL1 with it's removable lens and frame mode were when they first showed up. Quite some time has passed, and Sony will be offering it's $5K HDV cam in months, so I think what I expect from Canon is pretty much to live up to their previous doings: great quality, small package, long life, small price...

They will definately have to up the size of the sensor in order to get acceptable low light performance with so many pixels... so why not go straight to the 35mm frame size and let us use all their wonderfull line of photo lenses...

Oh yes! And please a dark-colored body, even if the lens has to be Canon-white :D

Hey Ignacio,

How's the weather in Chile?

What camera(s) have you been shooting with lately? How have they worked out for you so far?

- don

whew, I believe there was a camera on the market that offered 35mm frame size and (uber) high def. It is called the dalsa cam and to the best of my knowledge you couldn't get footage on a tape it had to be harddrive (raid array) On the other hand, if there were built in spinning ground glass that emulated a 35mm photo frame that would be loads cheaper (If I'm spending mid to high 5 figures you can bet your booty I'm not going hDV) and still capable of recording on HDV the only problem would be the loss of light which I'm sure could be fixed with any number of the agus 35 fixes mods. but I have no clue.

> How's the weather in Chile?

> What camera(s) have you been shooting with lately?
> How have they worked out for you so far?

Hey Don, thanks for askin'

Have you ever been here? In this time of year the weather is still quite warm, varies from about 18 to 28 degrees (celsius) very nice in the evening, still a little to hot in the sun during the day.

My own camera is a Sony PDX10, great audio, real 16x9 and nice lattitude but the lens is not WA enough, the low light is not good and you can easily make the sensor smear with high contrast. The PD150 --which I also use a lot-- has a much nicer low light response and much less smear, but it's 16x9 is pretty lousy. Neither have 30 fps or 60 fps proscan or frame mode.

I also get to use a friend's XL1 (not S) and I like it's images a lot, love the frame mode. Another friend has the XL1S with a manual lens that is really fast, but has no stabilization so it's very difficult to use for the kind of work I do, a documentary TV series about local culture, lot's of handheld work. Hope to post some clips soon.

Ignacio, I was down your way last year. Videoed in Patagonia and Tearra del fuago. What a beautiful country you have. I took a boat through the Straights of Maghellan. Magnificant mountains and glasiers. Bob

if we're talking HD, look at what panasonic 's offering with the varicam- DVCpro, (AJ-HDC27FE) variable framerate, special effects etc.... the prosumer solution ?......
anyone used this cam already?......
what do you think?....