Sony’s New HVX-200/ P2 Killer - And Why I’m Staying Out of This Flame War
Regular readers here may have noticed a steep drop off of tech related articles over the last few months. This distancing from equipment related posts have been calculated.
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IN TEN YEARS, camera, computer, and hardware debates/ comparisons will cease to exist. Imagine a future in which comparing camera specs are akin to analyzing typewriter models. Think of it -
No one argues that their writing is better based on the equipment they used. The advances in digital video capture are leading the film market into just this scenario - EQUIPMENT ACCESS FOR EVERYONE.
Right now we move pixels in a volatile world. Equipment needed to make magic runs from $500 to $5,000,000, and technology advances outdate equipment almost as fast as you can pay it off (wouldn’t you hate to start a rental house these days? Sure there’s a lot of demand, but how do you justify new expenditures that loose value so quickly? Is the demand for gear greater than the rate of depreciation? What about in five years?)
It is under this premise of equipment futility that I have ceased interest in “wanking over specs with geeks” (as we’ve termed it ourselves).
I noticed all this enamorment with new technology created a barrier in my brain with creativity. Gone were the days of creating art, shooting things - writing things; instead replaced with what COULD be done instead of what I WAS doing.
So I stopped caring. We know now that camera and post gear is here to help us. There are cost effective solutions that run the gamut from Indie productions to huge studio features.
I got over it. There’s a ton of equipment, and it all does cool stuff. I encourage anyone who caught the wide-eyed bug to step back and reevaluate why fancy gear made you happy in the first place.
I’m not even saying it best here. Barry Green has a great rant over a DVXuser about this same principle, and Mike Curtis chimes in with his thoughts here.
BUT THAT SAID……This new Sony HVR-V1U 1080 24p HDV camera is a better buy than the Panasonic HVX-200. Pricing:
$4,800 MSRP
- Sony HVR-V1U: Record 62 minutes of 1080 24p HDV footage to MiniDV tape
$5,500 MSRP
- Panasonic HVX-200 with stock 4GB card (4 minutes of 1080 24p DVCPRO HD footy)
$6,600 MSRP
- Sony HVR-V1U
- Sony HVR-DR60 60 GB Hard Disk Recorder
$7,400 MSRP
- Panasonic HVX-200
- FireStore FS-100
The Sony setup provides 4.5 hours 1080 24p HDV recording time compared to 1.5 hours of DVCPRO HD recording time on the FireStore. The FireStore is also more expensive and has shipped with a decent amount of third-party hassle. Sony’s recordable hard drive is manufacturer spec - no third-party bugs to work out. Also, you can SIMULTANEOUSLY record 1080 24p footage to tape AND to hard drive with the V1U setup - not so with the HVX.
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UPDATE
Douglas Spotted Eagle has a great first-look writeup on the V1U (including test clips) over at HDVinfo.net. Two WMV files from the V1U are included in the article - I took the liberty of converting one of them to an iPod version using the free Flip for Mac trial plugin. Obviously the iPod version doesn’t show off the 1080 24p specs but you’ll be able to see how nice the picture is (I added a bit of color correction - just turned down the blacks a bit - nothing more).
Additionally - remember that Panasonic is standing on an island with their P2 recording method. HDV has been destined as a future proof format by the manufacturing conglomerate of JVC, Sony, and Canon. Even better is that MiniDV tapes recorded using this new 1080 24p HDV are BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE with existing Sony HDV decks (that’s a HUGE bonus).
Oh HDV artifacting BLAH BLAH BLAH 4:2:0 color space BLAH BLAH BLAH variable frame rates BLAH BLAH BLAH - doesn’t matter - THE NEW SONY HVR-V1U is a better value to consumers than the HVX. It ships in DECEMBER OF THIS YEAR.
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I state the above arguments not to incite rage but to simply illustrate a point. If there is any one thing I’m interested in as a production or post-production consultant it’s that I WANT PEOPLE TO SAVE THEIR MONEY. Money is precious when you’re an Indie show. You don’t need RED ONE to make your feature, you don’t need HDCAM SR, hell…you don’t even NEED 24p. And that’s the point.
In a decade - we’ll all have cameras - just cameras. No spec comparisons, no Internet flame wars, no feeling cooler than the next guy because your gear is newer. There is a threshold to how far 2D acquisition advancement can go, and we’re blazing to it.
Then they’re all just typewriters. Access for all who want them. And that’s a good thing.
Personally, I’ve used these mics several dozen times and just recently ordered a setup for a client on a super-tight budget needing to conduct a bunch of ongoing interviews. Although I have no statistics or nerdy #’s for you to ingest, I can say that for $300 bucks these mics pick up really nice sound. Plus they’re super tiny and can be mounted or hidden just about anywhere (see velcro app at right).