Camera advice

I don't know much about video other than I would like to know what the best value out there in an HD video camera or at least a very hight quality 16X9 type format 1080i or close. What are the price ranges and are there housings? Saw the Sony HC3 post but did not see anything on B&H. Thanks

Best value ? How about a Sony HC1 $1500 and Ikelite housing $1200.

going to stay out of the best camera / best value debate...

That said, make sure you understand that many "16x9" cameras are 4x3 and they crop the top and bottm to make the resulting image 16x9.

Now where did I see "the best camera is the one you happen to be carrying ..."

Nevertheless I just upgraded from a TRV 950 to an HVR-A1P so I can shoot 'true 16:9' in both DV and in HDV. I went for the A1 vs. the HC1 for the manual assign WB.

Hi NickJ, very interested to you impressions using A1 underwater. I have a TRV950 and i'm considering to upgrade me too with an A1 but scared about low light sensibility....and thinking also to upgrade maybe to a FX1 or Z1 in A1 results are not very good. How are your footages? How work A1? Are you impressed by footage? And in low light conditions?

Thank you very much.

ERIK

Truth is I haven't used the A1 u/w yet and probably won't until later in March. However you may be interested in my decision process.

I agonized over this choice as it seems (is) undisputable that the FX1/Z1 has better low light performance and overall 'picture quality' - see critical comparison at http://www.tvtechnology.com/reviews/featur...5-er-sony.shtml (but bear in mind this guy is a very tough reviewer)

I so nearly bought an FX1 in December - even getting the best quotes and ordering in at a local supplier in Singapore. THEN I saw ShawnH's beast, AND his Phenom housing (pre electronic WB dramas!) and I went into travel anticipation shock - this combination is a BUGGER to transport and carry, let alone steady on a bouncing inflatable - Shawn is a lot younger and fitter than me - the guy's a champion mountain biker, skier, and also does weights!

So then I started re-considering the A1 again (I had already dismissed it earlier based on anecdotes about picture quality vs FX1). For me there was no consideration for the HC1 - you have to have WB in an u/w rig. Eventually I weighed up the size, the true HDV capabilities, the features, and looked very hard at some of the comparison photos and clips people have on the web - I couldn't see any significant difference.

Also my needs included a move to HD editing, and have I have bought a post production set up which allows me to do that (G5 Quad w/Final Cut Studio) so I wanted to be able to capture and edit HD material. I looked at the discussions about HDV editing and the alternatives (Panasonic does DVCPRO HD etc), and again realised that there was not a lot of choice that wasn't very expensive and very big.

So I finally bit the bullet and bought the damn thing! And although I have only had it for a few days I am really very delighted. The picture quality is awesome for my purposes (huge improvement over DV of course), and the low light (on land) seems to be a lot better than my 950.

Now - if you only intend to do DV editing and SD DVD burning, I don't think there is a real reason to upgrade. If you have the desire, the money and the muscles and the travel budget, go FX1. For me the A1 is an excellent compromise, and I've not seen a quality issue yet. I can live with the 'better low light than 950' as I've used the 950 for a few years and know how to optimize. I'll try and move to a dome port soon, vs sticking a lump of glass on the lens (w/a converter) for instance ...

Ultimately 'Caveat Emptor' - you need to do your due diligence, but it seems to be a great choice for my needs. Good luck making your decision

Thank you Nick, really helpfull for me your description.

In fact is the same think i was thinking: but not sure about A1 results underwater and waiting for some demo shots.... I'm also evaluating how big will be the L&M housing for FX1 ad how will be possible to bring it like a hanb baggage... Differently i will go to bring a new A1e.

Thank you

ERIK

scubadru will be back from Indonesia shortly after extensively using the A1 with a modded Sea and Sea housing; we'll have to grill him on his experiences ....

Hey, you never told me you bought it....