Posted by Spex on 10/16/06 18:58

Toby wrote:
> "Bill Farnsworth" <bill.farnsworth@verizon.net> wrote in message
> news:TZuYg.714$kG5.622@trndny07...
>> <mv@movingvision.co.uk> wrote in message
>> news:LiN7ztDtYnMFFw9T@movingvision.demon.co.uk...
>>> Cricky Bill ! It must be the waiting for going HD that's causing SP to
>>> linger on in the US then. SP has all but disappeared over here, I still
>>> keep a PVW2800 just in case, and have lots of SP archived. All the TV
>>> news here is digital. BBC accept DVCAM, Digi Beta and SX for news, all
>>> 16x9 of course. XDCAM HD and HDCAM for news and everything else is just
>>> around the corner. HDV will be accepted as HD compatible just as soon as
>>> the old farts assertions to the contrary have become overwhelmingly self
>>> evident.
>>> --
>>> John Lubran
>> I know John.
>> It's just that the HD-XDCam available right now has three 1/2" chips
>> configuration.
>> The SD-XDCam that is used has three 2/3" chips.
>> Most of us freelancers consider the 1/2" chipped camera a "bridge" camera.
>> I am not too keen on spending $25,000 on a camera body and another $9,000
>> on a 1/2 chip lens that will be superceded in a short time by a $32,000
>> 2/3" HD body and another 10 grand on a compatible lens.
>>
>> Bill
>
> Ah, remember the good old days when Beta SP would keep you in business for
> the foreseeable future?
>
> Over here in Japan no one knows what's coming or going. The networks are
> halfway between Beta SP or DVCPro25/50 and HD (like the VariCam and a new
> 2/3" body recently introduced that shoots DVCProHD for about $18,000--I
> don't know about Sony's offerings). The head of the largest production
> company over here tells me that these days many clients are specifying the
> Z1, but everyone is nervous about buying new equipment because of the speed
> at which developments are happening...
>
> Toby
>
>

I can only see a market for super high-end offerings and lower cost
cameras with the current pace of development. Who is realistically
going to invest in mid-range (XDCAM HD/DVCPROHD) equipment knowing they
have to get the return on their investment in a year 'cause the camera
will be superseded the next? Particularly as the quality difference
between low cost cameras and the mid-range really isn't that great anymore.

I've just been to a demo of the Canon XH-A1 and have also seen some
clips from the new Sony HVR-V1E and I can say I was blown away. I've
not seen a camera handle such a wide dynamic range so effortlessly as
the V1E this side of Digibeta. It is simply incredible and for less
than £3k too.

If there was a choice between Digibeta or one of the new HDV cams
someone is going to have to come up with an extremely compelling reason
not to shoot HDV...

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