Daniel Cegla
April 22nd, 2006, 12:54 PM
Hey guys,
I hope this is the right forum for this question... I am wondering for some advice about when and what to buy... to buy now or to wait. Some background on me:
I'm 21 and I've had a Sony Handicam since 1999 that is at the end of it's life. Believe it or not, I have done years of well paying contract work on this camera... I do have an eye for cinematagraphy and am a skilled NLE editor, so while the image the camera was able to capture wasn't the best, everything has been very high quality. I have also done some independent films, the late one was 45 minutes and premiered in a local theatre downtown.
I am going to officially starting my own small side business in video/film/multimedia. Much of the work I do is with sports highlights (not stationary, above tripod views, but on the field close-ups etc.) For this, a 20x zoom lens has been very helpful. However, I plan to do other work as well in which the zoom lens is not as neccessary. Also, a main use of this camera will be for independent and short films, in which other factors are much more important.
About $5000 is what I have afford to spend as of right now IN CASH. I could use a loan to cover something extra; in the case of the HVX200 I could get that camera, but then still shoot in SD and as I save more $$ get a FS device or P2 cards.
However, I was wondering - what cameras are around the corner? Should I consider waiting a bit longer before upgrading my camera? It is not critical that I upgrade even before the end of the year - although it would be ideal to upgrade by mid August. Is there a good telephoto lens for the HVX200 that would boost the zoom range for me? How does a telephoto like this affect close-up shots (for example, if shooting football, I want to be able to get a far zoom on the field, however I also want good no-zoom close-up shots of the players on the sideline).
What I am looking for in the ideal camera is:
SD & HD w/ability for SD to record to tape (NOT hdv)
HD 720p/1080p 24p, 30p, 60p + interlaced modes
True 16:9 native CCDs
20x zoom lens with ability to have a wide-angle/anamorphic adaptor (if a telephoto works just as well this is fine)
Superb manual controls, audio, video quality, etc.
And of course... a great price!
Is the HVX200 going to be the best bet for a while, or should I hold off for a soon & upcoming camera? HD is not critical to me right now... should I just get a DVX, or should I go ahead and pickup the HVX now so that when I can afford P2/FS stuff I am "HD-ready"?
Thanks guys,
Dan
I hope this is the right forum for this question... I am wondering for some advice about when and what to buy... to buy now or to wait. Some background on me:
I'm 21 and I've had a Sony Handicam since 1999 that is at the end of it's life. Believe it or not, I have done years of well paying contract work on this camera... I do have an eye for cinematagraphy and am a skilled NLE editor, so while the image the camera was able to capture wasn't the best, everything has been very high quality. I have also done some independent films, the late one was 45 minutes and premiered in a local theatre downtown.
I am going to officially starting my own small side business in video/film/multimedia. Much of the work I do is with sports highlights (not stationary, above tripod views, but on the field close-ups etc.) For this, a 20x zoom lens has been very helpful. However, I plan to do other work as well in which the zoom lens is not as neccessary. Also, a main use of this camera will be for independent and short films, in which other factors are much more important.
About $5000 is what I have afford to spend as of right now IN CASH. I could use a loan to cover something extra; in the case of the HVX200 I could get that camera, but then still shoot in SD and as I save more $$ get a FS device or P2 cards.
However, I was wondering - what cameras are around the corner? Should I consider waiting a bit longer before upgrading my camera? It is not critical that I upgrade even before the end of the year - although it would be ideal to upgrade by mid August. Is there a good telephoto lens for the HVX200 that would boost the zoom range for me? How does a telephoto like this affect close-up shots (for example, if shooting football, I want to be able to get a far zoom on the field, however I also want good no-zoom close-up shots of the players on the sideline).
What I am looking for in the ideal camera is:
SD & HD w/ability for SD to record to tape (NOT hdv)
HD 720p/1080p 24p, 30p, 60p + interlaced modes
True 16:9 native CCDs
20x zoom lens with ability to have a wide-angle/anamorphic adaptor (if a telephoto works just as well this is fine)
Superb manual controls, audio, video quality, etc.
And of course... a great price!
Is the HVX200 going to be the best bet for a while, or should I hold off for a soon & upcoming camera? HD is not critical to me right now... should I just get a DVX, or should I go ahead and pickup the HVX now so that when I can afford P2/FS stuff I am "HD-ready"?
Thanks guys,
Dan