Buy a HD or DV camera?

Question

Hello,

I'm venturing into professional film and documentary making and I am about to purchase a camera. I have being doing some major research in order to buy a good one, however one problem I have come across is whether to invest in a HD or DV camera.

I am looking for optimum picture quality and therefore would love to get a new HD camera but I know that they are still in their infancy. You see I wish to use this camera for a few years to come so maybe buying a HD camera would be good in the longrun.

Then I get the idea that I should invest in a good DV camera as it's safe for the moment but then worry that in about a year or two DV will no longer be as good when compared to HD. Therefore I will be pissed that I made a bad choice when choosing DV in the first place.

If I go DV, maybe it will not be so good in a year or 2. If I go HD, maybe they will not take off so well and I shall be left with a fancy yet worthless piece of hardward.

My budget is $1500 - $2000

Answer 1

I recently went through a lengthy camcorder research process and came to the conclusion that HD is the way to go. My only question at the end of the reasearch was when to take the plunge. I opted to take the plunge sooner with the DCR-SR100. I love it and have no regrets at all.

RE: some of the sites mentioned above. Regardless of where/who you opt to buy from over the internet. ALWAYS do a little research. If a deal is 50% less then most of the other stores advertising it (or one that you know is reputable) do a quick search about the store using http://www.resellerratings.com/ or http://www.epinions.com/. Five minutes of searching ratings about a merchant can save you lots of time and money in the long run.

Answer 2

One way to decide is: what is your output medium? If you will produce mostly 300x200 pixel web videos, the HD is wasted. However if the output is mostly burning standard definition DVDs, then HD is an excellent choice for image quality.
Take a look here at comparing a DV image to a down-res'd HD image:
http://sportsflashtech.com/video/
I think the SD looks better when generated from HD source material. Further, the HD widescreen converted to SD widescreen DVD looks really nice on a flatpanel.

My point is: today is probably does not make sense to
produce HD form of DVDs due to few people with such players.
But the good news is: converting HD material to SD is a winner!

Finally the software tools available are all handling HD now,
including converting to SD.
I like the Ulead family of products. They were early adopters of
HD so now in the second version of features.

Using HD to produce SD is not in its infancy, and an excellent
choice!

Answer 3

I do agree HD should be the way to go if you are into professional film and documentary making. However, your budget is looking a little low for a prosumer grade camcorder (even for DV) which is something you would like to have for your kind of work. 3CCD model is the standard. You will be pissed if you don't get yourself a 3CCD model in a long run (HD or not).

Also, be aware of website that sells for a unbelievable low price. Do some research on that site first before making a decision.

Good luck on your adventure.

Answer 4

Hi,
I shop a lot and to save time and money I use cheapest prices search engine. Almost every merchant is there and over a million consumer written reviews. You will find many other ways that will help you with questions.
You can shop online or you can go to a merchant and use the toll free phone number if you feel more comfortable shopping like that.
There are merchant reviews, product reviews, compare by brand and a lot more. I hope I helped you and I wish you good luck.

Answer 5

HD is here to stay, my friend. I recommend the Sony HDR-SR1. Best new camera on the market as far as I'm concerned. It's got a high-definition lense and a fancy hard disk drive so you can record HD-quality movies straight to a hard drive without spending money on tapes or discs every month. I've done my research; as far as consumer camcorders go under the price range you've given, the HDR-SR1 is supreme. Best of luck to you and your cinematic endeavors.

Answer 6

Dude, if you go to expresscameras.com you will find the HDR FX1 by Sony. They have it for 1200 dollars cheaper than any web site you'll find, plus they offer warranty's and starter kits. I think its funny how Im going through the same thing you are but I think HD is for sure the way to go. If you don't want to spend that much on a camera then expresscameras.com is the way to go. Good luck!

Answer 7

It would be very helpful if you were to list the exact name of the camera - brand, and the specific model number or designation (like "Panasonic AG-HVX200", etc.) because then the video people (us) can give you more specific information. I've been doing a LOT of studying up on this subject - I know a lot more than the so-called "average Joe" on the topic, and I'm still learning a lot. Good luck with your movies... now which camera is it? BTW: you MIGHT have to purchase some software to edit your movies, but without specifics as to which camera and how it "behaves" we won't be able to help you as much - thanks!