Hey Matt,

Very informative as always. I really dig your videos, keep up the great work!

Here's a question though, What about a recommendation for those of us not quite in the "prosumer" market? Do you have a recommendation in the several hundred dollar range? Particularly something with a mic jack input.

I realize I must be high for thinking that such a camera exists, but curious what you may know of.

Thanks.

I also am looking for a camera that isn't quite in this price range. Perhaps when I hit the lottery I'll be back for one of the cameras you are discussing.

By the way, I also really enjoy your videos. I would like them more if you could keep your sidekicks responses to a minimum. When he talks I tend to nod off ......

Mike

Hi Nate and Mike

I've found a hard drive camera that records in HDV, AND can work on a mac with Final Cut Express.

It's a Sony HDR-SR8. If you check out my home page at http://GetYourVideoOnline.com, you can see an example of a video I shot using this camera.

It's just brilliant for online stuff!

Gideon Shalwick
GetYourVideoOnline.com

External Mic input? Very important in my opinion.

I haven't shot with the JVC but I like its form factor more over the hvx200, however, the solid state functionality with the hvx is ambitious and gives far more options for shooting different resolutions and frame rates. Between the two I would probably dismiss both and go for something like the Canon Xh-A1 solely because it doesn't interpolate the image to achieve HD like the HVX does, and its cheaper than both choices at around 3100.00. IMHO the Canon Xh-a1 has the best image quality most of the time between all the competition under 5500.00. The Canon would also be compatible with a fire store and would overall be a cheaper option with the fire store over the JVC. Granted an interchangeable lens is a nice feature but with a decent lens running near the price of the camera the interchangeability doesn't have much appeal to myself. Especially when there are many other ways to incorporate interchangeable lens with Redrock, Letus or Brevis systems.

So was this the final episode? Would be nice to get a response .....

I know this is off topic, but can you tell me the name of the music in the background of this video!
I know it from childhood but I can't search for it or buy it cause I don't know anything about it.
I'd much appreciate your help on this.

Both cameras have external audio inputs and are capable of receiving mic level and line level inputs. As for the response episode, it is in the works and will be coming shortly. Viewer input will play a large role, so keep watching and commenting. Hold tight for our new ep on shooting to a firestore external hard drive with different types of cameras of dv cameras.

Fellas.... what happened between you two ?
Where is the love ? Not since the iphone holiday special.
I hope you guys get jiggy again. I miss it.
Big hug,
Sean

Put on a shirt and tie, and get a real job !!!!

You guys are great!! Nice cameras too.

Is it done? No More S-A? Poo!

These two cameras were developed differently for a reason, but overall the HVX is superior.

The first advantage to an HVX is the variable frame rates. The 110u can only shoot 24p, 25p, 30p and 60p. This allows for slow motion, but gives no flexibility to mild fast motion effects. For instance, if you wished to film a fight scene at 22 fps and play it back at 24 fps to make the motion fast but still believable, you would have to do this artificially in the editing system which almost always looks inferior to true under cranking.

Another mention is color space. The 110u records to a 4:2:0 color space, unless you use a component output which most aren't likely to be using regularly as it becomes an inconvenience for location shoots. This is a relatively low color sampling specification, and causes numerous problems in keying. On the other side, the HVX has a 4:2:2 color space, which has theoretically twice the chrominance information. This makes pixel perfect keys achievable.

Yet another feature on the HVX that the 110u doesn’t have anywhere near an equivalent to is cinematic features. The HVX comes implemented with three different gamma curves and a “cine matrix” setting. From my research, the 110u’s cinematic features aren’t nearly as powerful.

This next point, increased image size, is very useful for times when a production will be viewed on a large screen. The HVX has a maximum image size of 1080p, otherwise known as “Full HD” in the consumer market. The 110u, however, only shoots 720p. Besides not looking as good on large screens or on a film blowup, higher resolutions tend to improve visual effects, especially in motion tracking and keying, due to its increased detail.

The final point that will be discussed here is format compatibility. 110u’s “Pro HD” is a relatively new format, while “DVCPRO” has been around for much longer. Because of this, more editing systems accept Panasonic’s format, even though the “Pro HD” format is basically an upgrade to HDV.

Some 110u advantages have been reported, but will be countered in this next section.

The first reported positive 110u feature is interchangeable lenses. This can easily be matched on an HVX by purchasing a lenses adaptor, such as the letus or redrock. These adaptors can give as little light loss as 1/2 of a stop, and each of them vibrate, making them produce a clean image.

A second counter that will be given is for shoulder mounting. For cameras without this feature, such as the HVX200, accessories can be purchased to make shoulder mounting possible.

A final counter to the 110u’s advantages is image sensor pixel amount. The reason the HVX has such a low pixel amount is because of its pixel-offset method to achieve HD resolution. Doing this, it doesn’t need all of the pixels necessary to achieve HD resolution. This method causes a resolution drop of around 15%, though it is unnoticeable, as the video is down sampled by more than that anyway to fit the specifications of DVCPRO HD.

By now, it is obvious which camera is the better product. The HVX is more professional, more adaptive, and more flexible. If both were the same price point, it would be a clear choice. However, they aren’t, making the choice depend on the customer’s budget. The HVX is a better value, but not all can afford it. That is why the HVX is a better product overall.

-Warrior of X