The question that is more easily answered relates to the benefits of HDV over SD, and you'll find various threads about that on this site. I believe the arguments for HDV win easily over SD (even when delivery is SD), but you'll find other opinions strongly held (probably now less so than 12 months ago).
On the camera I presume you'll be looking for similar facilities on a new camera and I suggest you consider more widely than the FX7 before making a choice. You might have already looked at http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?f=61Digital Video Information Network[/link]. There are good reasons for choosing the more "professional" partner in camera models (V1 rather than FX7, Z1 rather than FX1) while cost is the usual reason for taking the cheaper option. On the other hand size and weight and operational requirements might favour a "consumer" camera, such as the Canon HV20 (which has received some praise from professionals using it as a "B" camera); see http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?f=139Canon HV20[/link] for user discussion.
You need to answer the questions: purpose, cost limitations, facilities needed (including computers and software).

EDIT: I just popped over to the CML site to check postings about the HV20. Opinion covers the ground from "nice" to "just OK as a note taker". The site has limited membership and you may have difficulty getting access, but http://ls.cinematography.net/read/messages?id=118631professional users of HV20[/link] shows that my memory "praise as a B camera" is an exaggeration! There is some praise and some powerful criticism.

All other things being equal, the camcorder I really want is the Canon XH-A1. However, my budget doesn't lend itself to spending that much.

Hi Salamander

I have the FX7, but not the Canon. I bought it to start out and try HDV too. I think it's a great camera, but not outstanding. It is f.ex. not at all as good in low light as my PD170, and backlight is also not htat well.

If you need to do a lot indoore shooting you will probably need extra light a lot. Overall I think it's a good camera to the price.

If you decide for the FX7, the VASST guys have a training DVD on this camera that is really good.

/Ulf

The HC7 has the same chip as the FX7, I believe. (Excuse me, 3 to 1) So...

I have both the Sony HC7 and the Canon HV20. After using both, and reading everything out there on these as well as the FX7 and XH A1, I would probably go for the XH A1 today. The XH A1 seems like the best of all worlds in this loose price range, NOT PERFECT, but still on top.

I favor the HC7 over the Canon HV20. I find the menus more sensible, controls easier and/or more intuitive to operate, and the overall build of better quality. But the HV20 is no slouch either. Both camcorders put out video of equal quality.

If you do outdoor shooting in average to bright daylight, the HC7 requires the use of step-up ring and an ultra contrast filter. There is simply no dynamic range to these camcorders. Most people worry about low light? I worry about daylight!

even if the budget did stretch for an a1, try a touchy feely session first. as i wrote, operating the rocker, whilst still firmly holding the camera and pulling focus was next to impossible for my 'small hands'.

leslie

I'm stretching my budget ($2,500) to get to the FX7 - the XH-A1 is about $700 more after the rebate. Is there a better HD camcorder than the FX7 at $2,500?

I shoot with an FX1 and a Sony HC3 as the B camera. HDV is wonderful. Only downside is the possibility of tape dropouts, which cause a 1/2 second freeze. If you are doing documentary stuff then any single shot is probably not super critical to the success of the project, and you can probably shoot with the Sony blue tapes (dirt-cheap at $3; maybe 1 dropout in 40 tapes). For critical "get the shot or die" stuff then use the brown Sony tapes ($10). Another option is to shoot to hard disk, but that's a much more clumsy method for on-the-go shooting, in my opinion.

Just as there are Presbyterians and Lutherans, there are Canon people and Sony people. I enjoyed briefly using the Canon HV20 I borrowed recently, but to me there is something to the "feel" of a Sony. Solid and dependable, that sort of thing. Could be just marketing.

I'd be very much interested to hear of people's experiences with the 240 fps frame rate capability of the FX7.

I'm considering buying this model for outdoor shooting of baseball pitchers for motion analysis 'on the cheap'--that is, cheaper than the most accesible 500 fps solution which is pretty much inaccessible to me at this time.

Three weeks ago I completed my first HDV production using Sony HVR-V1U and HDR-HC3. During editing, I also used footage shot with our Sony VX-2000.

When I rendered the project to standard def MPEG-2 for DVD, there were no glaring differences between the V1U and HC-3, but the standard def footage looked incredibly bad by comparison.

The footage from the HC-3, a cheap consumer HDV camera, so outclassed the standard def footage that I immediately sold my personal camera - a Canon XL-1. I plan on replacing the XL-1 with a Sony HVR-A1U single-chip camera.