hv30 overpowering a vx2000?

[Luke Gates]

I currently shoot with a vx2000 and want to give HD a try. Not having the cash to buy my dream camera, an hdr-fx1000, I need to settle for less. So anyway i found someone who wants to trade me straight up my vx2k for his HV30 and a century .3 fisheye. I shoot primarily bmx so the fisheye will be great for me. Just wondering what you guys think? Will I miss my vx2k or will I never look back?

I know the HV30 has manual setting, just wondering if they are as easy to access as they are on the vx? I need manual white balance, shutter speed, and iris. try not to be biased because this is the canon HV section.

[Joel Peregrine]

Hi Luke,

I shot the VX2000 for seven years before going to the XHA1 and HV30. Knowing that I'd rather shoot with the HV under just about any conditions. Just so you can do the money-math as to how the HV compares to the VX I sold four used VX's that had wear but were mechanically good on eBay for between $900 and $950 a few months ago. You just need to see what the HV30 and the lens are going for right now and compare it to that. As for the controls the 30's are fiddly, but manageable. There is a nifty focus ring that is occasionally available (the guy that makes them only puts out shipments when he has the parts). For manual iris and shutter speed you need to learn how to limit the gain by locking the exposure down. Having a card in it for still pictures allows you check the fstop by pressing the photo button down halfway. That allows you to adjust the exposure so you're wide open but not dipping into the gain. White balancing takes going a few levels into the menu. The most important thing is that the 30 has a much better picture quality compared to the VX as long as you know how to get around the awkward controls.

Originally Posted by Luke Gates

I currently shoot with a vx2000 and want to give HD a try. Not having the cash to buy my dream camera, an hdr-fx1000, I need to settle for less. So anyway i found someone who wants to trade me straight up my vx2k for his HV30 and a century .3 fisheye. I shoot primarily bmx so the fisheye will be great for me. Just wondering what you guys think? Will I miss my vx2k or will I never look back?

I know the HV30 has manual setting, just wondering if they are as easy to access as they are on the vx? I need manual white balance, shutter speed, and iris. try not to be biased because this is the canon HV section.

[Mel Enriquez]

Originally Posted by Luke Gates

I currently shoot with a vx2000 and want to give HD a try. Not having the cash to buy my dream camera, an hdr-fx1000, I need to settle for less. So anyway i found someone who wants to trade me straight up my vx2k for his HV30 and a century .3 fisheye. I shoot primarily bmx so the fisheye will be great for me. Just wondering what you guys think? Will I miss my vx2k or will I never look back?

I know the HV30 has manual setting, just wondering if they are as easy to access as they are on the vx? I need manual white balance, shutter speed, and iris. try not to be biased because this is the canon HV section.

Luke,

I have the vx-2000 for about 5 years now. I like the camera. It is not perfect and some things are annoying. But what makes it great is the low light capabilities. It seems to make its own light.

Unfortunately, as the era of the SD is drawing to a close, there is a need to move on. If you still intend to do SD, I think you should keep your VX. It is a good camera. I intend to keep mine and not sell it because it's a classic and if I sell it, it will just be sold for a pittance. Might as well use it till it drops.

I have used the HV-30 and it is a good camera. I am editing a wedding we did a month ago together with the A1 footage, HV-20 and my Sony HC3. It is a well thought of camera for a consumer grade camera. It's also good in low light. Maybe not as good as the VX, but very close. If ever you decide this, what you will find hard is to shoot with a small camera. You will not be used to that. And it may frustrate you. But as far as IQ goes, even for a 1-cmos, the HV-30 is very good. Even the sound pickup is decent.

I was about to pick one up as a friend from the USA was going home about a month ago. It was only U$599 at BHphoto, free shipping. But I bit the bullet and decided to go tapeless and got the HF-100 instead for U$550, also from BHPhoto, free shipping. I got the extra battery and I am happy with this choice. It's not as good in low light as the HV-30, but I can live with it.

Since this is a swap with some accessories included, if it were me, it will be OK. Just scale your expectations accordingly because the HV-30 is a small camera. You may have to learn moves and how to handle this and you may experience more camera shake than your VX because it is smaller and lighter. You just need to practice anew, or make the HV-30 bigger by buying some attachments.

When you move to HD or HDV, you'll also find surprising the clarity and beauty of higher resolution, even if your final output is SD or DVD. It is really hard to go back to the VX even if the HV-30 is a small camera and consumer grade if only for the extra resolution you get with HD/HDV. The only saving grace of the VX is it's handling and its low light when the chips are really down. But when there is light, the HV-30 or any HD camera is better (as long as the sensor is 1/3 or better).

Also, unless you are already using a dual core cpu, you do need extra power in editing HDV footage. A quadcore would be better but not necessary. If you go AVCHD or HD, however, best go quadcore right off the bat. So, if you are still using single cores or even old Pentium D dual cores, now is also the time to upgrade. It's not mandatory for HDV, but you'll thank me for mentioning this option to you.