"Mac" <azhummer@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:3f3bd44f.26046793@news.individual.net...

> I currently have a Sony Dig-8 TRV-103 camera. Want to upgrade to a

> 3-CCD model to get a far superior picture. Have heard incredible

> reviews on the VX-2000 after sifting through weeks of usenet here.

It is an excellent top-end consumer-level camera. I review it at:

www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/sony_dcr-vx2000.htm. BTW, you

may as well know the "ickies" of video and Mini-DV images

while getting into this - so also see:

www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/vid_pict_characts.htm.

> Here are my primary video uses:

>

> * Outdoor shots a plenty (Arizona mountain ranges and desert shots in

> the beaming AZ sun)

You want the highest resolution you can get (particularly

if there is little motion, which can cause "mosquito noise" with

sharp Mini-DV images) - and you want the least sharpening.

The VX2000 is a good choice in its class for this. As MR

pointed out, though, you can get better image quality in terms

of less motion artifacting and better tonality with larger chips

in more expensive cameras - though you cannot get better

image resolution (the VX2000 about maxes out that for the

format...).

> * Sunsets (clouds & lightning too)

The tonality of the VX2000 is good for this - it retains

the necessary detail in bright and dark areas...

> * Animal wildlife and Fauna

Here I'd be tempted to look at the GL2 for its 20X zoom

range - though otherwise I prefer the VX2000...

> * Some Night-time low-lit street scenes in the city

VX2000 - though be aware that bright point lights can cause

problems in the image with the stabilizer on (turn it off, if

necessary).

> * Some interior/house shots

> (bottom 2 uses should be set with VX-2k reported low light ability I

> assume)

Yes - it produces good low light images, though good white-balance

(correctable) can be a problem with some dim light sources...

> Will the VX-2000 look as good as the $3k-$4k level of cameras for the

> outdoor arizona landscape shots?

Yes and no. Probably for practical purposes, yes - and you

can correct tones and color in post. If you allow for this, no

D25 camera will give a noticably better final image, though some

expensive ones may need less correction... Going to lower

compression with much bigger chips will look better, though,

but you don't want to know the price...;-)

>Audio is not a big priority, its

> image quality I'd like to upgrade for. Breathtaking sunset shots are

> important as well. Want to make some nice edited home videos for out

> of state relatives. Keep in mind I would use Vegas or Premiere for

> post work after I buy and learn them from scratch :(

The VX2000 will be fine for this...

> If agreed on the VX-2000 for my particular usage, some add'l

> questions:

>

> Don't know much more about the advantages to a shoulder mount other

> than stability shots when its on the shoulder as opposed to palms.

> Looking for input why I might prefer the DSR-250 (if this is indeed

> exact same optics as VX-2000 but shoulder?)

Overkill. Find a good handling technique for you, or use a good

fluid-head tripod (NOT cheap, alas...). BTW, you may find this

interesting: www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/VX2000_odds.htm.

> And lastly, excuse the newbie here. Is it recommended for panoramic

> mountain shots I get the wide angle lense for the VX2k? Would

> appreciate any input on the use of filters/extra lenses for my

> particular uses explained above. Links to FAQ's on outdoor

> desert/mtn/sunset shooting work too.

I like WAs, but to keep mountains looking large, use a pan instead

(as another poster recommended). The resolution of this camera

used with some WA converters is good enough that the images

look sharp though detail may be small. Even fisheyes can look good

on this camera viewing a Mini-DV or good DVD copy on a good

TV - but if the final product is a VHS copy, it may not work...

For more on WA converters for the VX2000, see:

www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/WA-converters.htm. For sunsets, etc.,

try shooting some and see what happens (the data code on the tape

will tell you most things about how you shot them - but for settings

that don't show up in the data code, keep notes...).

--

David Ruether

d_ruether@hotmail.com

http://www.David-Ruether-Photography.com