Need help deciding- Canon HFG30 or Sony CX900?

[Max Palmer]

So I'm trying to buy a third camera for my wedding projects (will also moonlight as a really nice family cam at times). I currently shoot with a Canon XF100 and a 60D so my first inclination was to go for the G30 so it matches up well in post. But I'm really attracted to the 1" sensor in the Sony. I don't have any experience with larger sensor camcorders, so I'm wondering if the Sony will give me better low-light performance than the G30 despite the smaller minimum aperture.

Anyone have any other reasons that I might want to swing one way or another?

[Dave Blackhurst]

It's a little early to have feedback on the CX900 (and the AX100 is getting most of the attention).

I did spin by Slashcam, they have the Canon and the Sony RX10 with some samples (though their "optimized" low light sample was blown out something awful). The RX10 uses the same sensor as far as we know, and is overall a closely related camera to the CX900 - also in the same general budget range.... They've done preliminary reviews on the AX100 on the German side of the site, but none of the studio test shots YET.

My first thought is that matching two brands is a pain in the rear, at least that's been my experience... so that swings the vote towards the Canon...

BUT... the RX10 is about the most versatile "family cam" one could ask for - stills, video, does them both exceptionally well, and it's a "fun" camera to use.... 30 minute clip limit in video, and a couple other tiny quibbles, but overall, worth at least a look! I love mine, easy choice for "the" camera to grab for most things!

The CX900 adds higher bitrate 1080/60p, (RX10 is 28Mbps tops, vs. 60Mbps for the 900), and I'd expect it to hold up quite well when there are finally some low light tests, based on the RX10's performance.

All that said, I'd still get hung up on that mixing brands... if that's not a concern, the RX10 produces some sweet images, and the CX900 "should" be similar (again, this is a "no hands on" guess at performance, based on the same tech in the RX10 and RX100M2).

Not sure if that's "helpful" or not, but if you didn't already have Canon gear, the Sonys with the new sensor are pretty much "no-brainer" recommendations!

[Max Palmer]

Thanks for the feedback. Interesting about the RX10 though, except that I really need a de-factor camcorder for the ability to be unmanned. The XF100 is actually borrowed and I will be replacing it as soon as is financially feasible, so I'm not married to Canon camcorders by any other means. I was hoping that the XF100 would have enough latitude to tweak it in post to match, since I shoot it in 50Mbps mode, although I already have a heck of a time trying to get it to match the 60D, which it doesn't — although I really need to tweak WB levels better!

[Clive McLaughlin]

I'm another guy who is waiting patiently for some 'evidence' on the cx900 before i part with my cash. But lately I've been considering an extra £400 for the AX100. the reason being - shoot at 4k and have a wide and cropped option from the same camera which is useful for an unmanned option which by its nature will be static...

Still concerned with filesize for an hour long wedding ceremony at 4k. though...

[Max Palmer]

I've had the exact same thoughts myself. If I decide I could spend the extra cash for the AX100, I might even use it a lot as a camera to down-res from 4k to 1080 because I saw the comparison screen captures last night of it vs. the CX900 and the 1080p difference was phenomenal.

[Dave Partington]

My only concern about the AX100 right now is low light capabilities. If it proves to be good (it's got a 1inch sensor?) then maybe that's a reasonable next step.

I'm a little concerned generally about 4K in general t this point. I'm not ready to invest mega bucks at this time because we know that technology will improve over the next couple of years, but I just had my first 4K inquiry from an existing corporate customer asking about some 4K video for a trade show, so I'm wondering just how soon I'm going to be forced to jump, which may also mean upgrading computers too.

[Max Palmer]

Low light is probably the main reason is buy it because I was assuming the 1" sensor would outperform the 1/3" sensor in both the XF100 and the G30, despite the difference in minimum aperture sizes. 4k is a secondary concern for me, sort of a "future proof" family cam option. And depth of field shots I can perform with my 60D.

Assuming Canon is going to follow suit at some point and offer a 4k prosumer can, anther idea would be to just wait till I have money to replace the XF100 and use a 4k cam as my A-cam to use in cropped 1080p projects.

[Dave Blackhurst]

You might take a quick gander at the AX100 mega-thread in the "industry news" section at the top of DVi fora.

Cliff Totten posted a link to his low light test within the last couple pages (post 841), that might be helpful.

I've been impressed with the RX10, which of course had the advantage of the constant f/2.8 lens, but I'd expect similar performance from the new Handycams, at least able to generally match any higher end 1/3" type consumer camera.



I think it's safe to say that 4K is going to come faster than HD did... there are already other camera announcements in the pipeline ... and cell phones and tablets... This does present a tough call on upgrading, as it will require a beefier computer, a 4K monitor, more storage... and of course everything will be outdated in 12 months!

If I had an investment in the GH system, I'd guess the GH4 will be a no brainer "upgrade", the AX100 makes sense to me to upgrade a couple fairly current Handycams... I do think that the RX10's were likely my last "HD" purchase, albeit a really GOOD one... the video I'm getting from them will hold up for a while at least, even if it is a tad softer than what the AX100 seems to produce! I'm used to the clip limit, even with unattended cams, so the RX's should work OK for B/C cameras. For many things I do, one AX100 pan and scanned should suffice for several HD cameras until 4K is expected (and I'm still not sure how we "deliver" 4K as of yet?!).

The main bottleneck to 4K IMO is going to be big, fast memory cards at decent prices... got to have something able to store large quantities of bits, and write them quickly!