Re: JAN...please respond, thanks.

Chris,


Your consultant and you have overlooked a major item involving the purchase of capital equipment which is how many of your clients are already willing or currently using the P2 post workflow.

Just because you are excited about the camera does not reflect what "9 out of 10" of your clients are willing to accept and pay for.

Any professional who has been in this business for quite sometime will tell you the perils of buying the first generation of any new product. You are and will be on the bleeding edge and will bear the pain of paving a new road for yourself and clients at the expense of an unproven track record.

The SDX-900 although it is at the end of the its product cycle has a proven client base, established post production workflow and can be purchased quite cheaply. The forthcoming HD products are all first generation, have no long term established track record or end user reports based on real world shooting conditions which you and I face every day.

Lab reports can be misleading at best given the circumstances we face in the world under these "real world" scenarios.

Regarding the magically 24P option it is not an easy software fix to make a camera magically output 24P instead it is all about hardware. The camera design was long ago approved and there is little chance that a month before NAB it will magically have 24P added unless this was already in the planning stages.

I recommend you take a wait and watch approach and see if P2 does indeed catch on and become the next best thing since sliced bread. Have you researched if any major rental facilities in your area are even considering the camera? If not ask why? If a major rental facility can forecast a product will generate alot of rentals then they will buy it if not they will wait and see or bypass it all together. Are there any broadcasters or major corporate end users you have spoken to who will or have adopted P2?
Start asking the hard questions and listen to the answers before allowing the lust for technology to blind you. Have you spoken with any of the other local freelancers to discuss what their plan are?

You do not want to be an orphan alone with a single camera and nowhere to go when you need a backup or second unit. You may even want to consider renting the unit first to discover all the hidden bugs and workarounds required before you dive in head first. "Try before you buy" can work to your advantage when making a major purchase.

One major rental facility I work with decided to forego the HVX-200 because it did not fit into their client base. Even with a diverse client base they felt P2 did not fit into their overall plan at this time for others this may be a different case.

One last note no manufacturer can honestly provide an answer what is best for your clients needs and expections. All they can do is hype what they have to offer and hope it works out for you. In the end it's your money and you need to be quite cautious and figure out what your clients really need and are willing to actually pay for.

Have you asked any of your clients if they would commit in writing to hiring your HD P2 package before you make a purchase or are they just blowing smoke.

You don't need to rush into this purchase only to suffer the pains of being the first on the block with the newest toy which no one really needs.

The best thing you can do is research, research and more research.

I personally recommend waiting for the 2nd or 3rd generation versions which will have had a chance to establish a proven track record.



Good luck,



Tony Salgado