Is the new Sony Handycam a good buy

Do we have any tentative dates on those?

I suppose they must be coming out soon now that Sony's released theirs.
No dates, but unless you're in a serious rush I see no need to buy anything first gen. It seems companies are more interested in using their first releases as a beta test than releasing quality product...
 
24Mbps - does that mean 1 second of footage is 24 MB? so a minute would be like 1 and a half gig? that cant be right...? also you couldnt really attatch an external because it only has a 3.5mm and people here have said that will caus buzzing or interference or something?

Megabit (Mb) != Megabyte (MB)

A byte is eight bits, so at 24 Mbps one second of footage is about 3 MB, and a minute is about 180 MB.
 
Hope I am not out of line... with my comments...
Pretty little Camera (for home movies) that E-mount Sony Handycam you all are talking about. Sony knows how to MARKET ! All camera companies do. IT IS THERE BUSINESS.
Bottom line. Know what your market is and how you plan to distribute your creative work... When it comes to equipment, go as far as you can with the dollar. Cause it is the final IMAGE and the AUDIO quality that truely sells your story (if you do everything else correctly as well - story creation, casting, cinematography, editing, lighting, directing and etc.). Oh, and certain amount of luck and proper timing can also help...
Think I'll stick with buying 2 (two) 3X 1/2" Exmor CMOS Sensors, 35Mbps PMW EX-3 cameras later this fall. I prefer the 1080p 30P for eventual BluRay distribution of new work (but also does 24p @ 35Mbps). Check out the footage from the PMW EX-3. And the PMW EX-3 camera offers Interchangeable Lens too. You should check out the HXR-NX5U NXCAM or HDR-AX2000 AVCHD for making movies as well, they are a lot less $$$. I have a slight Sony bias...
Red and Scarlet... LOL... out of my price range... and I prefer to own (2 cameras for multi-shoots and back-up) not rent.
 
Hello. So I am ready to start playing with the big boys and girls and step up to the world of HD. So I plan on off-loading my Canon GL2 with all the fixin's I've accumulated over the years and use those funds towards a new HD camera (I'll augment the difference using some of what my Uncle Sam owes me).

So here's the deal. I have narrowed down my research to two cameras - the NEX-VG10 and the GH2. There are pros and cons with both of these cameras that I have been studying for weeks now.

For instance, among other things I like the GH2's variable frame rate, picture quality and the fact that it shoots in full HD in 24p. I am having problems with the fact that it is a DSLR (form factor) and the drawbacks with that (a cap on shooting time and the battery life issues). But if I were to go DSLR, this is it for me.

Now I am sweet on the NEX-VG10 because, well, and no offense to the DSLR crowd, it's a proper camcorder - that has the one thing that most camcorders (in my price range) do not, interchangeable lenses. I like the huge, almost DSLR sized CMOS chip which helps with DoF manipulation and low light shooting capabilities. Now this camera also has some things that scare me too. For instance the fact that it shoots 60i and not 24p and to be honest I am not sure if this camera is really meant for the Indie shooter or is biased more towards the home video maker. Then it's audio capabilities concern me too, but I was planning on capturing my audio in a separate system anyways as the DSLR is no audio champ to begin with either.

So, this is some of what I know, what I have learned about these two options. But as with all analysis and study - paralysis tends to creep in and one fails to see the trees from the forest. So I need some insight from the faithful on here. I was reading some of your posts from before and noticed that the VG10 was not very popular a few months ago. I would like to know where people stand on this now. Please consider that I am a noob and I am maybe 5 - 7 years away from an attempt at any sort of feature work. However, I also would like to submit shorts to festivals so I need to have quality video also.

I am not set in stone against DSLRs from a narrative storytelling POV. I just have a problem with them from an interview type deal or any effort that involves longer shooting times. Does anyone even know how long one can use a GL2 until it needs to be cooled down? Just wondering.

So that's it in a nutshell. There are things that I have come across in my research that I did not mention in this post but feel free to drop as much knowledge on me as possible because this purchase is going to be it for me until I am ready for a feature or the AF100 (or something like it) comes within my price range. As usual thanks for all of your help on this.

Kosh
 
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