Question about Pro/Prosumer Cams

musicvid10 wrote on 8/31/2004, 12:44 PM

I see lots of posts here about stepping up to the GL2, which is by all accounts a great piece of equipment.

My question is, with several good DVCAM models out there in the same price range (~ $2,500), why wouldn't someone wanting to upgrade go that route instead? They can shoot in MiniDV format, so why not have the advantage of both?

Comments

db wrote on 8/31/2004, 4:03 PM

i don't see several new DVCAM models out there for 2,500 ??
IMO for these under $4K camera's DVCAM offers very little advantage .. DVCAM talks about "locked audio" but dv spec's is for audio to be within 1/3 of a frame ... if you were editing on decks then DVCAM would be a huge plus as it can take the shuttling back and forth ( heavy wear on tapes) ...

musicvid10 wrote on 9/1/2004, 10:16 PM

Bringing this to the top again, hoping maybe Spot or others will share their insight.

farss wrote on 9/2/2004, 12:01 AM

If you're shooting ENG or similar, stuff that you REALLY cannot afford to loose then shooting DVCAM is very wise. You get no better pictures and you use up more tape however due to higher write speed and a wider track there's much less risk of dropouts.
Apart from that there's no plus to DVCAM, although a camera that'll take the larger tapes is a big plus for a lot of work but then you're into shoulder mount cameras.
For most I don't think being able to write to tape in DVCAM is a big plus. Quality of lens, audio, CCDs and the degree of control the camera gives you are much bigger factors. Of what's out there now, hard to beat the DVC 30 from Panasonic. This is a not overly expensive camera that doesn't treat the user like a dummy.
Only thing missing is Bluetooth, I mean how can you use a camera without it :)

Bob.

Jessariah67 wrote on 9/2/2004, 7:30 AM

My entire reel to date has been done on a GL1. I plan to add a GL2 (probably three days before they release the GL3...) I love the GL1 for all the reasons most "pros" don't like: it's small; it has a flip-out lcd; it doesn't "look" like a professional camera.

That said, I love how portable it is. I love not having to run around with my face glued to an eye cup. I love being able to shoot in progressive mode. And I've seen some real crap that's been shot on an XL-1s, so "how the camera looks" isn't all that impressive in the long run if you don't know how to use it.

In the past 2 years, I've probably shot over 150 hours on my GL1 and it's been a rock. My only complaint is that its internal noise floor is a bit hissy -- all workable if you use phantom powered mics and turn on the camera's attenuation. I'm hoping the GL2 has an improved preamp, since they added other audio features...