Thanks Tom. I just read that the 2100 improves it slightly - 24 exposure gradations vs 19 - but I'm not sure how smooth that will make it. I wonder if the GL-2 has a smoother control?

Tony

I LOVE my VX2000 camera, but agree that it would be nice to have a finer gradation of f-stops. You can notice a single detent change in the VX2000, but I would assume the 2100 would make it barely noticeable--nothing to worry about.

As mentioned, the slow zoom on both cameras is pretty slow. I frankly would prefer even more of a ramp, but I'm spoiled by the $100k camera/zoom assemblies that you can play with at shows like the NAB. In other words, I think you'll find it good enough.

These cameras are built on a magnesium frame (not plastic, like the GL2) and are popular with rental houses. Maybe you could rent one for a day, or find someone in your circle of friends who would loan one to you.

If you have a choice between the Vx2000 or Vx2100, I would go for the PD-150.

OK, I am being a bit flippant, but I am qualified since I have both the 2000 and PD-150. Why would someone try to save a few dollars on the camera (Vx2000) then spend another $300 for the accessories that makes it more like the PD-150 in the first place?

As far as the choice from the VX2000 or 2100, I am really disappointed in the new viewfinder. If your eye isn't dead center over the eyepiece, you see a distorted image. (Same argument applies for the PD-150 and PD-170).

Thanks very much everyone for the advice and info. The PD-150 looks like a great choice, especially at current prices and with its audio extras.

I also own a VX-2000. One thing I have recently started doing is toggling the auto exposure button when I need a quick adjustment, but leaving it in manual for most of the time. Use your 70 ire zebra setting to ensure good exposure. When the exposure is set automatically, you don't see the "jump" between settings, but a gradual ramp up or down. Then you can toggle the exposure back to manual and make a slight adjustment if needed. Some people will tell you "all manual, all the time," but with the run and gun nature of most wedding shoots, sometimes a little automatic in the right places goes a long way.

Corey

I have two vx2000's. In manual you do see a jump, but corey has a good idea to avoid it. The zoom works very well, but I often use a aux zoom controller for fine adjustments. As far as vx2000 vs the pd-150, the point the other guy made about spending additional $$ to add on xlr box. That is exactly why I chose the vx2000, because I don't want all that heavy wiring for two wireless mics (in addition to a light if your using both) pulling and hanging from the top of my camera. I have better controls and no fighting of wires from my XLR box mounted on the bottom of my vx2000.

I use the studio1 box instead of the beachtek because I like the XLR wires hanging from my belt instead of from the camera.

http://www.studio1productions.com/xlr-bp_pro.htm

The only thing I don't like about my VX-2000 is that the 16:9 mode sucks. I do the 16:9 stretch in Vegas, but I'd rather be shooting 16:9.

Thanks, after getting excited about the PD-150 I spent most of today reading reviews and user comments and ran into all the complaints about its focus and backfocus problems. Do any of you 2000/2100 owners have focus troubles with those models or is it limited to the PD-150 and 170?

Tony

I've owned a VX2000 for four years. It's an iron pony. It does have its limitations, but the build quality is magnificent. Everything about its mechanical performance screams quality.

Now audio ... there's another issue altogether. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get clean audio. It's just not a good camera if you need pro-caliber audio.

Never noticed any focus problems except that the viewfinder doesn't facilitate focusing very well. I wind up using push focus. I do have other smaller complaints, like you can't set white balance while the audio meters are on the screen. Little quirks that I'm sure all cameras have.

From a cost/feature perspective, though, I doubt there's a finer camera on the market.

The BBC online training site has information for shooting with teh VX2000 and PD150. They recommend temporarily toggling the automatic functions when you need it.

Ask for the link...

Thanks Glenn, I've been reading those BBC pdf files. Seems like an amazing number of gyrations just to be in focus - especially for fast-changing events. I currently use a Panasonic AG-EZ30 and don't have any focus troubles.

The DVX100A is starting to look a bit more attractive (except I really like what I've read about the Sony low-light capabilities). Guess I'm going to have to start making one of those comparison spreadsheets :)

I did find what looks to be a good solution for the little jump that can occur at the beginning of slow zooms:

http://www.digitalprods.com/zoe.htm

Audio is problematic with the VX2000. However, you can avoid much of the dreaded hiss problem by using a hotter mic, such as the Sennheisers, and keeping the manual gain indication below 50%.

The hiss isn't that bad with the AGC setting. It's the manual setting that seems to have the most hiss. I agree with the idea of using a hotter output mic. I have been using a Sennheiser ME66. Unfortunately it's not that great a sounding mic.

I found some interesting data at other sites:

"all PD150's created after serial #1003300 (approx.) were shipped free of this (hiss) problem."

and,

"Testing a newer PD150, serial 1019621, I see no focus drift."

I didn't read the other replies so maybe this has already been answered in the same way:

1) In short, no. It seems that auto exposure can adjust the iris in finer incriments. The PD-170 however allows for smaller incrimental adjustments to the iris. While not perfect, it's much better than the jumps in exposure you'll see with the VX

2) Yes. But not with the zoom rocker. In order to get a silky smooth start and stop on your zooms and/or pulls you have to use the zoom ring on the lense. I actually find the fact that it's a "zoom by wire" style it helps smooth out my manual zooms.

I also use the Studio 1 XLR box on my vx2000's as Laurence does, but I disagree with two statements he made. I shoot almost always in 16:9 mode & edit with Vegas. The video looks great, on my Hi-def Sony 50", if shot properly. As for audio hiss, you better set it on manual and adjust it correctly, and you can get clean audio from aux. mics like Azden wireless & shotgun mics. Don't use automatic audio AGC, it will hiss and sound terrible. Unless you want to set up a special shot, leave the camera on auto focus. The auto focus works wonderfully, unlike the Canon XL1.

I use the AGC quite a bit lately with my VX-2000, a Rode Videomic, and a short 6" 10db pad cable. The AGC is a compromise, but for run and gun stuff not having to set audio levels is one less thing to worry about. The VX2000 AGC expects a mic to close to the same level as the built in VX 2000 stereo mic. The Videomic is a lot hotter than that, so you need to pad down the mic level about 10 db. I have a little 6 inch 10 db pad cable that I got from microphonemadness.com. It works great.

If it's a critical interview or something, I boom it without the attenuator cable and set the level manually, but most of the time, with the Videomic at least, I just plug in through the attenuator and let the AGC circuit do it's thing. It sounds fine.

There was an article in DV Magazine a few years ago that showed that the 16-bit PCM audio from a VX-2000/PD-150 type camera was decent but far from the theoretical ideal. There are mods that you can do to overcome this, if you ever note this limitation--frankly, I don't.

As to autofocus, I've never seen my VX-2000 hunt while in autofocus mode. I've also never noticed any "jump" in slow zoom. The only thing I'm not especially fond of is the heft--the thing has a metal body, and it's built like a tank.

Edit: My previous Sony camera was purchased slightly used. It worked fine but there was a small crack in the front of the case, and the backfocus was off. A week at the Sony repair place fixed the backfocus issue, and the camera has been through all sorts of extremes since then, with no issues. I assume that someone had dropped the camera, which cracked the case and knocked the CCD assembly out of adjustment.

It's not just me who thinks that the hiss in manual is worse than it is in AGC. Here are some others saying the same thing:

http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0007/videosmith.htm

"Sadly, both cameras share an identical audio problem. In manual audio there is a discernible, bothersome hiss, even with the input pots turned down. The hiss disappears in AGC. I�m afraid that manual is practically useless."

Here's another article which relates the audio hiss to manual mode:

http://www.ferrario.com/ruether/sony_dcr-vx2000.htm

"Upon its initial release, many Sony users were terrified to find that the PD150 (and VX2000) had an audible audio hiss problem. The problem manifested itself when the camera was taken out of Audio Gain Control (AGC) and placed in manual audio mode. For a time, Sony denied the hiss problem existed, but eventually relented under mounting consumer pressure. The PD150's owners were offered a fix, and all PD150's created after serial #1003300 (approx.) were shipped free of this problem. Unfortunately Sony considers the VX2000 a 'consumer' model camera and therefore refused to fix the audio hiss problem on this model."

And yet another:

http://www.digitalfilmmaker.com/DVAudio/DVAudio/00000050.htm

"If you have to live with it, best to use the camera in AGC (auto) mode as the manual audio setting is even worse"

Laurence, my own tests don't support the assertion that the camera is better in AGC than in manual, and I certainly would disagree with the reviewers statement that "manual is practically useless".

If pristine audio is a requirement, then a camera lacking XLR jacks and individually adjustable audio channels just isn't going to be the one to choose (VX200/2100). For most applications, I find the audio to be satisfactory. For more critical sound needs, I record double sound to a minidisc recorder and sync them in post.