What do you want in the next PDX10?

[Ignacio Rodriguez]

Ja! I remember once I suggested the Z1 was the logical next step from the PDX10 and Boyd disagreed, do you remeber Boyd? <grin>.

I would love a PDX-like product which does HDV, but with the PDX10 form factor and a larger sensor. But I am afraid the only way to approach a PD170-like sensitivity with better than SD resolution is to have a much larger sensor! Unfortunately, there must be some physical limit, we probably can't have a 1/2" or even a 1/3" sensor in such small camera... so... this leaves me wishing for something like the upcoming JVC prosumer 720p HDV camera, HD100 I think is it's denomination. So if JVC is making it, no need to wait for Sony jeje. If I had the money and interest now in buying a new camera, the JVC is probably what I would go for. I am sure I am not the only one that feels that way, and I am sure Sony must be aware of this, so I guess it's only a question of time before Sony upgrades the PDX10 into some small HDV camcorder. Of course as Boyd mentions, the current HDV offerings cost much more than the PDX10, but perhaps by the time Sony get's to the next phase and replaces the PDX10, pricing will be closer to what some of us paid for the PDX10.

Whatever Sony does, I hope their next HDV camera can do some form of real proscan and can write HDV at SSP (DVCAM) tape speed and track pitch for the added reliability. If they could add linear audio to the mix, they would at least be catching up with JVC in *something*.

Well... as usuall there is enough guesswork in my post to send this thread straight into area 51!

[Chris Hink]

Hey Juan,
I could use the smaller size because I shoot documentary stuff. Staying low key is crucial. Also traveling with the camera is much easier with a smaller form factor.
___________
Again, in my mind, the 3 most important things are:

1. HDV (with true 24p option)
2. some kind of hard drive (or flash based) recording built in.
3. smallest form factor possible.

If they can hit those marks I believe they'd sell a ton of camera's especially with the crossover prosumer/consumer thing they've got going with the pdx10/TRV950 sales structure.
I'm hoping that with Panasonic & JVC breathing down Sony's neck they have to speed up their release schedule and get the HDV ball rolling. In my opinion the HVX200 completely stole Sony's thunder and has the pros/prosumers second guessing weather to jump into the HDV game or skip it and go right to HD with Panasonic for only a relatively small amount of money more.

[Boyd Ostroff]

Originally Posted by Ignacio Rodriguez

Ja! I remember once I suggested the Z1 was the logical next step from the PDX10 and Boyd disagreed

Really? Here's what I said:

Yeah, I agree it is sort of the logical successor and it addresses most of my PDX-10 beefs... I may very well get one.

In other threads I've suggested that the FX-1 might be a viable alternative because it's cheaper than the Z-1 and addresses many of the PDX-10's shortcomings (better manual controls, 16:9 LCD, larger chips, bigger batteries, component output, etc). The Z-1 really goes way beyond the PDX-10 in features. But neither of these cameras is positioned like the PDX-10 or PD-100 in Sony's lineup.

A small HDV camera would certainly be cool. But Chris wants it to go way beyond the Z-1! :-) The PD-100 and PDX-10 were deliberately given less features than the PD-150 and were positioned as a low budget entry to DVCAM. I think it was sort of an accident that the PDX-10 got a high resolution 16:9 mode. Read way back to the beginning of this forum as people realized how good the 16:9 was... they were amazed that Sony wasn't bragging about this. IIRC, the enhanced 16:9 mode was not really publicized when the camera was first released.

So unless Sony re-orders their whole lineup I'd expect any "pdx-20" to have less features than the Z-1 and be budget priced, probably less than the FX-1. But I'm not at all sure we'll see a pdx-10 sucessor anytime soon. And look what happened to their "crossover" product that you mention, the TRV-950. We got the HC-1000. It has really been dumbed down with no physical controls (touch screen for everything), a tiny battery compartment, a smaller LCD screen. That may very well say more about Sony's direction than the Z-1 does...

[Juan Parra]

Originally Posted by Chris Hink

Hey Juan,
I could use the smaller size because I shoot documentary stuff. Staying low key is crucial. Also traveling with the camera is much easier with a smaller form factor.
___________
Again, in my mind, the 3 most important things are:

1. HDV (with true 24p option)
2. some kind of hard drive (or flash based) recording built in.
3. smallest form factor possible.

If they can hit those marks I believe they'd sell a ton of camera's especially with the crossover prosumer/consumer thing they've got going with the pdx10/TRV950 sales structure.

Final Cut Express HD is a hint to me that consumer HDV cams
will be available soon. I won't bet it'll be a PDX10 successor though.

But as I said before, IMO the real PDX10 successor is already out : Z1U

[Chris Thiele]

One feature that would be interesting; what if the new three chip HDV could film at 4x speed, pal 100fps, NTSC 120fps, so that in editing or play back you could capture action and slow it down with much better results. Now that so many people are wanting to film sports etc this would be great for the prosumer. In the good old days when I used reel to reel tapes we could change the speed of the tape with ease, why not video??

[Chris Hurd]

Hey guys,

I've split off the responses about the new Sony HC1 and A1 into their own thread... if you want to follow it and carry on from there, the location is:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=44906

Much respect,