Phil Donaldson
> I am looking to purchase a video camera for
> multimedia and client video presentations. I hear
> that the low-end DV cameras are pretty
> affordable and versatile, though the picture has
> been described as "too perfect". However, I
> also hear that some folks prefer the look of high-
> end Hi8. What are the advantages and
> disadvantages of both (I know you can do
> frame-by-frame shooting with DV cams)? What
> are we talking about in terms of price? From
> what I've been told, good Hi8 is around $1,500,
> while DV is in the neighborhood of $2,500.
>
> Feel free to e-mail me directly at phil@hawi.com
> Thanks in advance.
Hmmmm, can it ever be "too perfect"??? ;-)
As a user of various cunsumer Hi-8's and a few
DV camcorders, I would characterize the differences
as:
Hi-8 (some, like the Canon UCS-3 and ES-5000, and
Sony small camcorders), produce an acceptably sharp
original image with fairly high contrast. The Canon
L1 produces a softer, more pleasant image, but with
relative loss of sharpness due to the lower contrast.
Further losses during editing makes Hi-8 unacceptable
to me.
DV one-chip (Sony PC-7, VX-700) produce an image
similar (though somewhat sharper) to the non-L1
Hi-8's, with the 3-chip DV's giving an even sharper
and nicer image (best in good light with the VX-1000,
best in low light with the Pan EZ-1U) - BUT, whatever
image quality you start with can be maintained during
editing with DV (a VERY valuable quality!!!). The
one-chippers, IF you can manually control exposure
for best quality, can produce good images - maybe
good enough for what you want... (especially with the
editing advantage). BTW, the DV camcorders will not
record single frames (darn!!!;-), but 4-5 frame
stretches minimum. Also BTW, I have a near-mint Sony
VX-700 I may sell (if I get enough to justify the
stretch for that second VX-1000 [though the 700 does
have a bit better low-light ability...]). In any
case, I recommend buying a camcorder with optical
(not digital) stabilization, if you intend to use it
(for best image sharpness).
Hope This Helps
David Ruether - http://www.fcinet.com/ruether