Need advice - JVC GY-HD250 vs Sony EX3 at DVinfo.net

Micheal McAlexander · December 7th, 2009, 07:35 PM

Hey all,

I'm getting ready to shoot a digital feature next summer and I have access to a Sony EX3 and JVC-HD250.

Capture will be using the HD-SDI output into either a AJA KiPro or Convergent Design's Nanoflash.

Both the JVC and the Sony appears to have the same specs, but EX3 is CMOS and JVC is CCD.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

Micheal

Don Bloom · December 7th, 2009, 09:28 PM

my one and only thought on these 2 fine machines is that the 250 is 1/3rd" chips and the EX3 is 1/2"-big difference although the JVC would certainly hold up.

Ed Dooley · December 7th, 2009, 10:54 PM

And the EX3 can shoot 1080P, whereas the HD-250 shoots 720P.
If you're doing a whole lot of handheld, think about the difference between the JVC's real shoulder mount vs the Sony's "semi" shoulder mount.
Ed

Burk Webb · December 16th, 2009, 08:13 PM

My experience with the 250, it's kinda noisy. that 1/3 inch chip is gonna be trouble too if your lookin' for some film like shallow depth of field. The EX3 would probably be a better choice with the usual ergonomic and cmos caveats that apply.

If it was me - I would take a real hard look at the Canon 7D.

Giuseppe Pugliese · December 20th, 2009, 05:29 PM

I would not at all look at any DSLR for a feature film. It is not built for that at all, and I just finished writing a whole article about why they are not.

There are many factors you need to way in between these 2 cameras...

Are you doing lots of hand held work? JVC is better on the shoulder, better for motion because its a CCD imager and not CMOS. Its also much more comfortable.

Do you need more resolution? if so the Sony is native 1080, as for the JVC is 720.

Are you going to use a 35mm adapter? Both cameras have the option to remove lens and add on adapters if needed.

I say the biggest question you will have will be the amount of moment of the camera due to using a CMOS chip you will have skew issues if there's lots of camera shake for action type films or dramatic settings.

Second biggest will be dynamic range. I do not know how well the sony holds up as for I have stayed clear of CMOS cameras, but I have a feeling its a little better than the JVC. You should check specs

The difference between 1/3'' imagers and 1/2'' imagers is hardly noticeable with dof, this should not be a factor at all.

something easily over looked would be battery life. Check out what options both have for long running battery situations. Or if you're going to be in a studio environment you want to be plugged in most of the time and not run off a battery.

It depends on so many different things really, its hard to give advice when you dont know the story, or the look or the color pallet of the film. JVC and Sony have very different looks to their cameras. They handle color very different. I would have to say that after looking at lots of sony footage from that camera vs. the jvc. I feel the JVC is closer to what 16mm film would look like. Sony looks a little more on the video side of things. What I mean to say is, I think there is a special filmic quality to the JVC and I think that has to do with the lens. I think the lens is way better than the one on the Sony.

The Sony might be way better because of shooting 1080p will greatly help you with projecting, if you are going to project HD at any point in time. If this is strictly for DVD showings. or DVD projections at small festivals, then resolution will really not have a say in this situation because both will be downresed to an SD DVD.

You really should look at raw HD footage from both cameras and evaluate them thoroughly. Your first questions should be, does this camera do what I need it to do for what the script asks. Then move from there.

December 7th, 2009, 07:35 PM	#1
Micheal McAlexander Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Frostburg, MD Posts: 47	Need advice - JVC GY-HD250 vs Sony EX3 Hey all, I'm getting ready to shoot a digital feature next summer and I have access to a Sony EX3 and JVC-HD250. Capture will be using the HD-SDI output into either a AJA KiPro or Convergent Design's Nanoflash. Both the JVC and the Sony appears to have the same specs, but EX3 is CMOS and JVC is CCD. Any thoughts? Cheers, Micheal

December 7th, 2009, 09:28 PM	#2
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	my one and only thought on these 2 fine machines is that the 250 is 1/3rd" chips and the EX3 is 1/2"-big difference although the JVC would certainly hold up. __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

December 7th, 2009, 10:54 PM	#3
Ed Dooley Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Warren Vermont Posts: 73	And the EX3 can shoot 1080P, whereas the HD-250 shoots 720P. If you're doing a whole lot of handheld, think about the difference between the JVC's real shoulder mount vs the Sony's "semi" shoulder mount. Ed

December 16th, 2009, 08:13 PM	#4
Burk Webb Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 249	My experience with the 250, it's kinda noisy. that 1/3 inch chip is gonna be trouble too if your lookin' for some film like shallow depth of field. The EX3 would probably be a better choice with the usual ergonomic and cmos caveats that apply. If it was me - I would take a real hard look at the Canon 7D.

December 20th, 2009, 05:29 PM	#5
Giuseppe Pugliese Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New York Posts: 392	I would not at all look at any DSLR for a feature film. It is not built for that at all, and I just finished writing a whole article about why they are not. There are many factors you need to way in between these 2 cameras... Are you doing lots of hand held work? JVC is better on the shoulder, better for motion because its a CCD imager and not CMOS. Its also much more comfortable. Do you need more resolution? if so the Sony is native 1080, as for the JVC is 720. Are you going to use a 35mm adapter? Both cameras have the option to remove lens and add on adapters if needed. I say the biggest question you will have will be the amount of moment of the camera due to using a CMOS chip you will have skew issues if there's lots of camera shake for action type films or dramatic settings. Second biggest will be dynamic range. I do not know how well the sony holds up as for I have stayed clear of CMOS cameras, but I have a feeling its a little better than the JVC. You should check specs The difference between 1/3'' imagers and 1/2'' imagers is hardly noticeable with dof, this should not be a factor at all. something easily over looked would be battery life. Check out what options both have for long running battery situations. Or if you're going to be in a studio environment you want to be plugged in most of the time and not run off a battery. It depends on so many different things really, its hard to give advice when you dont know the story, or the look or the color pallet of the film. JVC and Sony have very different looks to their cameras. They handle color very different. I would have to say that after looking at lots of sony footage from that camera vs. the jvc. I feel the JVC is closer to what 16mm film would look like. Sony looks a little more on the video side of things. What I mean to say is, I think there is a special filmic quality to the JVC and I think that has to do with the lens. I think the lens is way better than the one on the Sony. The Sony might be way better because of shooting 1080p will greatly help you with projecting, if you are going to project HD at any point in time. If this is strictly for DVD showings. or DVD projections at small festivals, then resolution will really not have a say in this situation because both will be downresed to an SD DVD. You really should look at raw HD footage from both cameras and evaluate them thoroughly. Your first questions should be, does this camera do what I need it to do for what the script asks. Then move from there.