your best advice please at DVinfo.net

Daniel Hollister · July 14th, 2004, 06:20 PM

alright guys. i know you will probably find a lot of these posts in the next few days (and probably already have) but i'd like your help if possible.

i just bought a DVX-100A a few weeks ago. i didn't know the XL-2 was going to be out so soon. sadly, my return time is already up... turns out i only had 7 days to return. i could still get near retail for it on eBay probably, and a friend might buy it, too.

but please realize that i am a college student, and even the DVX investment was an enormous deal for me financially. i'd have to fork out about $2000 more than i did before for this camera. that in mind, i have a couple questions.

1) is the interchangable lens system enough of a difference? i want the depth that the standard lens provides, but most likely will not be buying any other lenses in the near future.

2) i notice the lux rating is 5.5. my gl2 had a lux of 6, and that was terrible for filming weddings and such, which i do in order to fund my films. (i had to use +12dB of gain at one wedding just to get a clear picture. how terrible!) i even took the gl2 to Macworld and it was too dark to see Steve Jobs on stage. (iris all the way open, 1/30... it was still too dark.) i'm wondering how the XL2 would do in scenarios like these, since it is only slightly better under low light.

3) keeping in mind my student status and the fact that any money like this is extremely difficult for me, is it still best long-term to get the XL-2?

thanks so much everyone.

- Dan

Dylan Couper · July 14th, 2004, 07:05 PM

No. Keep your DVX100 and put the extra $2000 towards your education and films.

Rich Lee · July 14th, 2004, 07:56 PM

i totaly agree with Dylan.

you can do alot with 2g's and the dvx is a bad ass camera. enjoy it, dont let the brand spankin new camera bug get to you.

Bill Pryor · July 14th, 2004, 08:12 PM

I agree with that 100 percent. First, the lens on your DVX has a wider angle than the standard on the XL2, and that is good. You probably would not like the standard lens on the new Canon. Second, you mention lower light capability, and if that is of interest to you, then the DVX is better. Also, if you shoot any 4:3 the DVX looks as if it will be better. The XL2 is native 16:9, which is way cool if you want to shoot 16:9. It uses less of the chip in the 4:3 mode, so that mode may not be as good as the same in the DVX100a.

Regardless of all the improvements they made, it is still a 1/3" chip camera. All the 1/3" chip cameras are going to be very close in their image quality. Some will do some things better than others. It's a bit premature to talk about the XL2 with anything other than mere opinion, since it's not really on the market yet and I haven't seen one, but for me the thing that makes it sexy is the way it does 16:9. That makes it very desireable for me, but if I had a DVX100a, I wouldn't give it a second thought.

Just because somebody comes out with an improvement, that doesn't mean all other cameras are obsolete. Remember when the original XL1 came out? People were raving about it, saying the VX1000 was dead. Well, a year later the PD150 came out and more low budget DV movies have been shot with that than probably anything else. Then the VX100 came out and everybody said the PD150 was dead and the XL1 obsolete. Now the XL2 is almost out and people are ringing the death knell for the DVX100a...but wait--Sony will come out with their PD150 lookalike HDVCAM soon, and everybody will want to stage a funeral for the XL2...ain't competition great....and in the meantime, one of the best zombie movies ever, "28 Days Later," was shot with "obsolete" XL1's, and so was the Academy Award nominated documentary "Spellbound."

Of course, if you have that Hummer mentality (ie., your car is a viable substitute for your...uh...you know what I mean...), then all logic is meaningless and you should order the new camera right now....

Daniel Hollister · July 14th, 2004, 08:36 PM

thanks guys. my day's been filled with anxiety trying to figure it out. after all, for someone just going into college, the ideal situation would be to buy a camera that will last a while.

but at this point, i am indeed going to keep the dvx. besides, i only intend to film my next 2 or 3 features on this before (hopefully) having the budget and the experience to rent something HD. i feel there's no need for me to put mysef out to get this new camera. thanks for the advice, it really did help me come to this conclusion.

hope to show you guys some shots from the new film soon.

thanks

- Dan

Young-H. Lee · July 14th, 2004, 09:49 PM

I'm in the same boat you are Daniel, I havent made a purchase yet but 2g's is a lot of money for a bigger camera that has a few bells and whistles more than DVX. I still think I may want to get the DVX, but XL2 is just as tempting if I can somehow afford it.

At any rate, you having the DVX is hardly a problem. I'm sure you know about www.dvxuser.com

Robert Mann Z. · July 14th, 2004, 10:01 PM

after reading your post it looks like you answered your own question, you cannot afford the xl2, buying the cam is not enough, you still will need lenses and mics (don't try using the xl2 mic) so on and so on....

Daniel Hollister · July 15th, 2004, 02:25 PM

robert - yeah i have mics and basically every other piece of equipment i need besides the camera. i was assuming that the lens on the xl2 alone would be worth getting it, but i would be limited to that lens for some time. but i still figured it would be better than the lens on the dvx. but in any event, the dvx is a marvelous camera and there's no point in getting something else now that i already have it

young-h - i'm just going to stay with the dvx. i already have it, what am i complaining about? good luck with your purchase. i already have eveyrthing else i need, but if you dont have a mic and other equip, then the dvx might be an obvious choice so you can put more into other supplies. good luck, and thanks!

July 14th, 2004, 06:20 PM	#1
Daniel Hollister Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 128	your best advice please alright guys. i know you will probably find a lot of these posts in the next few days (and probably already have) but i'd like your help if possible. i just bought a DVX-100A a few weeks ago. i didn't know the XL-2 was going to be out so soon. sadly, my return time is already up... turns out i only had 7 days to return. i could still get near retail for it on eBay probably, and a friend might buy it, too. but please realize that i am a college student, and even the DVX investment was an enormous deal for me financially. i'd have to fork out about $2000 more than i did before for this camera. that in mind, i have a couple questions. 1) is the interchangable lens system enough of a difference? i want the depth that the standard lens provides, but most likely will not be buying any other lenses in the near future. 2) i notice the lux rating is 5.5. my gl2 had a lux of 6, and that was terrible for filming weddings and such, which i do in order to fund my films. (i had to use +12dB of gain at one wedding just to get a clear picture. how terrible!) i even took the gl2 to Macworld and it was too dark to see Steve Jobs on stage. (iris all the way open, 1/30... it was still too dark.) i'm wondering how the XL2 would do in scenarios like these, since it is only slightly better under low light. 3) keeping in mind my student status and the fact that any money like this is extremely difficult for me, is it still best long-term to get the XL-2? thanks so much everyone. - Dan

July 14th, 2004, 07:05 PM	#2
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	No. Keep your DVX100 and put the extra $2000 towards your education and films. __________________ Need to rent camera gear in Vancouver BC? Check me out at camerarentalsvancouver.com

July 14th, 2004, 07:56 PM	#3
Rich Lee Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Los Angeles Ca Posts: 126	i totaly agree with Dylan. you can do alot with 2g's and the dvx is a bad ass camera. enjoy it, dont let the brand spankin new camera bug get to you. __________________ Rich Lee http://www.rich-lee.com

July 14th, 2004, 09:49 PM	#6
Young-H. Lee Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 44	I'm in the same boat you are Daniel, I havent made a purchase yet but 2g's is a lot of money for a bigger camera that has a few bells and whistles more than DVX. I still think I may want to get the DVX, but XL2 is just as tempting if I can somehow afford it. At any rate, you having the DVX is hardly a problem. I'm sure you know about www.dvxuser.com __________________ It's the perfect time to be a filmmaker.

July 14th, 2004, 08:12 PM	#4
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	I agree with that 100 percent. First, the lens on your DVX has a wider angle than the standard on the XL2, and that is good. You probably would not like the standard lens on the new Canon. Second, you mention lower light capability, and if that is of interest to you, then the DVX is better. Also, if you shoot any 4:3 the DVX looks as if it will be better. The XL2 is native 16:9, which is way cool if you want to shoot 16:9. It uses less of the chip in the 4:3 mode, so that mode may not be as good as the same in the DVX100a. Regardless of all the improvements they made, it is still a 1/3" chip camera. All the 1/3" chip cameras are going to be very close in their image quality. Some will do some things better than others. It's a bit premature to talk about the XL2 with anything other than mere opinion, since it's not really on the market yet and I haven't seen one, but for me the thing that makes it sexy is the way it does 16:9. That makes it very desireable for me, but if I had a DVX100a, I wouldn't give it a second thought. Just because somebody comes out with an improvement, that doesn't mean all other cameras are obsolete. Remember when the original XL1 came out? People were raving about it, saying the VX1000 was dead. Well, a year later the PD150 came out and more low budget DV movies have been shot with that than probably anything else. Then the VX100 came out and everybody said the PD150 was dead and the XL1 obsolete. Now the XL2 is almost out and people are ringing the death knell for the DVX100a...but wait--Sony will come out with their PD150 lookalike HDVCAM soon, and everybody will want to stage a funeral for the XL2...ain't competition great....and in the meantime, one of the best zombie movies ever, "28 Days Later," was shot with "obsolete" XL1's, and so was the Academy Award nominated documentary "Spellbound." Of course, if you have that Hummer mentality (ie., your car is a viable substitute for your...uh...you know what I mean...), then all logic is meaningless and you should order the new camera right now....

July 14th, 2004, 08:36 PM	#5
Daniel Hollister Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 128	thanks guys. my day's been filled with anxiety trying to figure it out. after all, for someone just going into college, the ideal situation would be to buy a camera that will last a while. but at this point, i am indeed going to keep the dvx. besides, i only intend to film my next 2 or 3 features on this before (hopefully) having the budget and the experience to rent something HD. i feel there's no need for me to put mysef out to get this new camera. thanks for the advice, it really did help me come to this conclusion. hope to show you guys some shots from the new film soon. thanks - Dan

July 14th, 2004, 10:01 PM	#7
Robert Mann Z. Skyonic New York Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: NYC Posts: 614	after reading your post it looks like you answered your own question, you cannot afford the xl2, buying the cam is not enough, you still will need lenses and mics (don't try using the xl2 mic) so on and so on....

July 15th, 2004, 02:25 PM	#8
Daniel Hollister Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 128	robert - yeah i have mics and basically every other piece of equipment i need besides the camera. i was assuming that the lens on the xl2 alone would be worth getting it, but i would be limited to that lens for some time. but i still figured it would be better than the lens on the dvx. but in any event, the dvx is a marvelous camera and there's no point in getting something else now that i already have it young-h - i'm just going to stay with the dvx. i already have it, what am i complaining about? good luck with your purchase. i already have eveyrthing else i need, but if you dont have a mic and other equip, then the dvx might be an obvious choice so you can put more into other supplies. good luck, and thanks!