XL2 vs PDX10 at DVinfo.net

Eric Wotila · June 19th, 2005, 05:02 AM

After my brief (and bad) experience with the FX1 and HDV, I'm back to using my PDX10 as a primary camera.

I'm thinking about selling it and upgrading to a better SD camera. I figure I'll stick with SD for now, and upgrade to HD in a year or two.

Looking at SD cameras, I was looking at the DV5000 from JVC, but I'm concerned about the lack of 16:9. That led me to the XL2--which looks to be the best 16:9 camcorder in the price range. The 24p is a plus as well.

Between the PDX10 and XL2, which would you suggest?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts here!

Mathieu Ghekiere · June 19th, 2005, 05:10 AM

Offcourse the XL2 is the waaay better cam of the two, but you have to see what you need, because the cam is also more than 2 times as expensive.
Do you need the interchangible lens system? A 20x zoom?
24p?
If you don't really really need all that, it's maybe better to stay with your PDX10, buy some accesoires instead maybe, and wait for HD.
If you really need the things of the XL2, the answer is simple, if your budget allows it.

Best regards,

Eric Wotila · June 19th, 2005, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mathieu Ghekiere

Offcourse the XL2 is the waaay better cam of the two, but you have to see what you need, because the cam is also more than 2 times as expensive.
Do you need the interchangible lens system? A 20x zoom?
24p?
If you don't really really need all that, it's maybe better to stay with your PDX10, buy some accesoires instead maybe, and wait for HD.
If you really need the things of the XL2, the answer is simple, if your budget allows it.

Best regards,

Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking I can stick with the PDX10 for a while, and upgrade to HD later on. I might go with the HD100 later this year.

Boyd Ostroff · June 19th, 2005, 07:49 AM

You shoud definitely see the XL-2 in person if you haven't yet. It is quite large and heavy... the 20x lens is huge. I was looking at it next to the Z1 in the display at B&H. It makes the Z1 look very compact. It's literally 4 times the size of your PDX-10. That may be fine - or even better for you, but just be aware of the difference.

Yes, it certainly has many, many features the PDX-10 lacks and based on frame grabs I've seen the image quality is terrific. I don't think they are really in the same league, but as Mathieu points out, there's a huge price difference.

Meryem Ersoz · June 19th, 2005, 12:20 PM

i'd suggest buying yourself a set of filters for your pdx-10 and experimenting with a variety of looks. it would be a lot simpler and less expensive than a camera upgrade, and you might be surprised at what you can squeeze out of your camera. the main feature of the xl2 is it is fully customizable. but experimenting with filters can give you a whole new range of looks, too. if i stick my secret weapon filters on my GL2, it can look as good as my XL2, the main missing element being native 16:9, which you fortunately already have with your pdx-10. if i had it to do over from scratch, i probably would have bought the pdx-10 for its native 16:9. the main difficulty in getting the GL2 and XL2 to match is not the resolution, in my opinion, it is the "squeezed" look if i shoot people in the GL2 16:9, compared to the XL2. it is not so evident if i shoot objects, but the people side-by-side look proportionally a bit different. if you haven't already, i would push the limits more on your existing camera, because it is a good one.

Eric Wotila · June 21st, 2005, 02:24 PM

Thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to stick with my PDX10 until the time comes to upgrade to HD in a year or two.

June 19th, 2005, 05:02 AM	#1
Eric Wotila Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Cadillac, MI Posts: 129	XL2 vs PDX10 After my brief (and bad) experience with the FX1 and HDV, I'm back to using my PDX10 as a primary camera. I'm thinking about selling it and upgrading to a better SD camera. I figure I'll stick with SD for now, and upgrade to HD in a year or two. Looking at SD cameras, I was looking at the DV5000 from JVC, but I'm concerned about the lack of 16:9. That led me to the XL2--which looks to be the best 16:9 camcorder in the price range. The 24p is a plus as well. Between the PDX10 and XL2, which would you suggest? Thanks in advance for any thoughts here!

June 19th, 2005, 05:10 AM	#2
Mathieu Ghekiere Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,195	Offcourse the XL2 is the waaay better cam of the two, but you have to see what you need, because the cam is also more than 2 times as expensive. Do you need the interchangible lens system? A 20x zoom? 24p? If you don't really really need all that, it's maybe better to stay with your PDX10, buy some accesoires instead maybe, and wait for HD. If you really need the things of the XL2, the answer is simple, if your budget allows it. Best regards,

June 19th, 2005, 07:49 AM	#4
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	You shoud definitely see the XL-2 in person if you haven't yet. It is quite large and heavy... the 20x lens is huge. I was looking at it next to the Z1 in the display at B&H. It makes the Z1 look very compact. It's literally 4 times the size of your PDX-10. That may be fine - or even better for you, but just be aware of the difference. Yes, it certainly has many, many features the PDX-10 lacks and based on frame grabs I've seen the image quality is terrific. I don't think they are really in the same league, but as Mathieu points out, there's a huge price difference.

June 19th, 2005, 12:20 PM	#5
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	i'd suggest buying yourself a set of filters for your pdx-10 and experimenting with a variety of looks. it would be a lot simpler and less expensive than a camera upgrade, and you might be surprised at what you can squeeze out of your camera. the main feature of the xl2 is it is fully customizable. but experimenting with filters can give you a whole new range of looks, too. if i stick my secret weapon filters on my GL2, it can look as good as my XL2, the main missing element being native 16:9, which you fortunately already have with your pdx-10. if i had it to do over from scratch, i probably would have bought the pdx-10 for its native 16:9. the main difficulty in getting the GL2 and XL2 to match is not the resolution, in my opinion, it is the "squeezed" look if i shoot people in the GL2 16:9, compared to the XL2. it is not so evident if i shoot objects, but the people side-by-side look proportionally a bit different. if you haven't already, i would push the limits more on your existing camera, because it is a good one.

June 21st, 2005, 02:24 PM	#6
Eric Wotila Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Cadillac, MI Posts: 129	Thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to stick with my PDX10 until the time comes to upgrade to HD in a year or two.