PD170 upgrade to JVC GY HD110U? at DVinfo.net

Nicholas de Kock · May 24th, 2007, 03:34 AM

I'm a wedding videographer using PD170's. I very tempted to go over to HD although in my parts of the world (South Africa) the PD170 is still a very respected performer. I have the option of getting a JVC GY HD110U right now, I need a camera that shoots well under low light and will be a good wedding companion. With LCD wide screens taking over the market HD and the addition of the M2 from RedRock I hope to offer better quality. I also do corporate ads and have a few well written stories for a mini series however lack of dept of field has stopped me from persuading these.

Is the JVC GY HD110U a good replacement for the PD170? The JVC GY HD200U is over my budget, does the JVC GY HD110U deliver?

Any input will be greatly appreciated.

Drew Curran · May 24th, 2007, 03:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicholas de Kock

I need a camera that shoots well under low light and will be a good wedding companion. With LCD wide screens taking over the market HD and the addition of the M2 from RedRock I hope to offer better quality. I also do corporate ads and have a few well written stories for a mini series however lack of dept of field has stopped me from persuading these.

Nicholas
The HD100 is an excellent camera for the uses you have in mind. Picture quality is excellent. However, like most 1/3" ccd HD cameras, low light performance is not as good as SD DV cameras. Adding the M2 to the mix for weddings will make low light performance worse by approx another 1 and a half stops. The Brevis looses about half a stop apparently.

There are many wedding shooters here using the HD100, so perhaps they will offer some more specific advice.

Drew

Johnnie Behiri · May 24th, 2007, 04:16 AM

Hi Nicholas,
Be aware that The JVC GY-110U is an "NTSC " model while South Africa is "PAL" country. Check if you can put your hands on the GY 110E (or The GY 111E with IEEE input) and you won't be sorry.

Johnnie

Nicholas de Kock · May 24th, 2007, 04:21 AM

Johnnie does NTSC/PAL affect this camera? I was under the impression the new HD's are capable of shooting in both modes.

Nicholas

Ben Lynn · May 24th, 2007, 09:42 AM

Is the 110, or any other current HDV camera, a good replacement for a PD-170 for weddings: No. The low light and crisp, clean image of the 170 just can't be beat right now for weddings.

Should that hold you back? Maybe. If your clients, or you, are looking for widescreen or HD and are willing to give up the low light and clean image then it's a great move. With any current HDV camera you'll be using your on camera light in situations that you never even thought of using it with the 170. That's the price you pay for going hd and gaining that extra resolution.

As far as the 110 itself it can be a great camera for weddings. Personally, I love the shots I get off the shoulder rather than low angle hand held footage. The manual lens and control layout fit my style and how I work. I also like the image control and the camera's ability to be set up for different looks and situations. I think it's a great camera for corporate work or weddings. It doesn't fit everyone's shot style however so make sure that you're comfortable with that size camera before committing to it.

Also, be ready for additional investment costs to create a usable workflow. You'll need to buy either a hard drive recorder or a capture card. The JVC proHD line of cameras have know issues with capturing footage. There are capture breaks in the material at start/stop points in the tape. To avoid that you have to capture via a capture card, or use an external hard drive. If you're budget is really tight or you want a camera that works out of the box with the firewire, and no timecode or capture problems, then you should look at the sony or canon models.

When I looked at the new line of hdv cameras earlier this year I felt like the jvc had more of the features that I wanted. But check your own workflow and see what fits. Coupled with a hard drive recorder it's a solid workflow and a good investment. Coming from a 170 you'll like the camera control layout, love the lens options, and you'll appreciate the image quality under proper lighting. You'll be dissappointed in the viewfinder AND lcd quality, low light ability, and the workflow.

Hope that helps.

Ben

Carlos Rodriguez · May 24th, 2007, 12:21 PM

the 110 has settings for 720p25, so I'm assuming that's for PAL, correct?

Liam Hall · May 24th, 2007, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carlos Rodriguez

the 110 has settings for 720p25, so I'm assuming that's for PAL, correct?

Nope. That's incorrect.
HD is neither PAL nor NTSC. It's HD.
The HD100E is the model you need because it shoots standard definition in PAL. Both the U model and E model can shoot 720p in 30, 25 and 24.

Hope that helps,

Liam.

Alex Humphrey · May 25th, 2007, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben Lynn

Is the 110, or any other current HDV camera, a good replacement for a PD-170 for weddings: No. The low light and crisp, clean image of the 170 just can't be beat right now for weddings.

Should that hold you back? Maybe. If your clients, or you, are looking for widescreen or HD and are willing to give up the low light and clean image then it's a great move. With any current HDV camera you'll be using your on camera light in situations that you never even thought of using it with the 170. That's the price you pay for going hd and gaining that extra resolution.

As far as the 110 itself it can be a great camera for weddings. Personally, I love the shots I get off the shoulder rather than low angle hand held footage. The manual lens and control layout fit my style and how I work. I also like the image control and the camera's ability to be set up for different looks and situations. I think it's a great camera for corporate work or weddings. It doesn't fit everyone's shot style however so make sure that you're comfortable with that size camera before committing to it.

Also, be ready for additional investment costs to create a usable workflow. You'll need to buy either a hard drive recorder or a capture card. The JVC proHD line of cameras have know issues with capturing footage. There are capture breaks in the material at start/stop points in the tape. To avoid that you have to capture via a capture card, or use an external hard drive. If you're budget is really tight or you want a camera that works out of the box with the firewire, and no timecode or capture problems, then you should look at the sony or canon models.

When I looked at the new line of hdv cameras earlier this year I felt like the jvc had more of the features that I wanted. But check your own workflow and see what fits. Coupled with a hard drive recorder it's a solid workflow and a good investment. Coming from a 170 you'll like the camera control layout, love the lens options, and you'll appreciate the image quality under proper lighting. You'll be dissappointed in the viewfinder AND lcd quality, low light ability, and the workflow.

Hope that helps.

Ben

I 2nd all of the above, but wanted to add. IF you weddings are generaly daytime its a great camera. As the Sony PD170 is better than the old Sony TRV-900's in color, dynamic range etc.. the JVC HD110+ series are at least twice as good as the difference between the PD170 is over the TRV-900. If that is any sense? Downconverting HDV to NTSC DVD is a snap today with FCP, and looks better than anything I ever captured on a PD150 or even the JVC HD110 in NTSC mode. Other camera to look at is the Canon A1. Personally I'm done with sonys unless I get a Cinealta, but I would still rather get a Panasonic Vari-Cam. But I don't have $60k for a camera anyway. Nor am I within a 5 hour drive of a rental house. So for me, the JVC HD110 fits most of my requirments for now.

May 24th, 2007, 03:34 AM	#1
Nicholas de Kock Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: KLD, South Africa Posts: 983	PD170 upgrade to JVC GY HD110U? I'm a wedding videographer using PD170's. I very tempted to go over to HD although in my parts of the world (South Africa) the PD170 is still a very respected performer. I have the option of getting a JVC GY HD110U right now, I need a camera that shoots well under low light and will be a good wedding companion. With LCD wide screens taking over the market HD and the addition of the M2 from RedRock I hope to offer better quality. I also do corporate ads and have a few well written stories for a mini series however lack of dept of field has stopped me from persuading these. Is the JVC GY HD110U a good replacement for the PD170? The JVC GY HD200U is over my budget, does the JVC GY HD110U deliver? Any input will be greatly appreciated.

May 24th, 2007, 04:16 AM	#3
Johnnie Behiri Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Vienna/Austria Posts: 187	Hi Nicholas, Be aware that The JVC GY-110U is an "NTSC " model while South Africa is "PAL" country. Check if you can put your hands on the GY 110E (or The GY 111E with IEEE input) and you won't be sorry. Johnnie

May 24th, 2007, 04:21 AM	#4
Nicholas de Kock Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: KLD, South Africa Posts: 983	Johnnie does NTSC/PAL affect this camera? I was under the impression the new HD's are capable of shooting in both modes. Nicholas

May 24th, 2007, 09:42 AM	#5
Ben Lynn Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bloomington, IL Posts: 636	Is the 110, or any other current HDV camera, a good replacement for a PD-170 for weddings: No. The low light and crisp, clean image of the 170 just can't be beat right now for weddings. Should that hold you back? Maybe. If your clients, or you, are looking for widescreen or HD and are willing to give up the low light and clean image then it's a great move. With any current HDV camera you'll be using your on camera light in situations that you never even thought of using it with the 170. That's the price you pay for going hd and gaining that extra resolution. As far as the 110 itself it can be a great camera for weddings. Personally, I love the shots I get off the shoulder rather than low angle hand held footage. The manual lens and control layout fit my style and how I work. I also like the image control and the camera's ability to be set up for different looks and situations. I think it's a great camera for corporate work or weddings. It doesn't fit everyone's shot style however so make sure that you're comfortable with that size camera before committing to it. Also, be ready for additional investment costs to create a usable workflow. You'll need to buy either a hard drive recorder or a capture card. The JVC proHD line of cameras have know issues with capturing footage. There are capture breaks in the material at start/stop points in the tape. To avoid that you have to capture via a capture card, or use an external hard drive. If you're budget is really tight or you want a camera that works out of the box with the firewire, and no timecode or capture problems, then you should look at the sony or canon models. When I looked at the new line of hdv cameras earlier this year I felt like the jvc had more of the features that I wanted. But check your own workflow and see what fits. Coupled with a hard drive recorder it's a solid workflow and a good investment. Coming from a 170 you'll like the camera control layout, love the lens options, and you'll appreciate the image quality under proper lighting. You'll be dissappointed in the viewfinder AND lcd quality, low light ability, and the workflow. Hope that helps. Ben

May 24th, 2007, 12:21 PM	#6
Carlos Rodriguez Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Modesto, California Posts: 206	the 110 has settings for 720p25, so I'm assuming that's for PAL, correct?