Hey guys, I'm on a small budget and I don't know what type of camcorder, high def.,to get for the price. Is it worth getting the Sony HVR-Z1 for that extra money or is the HDR-FX1 good enough. I need the cameras for a short 45minute film. 
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I need a cheap good HD camcorder
- Thread starter Felix Smith
- Start date
This may not be what you're looking for, but between HDV or shooting SD DV on an XL-2 or DVX at 24p, I'd shoot the 24p DV. Or, if HD is that important and I had the budget, I'd rent a Varicam.
I'm pretty sure fx1 footage can't be transfered to dvd at the moment and if you want to watch it on a tv you have to export it back to the dv tape and play it through the camera. The only supported nle systems are final cut express and iMovie HD apparently so that could be a downside. Don't know about pcs though...
Vegas 6 is supposed to support HDV natively as well. I can't confirm that though since I use neither vegas nor HDV.
Honestly, if you are just going to go to DVD a good SD camera will be the best. Film is another story of course...
The problem with the FX1 is that it doesn't have XLR inputs for pro mics. Of course, if you weren't planning on using a professional mic in the first place that wouldn't be an issue.
Honestly, if you are just going to go to DVD a good SD camera will be the best. Film is another story of course...
The problem with the FX1 is that it doesn't have XLR inputs for pro mics. Of course, if you weren't planning on using a professional mic in the first place that wouldn't be an issue.
Shaw said:Honestly, if you are just going to go to DVD a good SD camera will be the best. Film is another story of course...
Even if you're going to film, the HDV footage is problematic because it isn't 24p, which means shooting 60i, which means you might as well go with 24p SD. At least IMO. Plus the compression scheme of HDV makes me wonder how well it would hold up on film. I've seen DVX footage on the big screen and it's simply fantastic.
If you're going to DVD, I wouldn't exactly say that HD is a waste. I've always been a proponent of HD acquisition even for SD output. But you're still dealing with the questionable properties of HDV, which are the long form GOP, the highly compressed bitrate, the lack of 24p (so far), and the inferior SD.