Re: HVX300 vs. HVX500 white paper

Hey John-

Coming from a fine 2/3" SD camera like the 600, I would definately lean toward the 500 with it's 2/3" imagers. That little extra available control over your depth of field really means alot for professional work, especially if you're working with ENG-style lenses.

As for SD glass, I used a high-end SD wide zoom with my HDCam (full 2.2m 1080 imager) for a couple of years and all I ever got was repeat calls for more. The picture looked fantastic on the air (HGTV and Food Network shows) and everyone was quite happy. However, that SD lens I used was only two years old at the time...not ten.

In the case of the 500, with it's pixel-shifted SD chips, I would bet that your SD lenses would get you by until you can afford to make the jump to proper HD glass. Be sure to get a good HD monitor and test the lenses carefully. Some will do better than others. I know...that's heresy for some here, but the real world sometimes gets messy. Personally, I'd use a dirty coke bottle for a shot if it got me the look I wanted...it's all about the result.

Funny, a lot of "indy filmmakers" seem to gravitate toward the HPX500...not just for the price, but because they think the picture has a slightly softer, more "filmic" look than many other 2/3" HD cams out there. You might really want to rent one and do some tests before you run that credit card....good luck!

J Cummings
Cameralogic/Chicago
cameralogic.tv
HDX-900/HDW-730S/DXC-D50