On Thu, 01 Aug 2002 06:39:40 GMT, "Lee and Nancy Mari"
>My church is near the point of purchasing 3 camcorders to use as studio
>cameras and we are faced with a hard choice.
>
> buy PD150's over the internet
>or
> (buy Canon GL2 or Sony VX2000 from a local supplier)
>
>re the PD150's over the internet. I love the cameras, but hate the notion
>of an internet purchase - especially where a large number of people will be
>using the cameras. Is remote service really a problem when buying from a
>reputable dealer?
No - these should be serviced by Sony, same for local or
internet purchase. Stick with good dealers (bhphotovideo
is reputable, and is a listed Sony internet dealer - and it
accepts exchanges/refunds gracefully if there are problems
found in the first 7 days [DO CHECK GEAR OUT UPON RECEIPT]).
>re GL2 vs VX2000. Does one have a major advantage/disadvantage over the
>other?
It appears the VX2000 has the sharper image, and has the
better low light range; the GL2 has some nice sound features
(similar to those on the PD150, which also adds phantom power).
> The things that are important to us are
> - the probability of a good match among 3 cameras of the same species
Unknown for GL2, but VX2000s are pretty consistent among
samples...
> - manual control of iris and focus
Both have this - and the auto controls of the VX2000
are outstanding, and can be biased (as they can also be
on the GL2).
> - some manual conrol over color phase
Both have this.
> - accurate white balance
Probably the nod goes to the VX2000, which has a
very neutral image (with appropriate bias applied).
See:
www.bealecorner.com/trv900/trv950/images1.html
www.bealecorner.com/trv900/trv950/trv950.html
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/sony_dcr-vx2000.htm
> - composit and y/c output
Both have this...
> - ability to use a tripod mounted zoom and focus control
Both have this...
> - ability to shoot for long periods of time as a camera (ie without a
>tape)
Both can do this (and the VX2000 will run for several
hours on battery power alone [NPF-960]).