Which came would you get out of these?

[Mike Reezy]

What camera should I buy and why, in your opinion.

I have a GL1, and a Century Optics .3x Ultra Fisheye. I film skateboarding. I have had pretty good results with this setup, however I feel it is time to move on.

There are a few things I don't like about the GL1.
1. No interval recording
2. Low light [not bright enough]
3. Doesn't look as good as the same thing filmed with VX1000 [is it because of the CCD size/pixels?]

There are a few cams that I am looking at, please give me your opinions of each. Also I would be getting the corresponding Century.3x fisheye for each.

1. Sony HDR-FX1 - From what I read about it, its 1080 res in HDV mode, but i'm not sure about DV mode. I know the CCD's are 1/3" tho, which is bigger than GL1's 1/4"and same as VX2000 (right?)

2. Panasonic AGDVX100a

3. Sony VX2000

4. Canon GL2

Give me some feedback please

[Chris Hurd]

Same question was posted in this thread -- check out the feedback there, please.

[Mike Reezy]

Thanks for the link. Im not sure if that helps me entirely tho.
I need good low light rating, and whatevers best for fast motion action [skateboarding]

I tend to lean towards the FX1 because of 1080 resolution, and also having 3 1/3" ccd's.

really I dont have a clue what I should get.

I liked my GL1 alot, so that makes me want to get the GL2
+ my .3x will still fit it.

AGDVX100a- Looks dope, dont know lux rating, I dont need 24p tho.
whats up with PD 170 tho for real?

[Dan Euritt]

i would rent the sony for a day to see how it works with fast-action stuff like skateboarding... the hdv format mpeg2 compression could be a real problem... but you can also run that sony camera as a mini-dv unit, so shoot some tape in that mode as well.

[Mike Reezy]

<<<-- Originally posted by Dan Euritt : i would rent the sony for a day to see how it works with fast-action stuff like skateboarding... the hdv format mpeg2 compression could be a real problem... but you can also run that sony camera as a mini-dv unit, so shoot some tape in that mode as well. -->>>

Where can I rent one from? and for how much?

I live in Santa Cruz, Ca area, so BAY AREA.

Let me know.

Thanks for the help guys.

Try befoire you buy is always ideal, I didnt know you could do that.

[Shawn Mielke]

Does the DVX100A have interval recording? If so, I would probably go with that. Great camera. The VX2100/PD170 would be your best bet for low light shooting. Setting up some lights works too!

[Mike Reezy]

<<<-- Originally posted by Shawn Mielke : Does the DVX100A have interval recording? If so, I would probably go with that. Great camera. The VX2100/PD170 would be your best bet for low light shooting. Setting up some lights works too! -->>>


Yeah true. I will have too look into PD170 and VX2100/2000.I definitely want interval recording, I have been lacking it with my GL1. I would really like to go for the GL2, since I am already familiar with it, and I wont have to sell my GL1 accesories. Also, it is alot cheaper than the PD170 and VX2000 right? How does the GL2 compare to the VX2000/2100/AGDVX spec wise? I tried googling about it, and I find alot of sites list the same camera with different specs, and that some information is hard to find.

Whats the best price/site link on: ????

1. GL2

2. AGDVX100a

3.VX2000

That would help if anyone knew that off hand.

[Brian Keith]

The 170 has interval recording....here is a link that tells all about the camera

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Professional/docs/brochures/dsrpd170%20v-2194.pdf

look on the page that says "Recorder Features" right hand side at the bottom.

[Shawn Mielke]

The GL2 is cheaper than the other cameras, true, and for reasons.
Smaller chips, less refined manual control, lesser viewfinder and lcd screen, plasticky body. If the DVX is too much money, go with a VX2100. For what you are doing, this is a rock solid, light sensitive cam at a good price. The PD170 will give you slightly better controls, more audio options, and the blessed ability to not have the camera turn itself off after 5 minutes of standby.

[Glenn Chan]

blessed ability to not have the camera turn itself off after 5 minutes of standby.

I thought all cameras do this if you leave a tape in it? Does the PD170 really not do this?

[Mike Reezy]

<<<-- Originally posted by Shawn Mielke : The GL2 is cheaper than the other cameras, true, and for reasons.
Smaller chips, less refined manual control, lesser viewfinder and lcd screen, plasticky body. If the DVX is too much money, go with a VX2100. For what you are doing, this is a rock solid, light sensitive cam at a good price. The PD170 will give you slightly better controls, more audio options, and the blessed ability to not have the camera turn itself off after 5 minutes of standby. -->>>

THANKS MAN, ANY GOOD SITE FOR A VX2100?

[Rhett Allen]

Have you ever tried "Google"?

You can find rental houses in your area, there has to be a bunch of them. As far as info on the VX2100 or PD-170, there is a ton of info on this board about them, in fact there is an entire section devoted just to them!
The PD-170 is a very fine camera and has about the best low light capability of any camera in it's class.

unfortunately I can't speak of the VX2100 but it is supposed to be very similar.

[Mike Reezy]

<<<-- Originally posted by Rhett Allen : Have you ever tried "Google"?

You can find rental houses in your area, there has to be a bunch of them. As far as info on the VX2100 or PD-170, there is a ton of info on this board about them, in fact there is an entire section devoted just to them!
The PD-170 is a very fine camera and has about the best low light capability of any camera in it's class.

unfortunately I can't speak of the VX2100 but it is supposed to be very similar. -->>>
Have you ever tried not being a di*k and thinking im a noob. I was asking for a link to a cheap site to buy one. Unless im wrong, I would assume that is a logical question to ask on public DV discussion board.............

jeez man

[Rhett Allen]

There is a sponsor section as well here. B&H is a great place to start looking. It's not the "price" as much as it's the price from a "trusted" vendor.

You are comparing cameras from different classes. The GL1 and VX2000 are in the same class but the DVX100A is not. Also the VX2000 is not considered a professional camera by Sony and is therefore not upheld to the same standards and say the PD-170.
Besides being a di*k and knowing you are a "noob" (which is not a bad thing), I have also read quite a bit on these boards and found something really extraordinary, a search function in the upper right corner. This question has been asked and covered in great depth, as a matter of fact when I just now searched for it I came up with hundreds of threads relating to it. (over 13 pages of links)
There are even sites that compare specific cameras like the DVX and PD but you have to know what you are looking for. Like what camera you want to look at first.
You are asking what you should get and this or that or this or better yet, which "came" out of these... If faced with the option of 2 consumer cameras and one professional camera, I'd pick the pro camera, DUH! But if you have a bunch of accessories that will be made obsolete by purchasing a different camera then YOU have to weigh the options. I personally would just cut my losses and get a different camera if you really need it. READ: IF YOU REALLY NEED IT! Why just get a new camera if you don't need one? You film skateboarding, so what do you film it for? Fun? TV? Video sales? You probably need the wide angle, low light I could see if there was night shooting or inside drainage pipe or parking garages. But it seems like the biggest feature you need is a small camera that's easy to carry and you've got that already.
Don't be so quick to jump ship because there is the latest and greatest craze going on (24P and such). I've been shooting the PD-150 and PD-170 for several years now and I've always liked them. My initial camera interest was with the XL1 but I wanted something smaller, I wanted XLR inputs and the Sony had a better picture. I've never been sorry that I tried them both out first and read everything I could get my hands on BEFORE I made the decision. In the end it was MY decision to make. There are over 13 thousand members of this board. You could get 13,000 different answers to your question and still not make up your mind. I would suggest you really look at the cameras yourself and decide.
There are literally hundreds of sites like this one with great info about every camera you can imagine, just study. Google the camera models and you will find them.
As far as rental houses in Santa Cruz, I was serious, try google. (I don't have a phone book so I have to Google everything)

[Mike Reezy]

I was hoping to have a live discussion, not try to absorb a ded one, and no there is no post exactly the same as mine.
Of course I searched.

I now dont want the HDR-fx1 because there is no HDmedia yet, and you have to downconvert to SD anyways.

How is the VX2000 not a procam?

I have a local skateboarding video magazine, I make dvds bi-monthly and sell them on the streets and in stores all over town for $10 each.

The low light on my GL1 is not good enough, I need better, there have been too many situations where I had to leave a spot and couldnt get the clip because of the sun setting.

I have used and am familiar with the GL2, and it will probably be my last resort.

I really want something with a little better low light res, and would hope to opt for the 1/3" CCD's VS 1/4" [even thoug vid quality has not been a prob with the GL1]

I think the pd-170 is a bit expensive, I am thinking about GL2/VX2000/VX2100 I will have alot less $ than I previoussly thought.

I am starting to think that I only need to get what corrects the things I dont like about the gl1, which are:

not good enough low light,no interval recording

I am beginning to lean more and more towards the GL2

thankyou anybody for your info, more is always appreciated

Mike