Did they raise the price on the x70?

[Tim Paynter]

I could swear i saw this for $2100 before and now B&H has it at $2299.

It is time to upgrade the old professional kit, I am very confused about the cameras available. Some reviews are absolutely glowing about this camera, for example, but the thread on the forum tells me it is not all that it is cracked up to be, and with 4K, even more expensive than I first thought. Ideas?

x70 | B&H Photo Video

[Jim Stamos]

i would wait til nab. sony usually unveils new gear there in april.
especially when you see price drops before the end of march, sonys fiscal year end.

[Tim Paynter]

Thanks for the tip. A good professional grade video cam for a one man band can cost as much as a good used car, so this is a hard decision for me. I am still using professional level tape equipment but can see the industry is constantly moving to stratospheric definition and flash memory. How do you keep up if you don't have the basic kit?

At the same time, things are changing so fast it seems like waiting for price drops tomorrow for today's latest and greatest is a better bet.

[David Dixon]

It's always been $2299.

And there's been an uproar over the cost of the 4K upgrade, but today there is new news, supposedly from Sony's booth at BVE, that the 4K upgrade will be free if you only need 30p.

I love mine - although like many cameras with fairly deep picture profile controls, it really takes some dialing in to get the best out of the camera. I upgraded from a Canon XF100 and find the X70 better in almost every way.

[Jim Stamos]

Tim you need to go HD. Ive been shooting with the ex1r for awhile now. was shooting dvcam with the dsr300 for years.
youll love not having tape anymore. just have to back up your footage on more than one drive since you reuse the cards.
the technology now allows you to not have to spend a fortune on a camera. my ex was 7K, but the quality and features of the x70 at 2300.00 will blow you away. its very good and can certainly be your main camera for so much less.
professional audio inputs and full manual capabilities.its gotten nothing but great reviews.
go for it.

[Josh Bass]

What happens if you THINK you only need 30p, and then one day that client that requires 24 comes along. . .do you send it BACK and pay for the upgrade?

[Tim Paynter]

I am glad you mentioned the EX1r, as I have been thinking about this very camera, do you buy old tech but super high quality, or do you buy the x70, or one of the JVC new 4k. The decisions are daunting.

My guess, it won't be long before 4 k is a spot in the road and even higher def equipment comes along, which means now is not a good time to buy either an x70 or an EX1r, as they will both have crumpled in current value.

The tape system is killing me time wise and not high def. So need to do something.

[Josh Bass]

A USED EX1R is still more than a NEW X70, especially with the cost of media factored in, so. . .

[Craig Seeman]

I recently sold my EX1. Was planning on the X70 but the lack of FCPX support and the late date for the 4K upgrade holds me back there. the JVC LS-300 is interesting.

Key to think about when approaching the longevity and ROI of a camera is the price of course. Given the cost of the X70 compared to what the EX1 was, I can certainly live with replacing it 2 or 3 years down the road.

I've been shooting my interviews with the BMPCC and at $995 it's not a great pain to replace 12 to 18 months after purchase for newer tech. The bigger expense is the lenses which have a much longer life span especially with cameras like the LS-300.

Given the potentially short life span of tech these days, this makes the late date of the X70 upgrade that much more of a concern.

These days though, I'd much rather spend $2000-$4000 for a camera and replace after 3 years than $7000+ and watch the technology eclipse it. Of course this depends on your business model and client base.The differences between $2K and $7K cameras are dwindling though.

[Shaun Roemich]

The biggest issue with new technology, including whatever Sony announces at NAB, is actually editing it. Whether it is codec support or needing faster computers with more video RAM, updating a camera these days is far more than just buying a new piece of hardware, it needs to be approached holistically.

EDIT: of course, in this day and age a new computer will set you back between $1k and $10k whereas when I started out a new camera format meant a new VTR and/or playback deck which would set you back somewhere between $8k and $75k... so I guess THAT has improved as well....

[Tim Paynter]

Josh

"A USED EX1R is still more than a NEW X70, especially with the cost of media factored in, so. . ."

So why so much hype about the x70 being second only to a higher power...and maybe it is time for you ex1r guys to flood the market so we lesser well healed guys can buy..

Craig:

."These days though, I'd much rather spend $2000-$4000 for a camera and replace after 3 years"

You put your finger exactly on the sweet spot. I suspect that is the only strategy that makes sense with an x70, buy today thinking it will be outclassed in three years..

Shaun:

"EDIT: of course, in this day and age a new computer will set you back between $1k and $10k"

Yep, great point, not something I want my conscience to think about, but a great point!

Jim:

"i would wait til nab"

The reason I am looking for a camera this year is I waited until NAB last year and then did not buy. What great advice. I am thrilled I didn't buy last year as I watch the new cams roll out this year, then thinking, well, maybe I should wait until NAB rolls out this year and not buy this year again...

I appreciate your replies and thoughts!

[Josh Bass]

outclassed in 3 years? definitely. relevant to YOU? depending on your clients, maybe not. I guarantee folks are still out there making money with SD, and if i had bought one of the early Sony hdv tape cams or an hvx200 I'd probably still be using it.

[Anthony Lelli]

Look, after the D90 there was a revolution in the pro-sumer segment of the pictures in motion market. Before the D90 there was cinealta as the only step-up from crap. Then the D90 put the cinealta lineup to shame. It's all in the pictures. creativity and scripts are for the "movie" people and they can count on the usual good stuff (rented). You can't mix the worlds : there is the broadcast, the poor broadcast, the movies and the wedding people. So get this: now the DSLR nonsense gets surpassed by the new (real) camcorders and video cameras again. SD is a thing of the past , in the pro world only resists in the low budget live broadcast (the 2 guys and a truck kind of broadcast). But they're going to the better definition too soon, very soon.

[Paul Anderegg]

I classify cameras by low light sensitivity. With all the hype about adding pixels, I fear that low light sensitivity will stall at it's current levels. Panasonic and Sony hit the f13@2000 mark with standard def back in the early 2000's, and we have never seen an HD much less UHD camera surpass those low light levels. The Sony A7s is sweet, but not everyone shoots in a production environment, I need my low light sensitivity precisely because I operate in an uncontrolled environment.

For $2300, the X70 is a bargain, and will be an even better bargain on the used market in a year or two.

Paul

[Phil Goetz]

There is to be a 4k upgrade for the X70 in the future. This may mean that we are beating down the wall of small pixel 4k and bad lowlight OR excellent 1080 and NO 4k... The old conversation of Sony CX900 better lowlight HD than the Z100.