Replace JVC HD100 + Brevis35 w/7D?

[Dennis Stevens]

I was thinking if I purchased another camera, it would be the Red Scarlet, whenever it came out. But now I'm pretty excited about these Canon cameras. I don't come from a photography background, so I would have a learning curve to get used to this camera.

I don't know if anyone can address this, but would I lose any capability by getting rid of my JVC HD100 and my cinevate 35mm adapter? It doesn't seem like it, but I don't know.

It also feels like if I wanted to do that, I'd be tempted to sell at least the Cinevate Brevis35. Though I don't know what the resale value would be for that. I'm not sure what the resale value of the HD100 is either, so maybe I should try to keep everything.

[Colin Rowe]

I have a JVC GY HM100, Sony EX1 and a Canon 550D. There is no way I would get rid of any of my video cams and use a DSLR as my sole cam. These DSLRs are very good, providing they are used within the limitations that come with them. The spatial aliasing and moire problems can be a nightmare. Having said that I love the images my 550D produces, and it is a joy to use, but it would never replace a dedicated camcorder. your HD100 does not have a 12 minute max file size, and it wont overheat (another 2 problems that can crop up with DSLRs). I would certainly keep the HD100. You could sell the Cinevate to help fund the DSLR purchase.

[Burk Webb]

I was in the same boat as you, waiting for Scarlet to come out..... and waiting...

Picked up a 7D as soon as they were available and have been shooting like crazy. I'm getting a lot of work as a B-cam operator too because the 7D matches so well with the RED. It seems like locally they are using DSLRs as B-cams on almost every production right now. In fact a lot of the DPs wish they were using DSLRs as the A cams too, they are so light and easy to handle. Great low light performance and of course you can get that super shallow depth of field.

As a long time HD100 owner I've been really surprised at how much fun I'm having shooting with the 7D. Kitted out with an external monitor and Redrock Captain Stubling it works great from a tripod. Throw on a Z-finder and it's a really fun hand held rig. And the access to all that awesome glass... and it's cheap to rent. The ergonomics are different from the HD100 obviously but I've really been digging it. These DSLRs do have issues and they have been much discussed. A person should really try one out and see if it works for them. Most rental houses will have some in stock I imagine.

Hope this helps.

[Ted Ramasola]

Hi Dennis,

We have an HD100 and HD200 with adapters. Now I don't use them and just use a 7D.

Theres also a red one left in my care by a friend who lets me use it. -I still haven't. Its too cumbersome and heavy. Not convenient to use compared to the results I get with the 7D.

I have a photography background so it was easier to transition. But if you had experience using 35 lenses on your brevis then that helps you a lot.

[Jerry Porter]

I got the 7D, sold the HD110 and have not looked back.

[Bill Pryor]

I got my 7D last October and have been using it 100% until recently. I just got a 5DMKII so I could have wide enough lenses with my old Nikkors (the 24mm especially). I still have my XH A1 and have used it 2 times for Steadicam shots, since I was already balanced for it and had a bit of a hassle getting the camera with the nose-heavy lenses I had to balance properly. Now that I'm using the 24 for my wide angle, balance should not be a problem. However, I'm keeping the XH A1 for backup on out of town trips and in case I ever need to shoot something where I need the longer running time of an hour tape. I also have a lot of original footage on tape that I probably will need to go back to someday, so I'll probably always want it for loading footage.

Once you shoot with the resolution and latitude, as well as shallow DOF of the HDSLR cameras, you won't want to go back to those tiny 1/3" chips. There are times when I need an increased DOF, but the cameras are good enough so I can increase the ISO if necessary to allow me to stop down. I think the 7D is probably a better camera for shooting video because you don't have that overly shallow DOF issue.

[John Abbey]

I have the hd100 and still love this camera, however a 7D would be a nice addon...the main reason I keep the hd100 is for shooting wildlife. With a mtf services adapter and old nikkor lenses I can really reach out there because of the 7x magnification..so my 300mm lens now becomes a 2100mm lens when placed on the jvc! cant touch that with any other system I know of. John

[Ted Ramasola]

I needed a B camera for a shoot last week so I used the JVC hd200 (similar to the 100), JVC did the wide shots in the interview while the 7D did the close ups.

I think they matched ok.

From Balilihan to the Capitol

[David Chapman]

I actually shot a promo video with a client with the HD100 with full light setup. She lost weight a year later and we had to reshoot but didn't want to do any of the production as before. We had no lights except for soft light in the living room coming from the windows. It turned out amazing thanks to the 7D and my f2.8 lens. The same setup would have looked like home video garbage with the HD100.

7D and won't look back.

[Dennis Stevens]

Thanks everyone - I'm getting very attracted to the Rebel t2i, largely for the price.

I'm interested in these from the filmmaking perspective - I don't do much run&gun or low light taping. Fairly controlled and planned conditions.

I've been comparing the specs of the 7D versus the t2i - I don't see a big difference that I need to worry about. Seems like I oughta go t2i. Thoughts?

[Burk Webb]

The t2i, for the money, is kind of a miracle. From what I have seen they look about as good as the other Canon DSLRs when it comes to video. That being said here are two reasons to go for the 7D.

HD video out via HDMI when recording.
You can dial in the color temperature manually.

[Dennis Stevens]

Thanks-
So for the HDMI issue, I'd have to live with focusing, framing etc in HD, then live with SD when I actually record? That doesn't sound too bad.

The manual color temp sounds like a potentially bigger deal. I guess you have to White Balance with a balance card every time? Can't just set it to 32K or 52K?

How big a deal is that to you guys? Is it a real deal breaker, or something dealt with fairly easily?

[Jon Fairhurst]

If you can focus before the shot and nothing moves, then SD isn't a big deal. If the camera or subject will move, however, that's a bigger problem.

There are two types of focusing: unscripted and scripted. When unscripted, you have to rely on the monitor and SD-only is challenging. When scripted, the AC can pull focus to marks. In that case the Camera Op frames with the monitor and will stop the shoot if focus is lost. Of course, in SD it's much harder to detect poor focus. That can mean that you need to review footage before moving on to the next scene, and that can slow things down.

[Dennis Stevens]

Thanks- Yeah, I get that. That's I'm not too bothered by SD during recording, because about 90% of the time, I'm in pretty controlled conditions. Of course, I may eat those words the first time I have to use the camera, but I'm weighing another $1K to get the 7D over the t2i.

The thing bothering me is the color temp. I've used other camera with my JVC, and I'll set them both to the same color temp and they match better in post.

I'm probably having a senior moment, but I thought I'd read somewhere people could bring up a stored photo and set the color temp off that? Couldn't you have a 32K, a 56K, etc photo stored away?

[Burk Webb]

The in camera white balance is kind of clunky. It works fine but it's a bit more fiddly than the JVC because it's menu driven. I've used it a few times but I find myself mostly using pre-sets or going with the "kelvin dial" manual color temp. I usually bounce back and forth trying out different color temps till I hit something I like. It does make it much easier to quickly match to other cameras.

For me the "no HD out when recording" would be a much bigger deal. I tend to shoot pretty shallow DOF with the 7D, I know it's trendy but I just can't help myself. Even shooting very controlled interviews the HD monitoring has saved my on several occasions. When that talent shifts forward in the chair just a bit I can tell right away if they are still sharp or I need to rack just a smidge. I never would have been able to catch it if I was looking at a standard def image.

Another reason is that on a lot of gigs I'm working as the B-cam guy and I always get the "and we want a lot of tight, really shallow depth of field stuff." Being able to monitor what your doing in HD is a huge confidence booster because you can tell right away if you've blown focus. On almost all these gigs I'm pulling my own focus and I've been doing pretty well at it. A lot of this is because I'm monitoring with either a Small HD external monitor in HD or a Zacuto Z-finder.

Just my 02.