Heya All,

I got some extremely good offers on my sony pd-150 and am thinking of selling it in favour of a dvx100. All PAL stuff we are talking here.

I need someone with a bit of sense here because i have none, would this be a good choice. The change over in price will extremely small, like $200.

Is this a smart decision, or will i regret it?

The use of this camera will be for short films and so on...and since the budgets are low, i will use the cameras sound, not external stuff and so on.

Basically what i am asking, will i be trading up, down or just much of the same and not even worth my trouble?

Zac

What do you hope to achieve in your projects with the DVX100 that you cannot achieve with your PD-150? Are really you just suffering from "new gear lust"?

Ken,

To be honest i am abit unsatified with the sharpness of the sony, and really dissapointed with the sound.

Both of these are of course not detrimental to what i do, and the pd150 is more than good enough, i was hoping that with the dvx100 i may be able to improve in those 2 areas.

Low light is a good thing, but i never really shoot in desperately bad conditions, nor do i do weddings and so on. If i must shoot in lowlight i make sure i take a on camera light or similar with me anyways.

I think that may have answered it.

Zac

The built-in mike on the DVX is pretty useless. The progressive mode is great but the rating becomes 24 Lux. The viewfinder on the PD150 is B/W and therefore a lot sharper. The sound synch on the Sony is perfect; on the DVX it is up to 1.5-2 frames off. There is no autofocus in progressive. The Sony is more solidly made, proven camera.

I will use my k6/me66 mic.

I barely use the viewfinder, i try and take a field monitor with me for any planned shoots.

As for bashing it around, i am very careful with it.

I am really not sure. I have never had synch problems before using PAL stuff, i have seen it with NTSC stuff before.

Zac

Zac
Demo a DVX100 first. If you don't like it, keep the PD150. If you do, go for it.

I did demo a dvx100, the only thing that keeps turning me off it is how it is not built like a pd150, the pd150 is a brick, i am worried the thing will wear out from normal use.

Zac

Well, I doubt that anyone will be able to offer you help beyond simply excercising a tic-list of considerations, Zac. But here's one more item for that list. Don't you believe that the DXV100 is merely the first camera in its category? I believe that if the DXV100 is successful, and by many accounts it is, Sony, Canon, JVC, et.al. will have a response that builds upon this camera as a starting point.

So ask yourself how might you feel if, in 2004, Sony introduces the "XD-200", a professional-grade camera that features everything in the DXV100 plus several other features?

In my opinion and experience it never pays to buy the first generation of anything. Salute the first generation, buy the second.

Ken but also,

In the year 2004, won't the pd150 be superceeded and be worth nothing to me if i want to sell it?

That is a scarier thought, at the moment i am getting more than i payed for it, but if wait it may go the way of the pd100, which dropped it's value by half.

Zac

Zac Many dealers have already dropped their price for the PD-150. But it will never be worth nothing to you or anyone else even when or if it is replaced. When the VX2K came out it still has not killed the lust for the VX1K, check eBay, these bad boys are still going for over a grand or even over $1500 USD. While the VX2K can be had for as little as $1800 or so if you find the right seller. So, no I wouldn't worry too much for obselence since the PD-150 is a great cam and will be even after a few years from now. Even if everything goes HD next year, and if prices fall to affordable levels, it would still be the first generation of HD and many people in the industry would still use the PD-150 and slowly adapt to the new. Remember DVD (writeable), I would say I am just now beginning to see many people using DVD+ or - R in the event industry whereas the technology has been here for several years.