How important is format & camera?

Today’s post was supposed to be a comparison of the hottest HD camera on the market. Namely, the Canon XL H1, the JVC GY-HD110U, the Panasonic AG-HVX200 and the Sony HVR-Z1U. The idea was to see which company’s camera is the best in the explosive HD Market and ultimately which camera is the best for independent filmmakers.

But after much reading and researching what I came away with was this: the camera doesn’t matter. You read right. It doesn’t matter. What matters is the quality of your work, your creativity and your natural talent. Let’s be real, some very successful directors have shot their first films on, for lack of a better phrasing, rinky-dink cameras. Craig Brewer, the director of Hustle and Flow shot his first film on Digi8 and the Oscar nominated director of Capote, Bennett Miller, shot his first film on MiniDV.

Now don’t get me wrong. If you’re doing work for big commercial houses, or marketing/advertising firms, then yes, you will probably need to have the latest equipment. But as I pointed out in an earlier post until you have steady work, and even after you’re established, renting has massive benefits over owning.

And if you’re a starving, independent filmmaker, just starting out it is in your best interest to get an older model camera such as a Panasonic AG-DVX100A or a Cannon XLS because you can find them used for cheap and they will work just fine in helping you get your first film shot and ready for viewing. You can also find rental cameras at places like DVrental.com or a host of camera rental locations on either coast.

With that information in mind here are the specs and pricing for the markets top HD cameras:

Canon XL H1 – online $ 7,999.95
3 - 1/3", 16:9 CCDs
1.67M pixels each (1440 x 1080 effective per CCD)
DIGIC DV II HD DSP for HD video and stills
HDV/DV, 4 pin; HDV format (MPEG2 TS),
SD format DV stream, possible to downconvert
HDV to SD stream






JVC GY-H D110U – online $6,550.00
Full High Definition (HD) progressive recording at 24 frames per second
Compact shoulder style for stability, comfort and mobility
Three newly developed 1/3-inch CCDs with 1280 x 720 (square) pixels
Interchangeable lenses with standard 1/3-inch bayonet mount
Rugged die-cast body
16X Fujinon newly developed ProHD lens included
User adjustable HD Focus Assist makes focusing faster and more precise
Live 720/60P analog component output (4:2:2 equivalent)
Dual Media option (record to disk and tape simultaneously)
XLR Audio inputs (x2)
Extensive user adjustable parameters can be stored on SD memory card
Spectacular standard definition performance, too! — records on MiniDV tape
HDV™/DV Format


Panasonic AG-HVX200 – U.S. List Price $5,995.00
C-Net Editors Choice Award Winner
1/3" 3-CCD 16:9 HD/DVCPRO/DV
Cinema P2 Camera with
CineSwitchTM Technology,
CineGammaTM Software and IEEE
1394 Interface.


Sony HVR-Z1U – $5,946.00 U.S. List Price
1/3" type x3, 16:9 Super HAD CCDs
High quality 12X optical zoom Carl Zeiss
Vario-Sonnar T* lens. F4.5 to 54.0mm
F1.6 at 2.4mm; filter diameter 72mm
Total pixels: approx. 1.12M pixels;
effective pixels: approx. 1.04M pixels
DV/DVCAM Rec. 48KHz/16 bit, 32KHz 12 bit;
HDV Rec.: MPEG-1 Audio Layer II