The Great Camera Battle of 2009

We’ve been using a Sony VX2000 as our primary camera since 2002. The camera has been real solid for us as up and coming amateur filmmakers, but lacks several key features that are needed in today’s environment:

• It does not shoot HD
• Lacks XLR audio inputs
• Does not offer alternate frame rates
• And its doesn’t have the ability to imitate 24P / film look

The VX2000 does have broadcast quality color and is a true hero shooting in low light situations.

But it is time for an upgrade.

THE CONTENDERS

Panasonic AG-HMC150

The HMC150 definitely can capture some good looking images. It records in AVCHD, which means you need a really high performance machine in order to edit it. This camera has an impressive array of recording modes and the AVCHD format lets you achieve long record times.

JVC GY-HM100U

This is an amazing camera. It is small but powerful. The major flaw to this camera is that is has 1/4″ CCDs instead of 1/3″, which the Sony Z5U has. This means it might not work as well in low light situations. I like how this camera can shed the XLR inputs and become a more compact unit for less pro situations. It also only records to SD memory cards, which are cheap. That also makes it light because it isn’t bogged down with a tape deck and all the moving parts that go along with one.

Sony HVR-Z5U

Sony’s offering is pretty solid. It has the recording formats that I need, has the ability to record to tape or SD, and has a really good lens. It also offers a 1/3″ CCDs which makes it a pretty solid choice. It is a much bigger camera than the other two, but it records to tape which could end up being the movst convenient way to shoot video and store backups of footage. Tapes are pretty cheap and more reliale than SD cards.

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I haven’t made a final decision yet on which camera I am going with. Some will say that my list isn’t complete without a Canon, but I’ve used Canon in the past and really don’t like the footage they shoot. Canon images lack a real solid depth of color. Also something I noticed in my research was that any of these cameras can create great results if they are being used by someone who knows what they’re doing. Overall the camera that I think most closely summarizes what I am looking for is the JVC, although it is a leap of faith- if I end up not liking the tapeless workflow it would be a terrible mistake.