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Like most digital camcorders, the DCR-VX2000 is equipped with an IEEE 1394 connection (also known as i.Link and Fire Wire) for digital image transfer, allowing video editing on a properly equipped home computer. Also included is an S-Video input, encouraging the conversion of already existing footage into the DV format.
The DCR-VX2000 also doubles as a digital still camera, recording photos onto an included Memory Stick at a resolution of 640 x 480. This resolution is fine for images you're e-mailing or viewing on a monitor, but most dedicated digital cameras today offer far more detail. The package includes PictureGear Lite 4.1 software for Windows, which lets you transfer stills to your computer and manipulate and catalog them once they're there.
The camera includes a number of manually adjustable settings for ultimate flexibility, including manual zoom, focus, shutter speed, and exposure. Microphone record level can also be adjusted for optimum sound quality. The Memory Mix feature works by superimposing a digital still stored on a Memory Stick over the video being recorded. A color-bar generator produces standard NTSC color bars to calibrate monitors, and four different white-balance settings help optimize color. The DCR-VX2000 includes a mic input, as well as an intelligent shoe for select Sony accessories, and has several digital effects built-in. Also included are a 4 MB Memory stick and reader, AC adapter, lithium ion battery, AV cable, remote, and lens cap.
Some claim the VX2000 is dated (like sales people and others inexperienced types). While that may be partially true
for videographers, this is far from the truth for filmmakers. I own the newer Sony PDX10, the best widescreen resolution than any other cam under 10 grand. But the VX2000 is Fantastic for low-light shooting(2lux!)
while the new trv950 and pdx10 have over 1 megapixel per chip (3 times more than the VX), VX2000's color performandce is virtually the same.
The PDX10 and TRV950 are great for outdoor and well-lit shots. But neither come even close to the VX2000 for "low-light performance", which is the most important feature for moody, cinematography-style lighting. It get's down to VX's larger 1/3 chips.
For serious indoor filmmaking and if you're set on using a 3ccd cam, then only consider a Canon XL1 or a VX2000 and nothing else. And forget the dvx100 in my opinion. It doesnt shoot widescreen at all. The DVX shoots in 24p for going out to film but with 25% less resolution than xl1 or vx2k because it does not pick up any extra pixels in widescreen mode.
If you need an interchangeable lens unit, go with the XL1. But if not, you'll save $$$ with the vx2000. The VX2000 is still the best DV filmmaking prosumer machine out of the box.
Such is the case with Sony's DCR-VX2000.
This is not to say that Sony's 3-CCD "prosumer" Mini-DV digital camcorder isn't a good product. For those familiar with "The Blair Witch Project", that film was shot with the VX1000, the predecessor to this model. The VX2000 outdoes that previous model by adding digital snapshots that can be stored on Sony Memory Sticks, along with a 2.5" foldout LCD viewscreen. This is not your average consumer camcorder.
Having three CCD imaging chips, each one dedicated to red, green, or blue light, puts this in a league with cameras that you'll see in TV studios. You'll find other pro features such as digital image stabilization, built-in digital effects, titling capability, timers, zebra, shutter speed choices, built-in manual and automatic mic leveling, focus locks, auto and manual focus on the 48x zoom, color viewfinder, neutral density filters, spotlighting and backlighting controls, fade in and out - the list goes on and on.
Once you've captured the video, you have several ways of transferring it to other media via one of several ports: RCA, FireWire (IEEE 1394), and S-Video. Playback is via the unit and it sports a full complement of VCR-like controls. The unit also comes with a very powerful remote that can control virtually every capability of the camera in both playback and recording modes. It takes Mini-DV tapes in 60 minute lengths, but can record 90 minutes when selecting tape speeds. Tests have shown virtually no image degradation and only a slight loss in sound quality when recording at the slower 90 minutes speed.
Few camcorders can touch the battery life (an astonishing 9 hours on a single charge with the optional NP-F960 battery) or the actual image on tape. I've never seen a consumer camera with such beautiful color rendition or sharpness. Everyone who sees recordings made by this camera is amazed.
But as I mentioned before, while state of the art in 2001, changes in digital video technology are rendering the VX2000 old news. This unit cannot record video that takes advantage of HDTV as its resolution is not high enough for that new standard. JVC has recently released a model ...that has similar capability to the VX2000, but adds HDTV. Panasonic is also changing the game by eliminating the achilles heels of the VX2000 and all other camcorders: the tape transport mechanism. They've announced a completely solid state camera that records onto a series of compact memory media similar to the Memory Stick in the VX2000. (The Memory Stick on the VX2000 is only for snapshots, not video.) Since the most likely parts of any electronic device to fail are the mechanical ones, having no transport mechanism means a far more reliable unit. Such a system also does away with tapes, another weakness.
With this in mind, the ideal customer for the VX2000 has a dilemma: with new technology on the market, but priced a bit higher for now, is it wise to buy the VX2000?
There are other issues, too. The vast majority of people will be satisfied with the capability of single-CCD units. Some of Sony's single-CCD units are mind-blowingly tiny, far smaller than the very bulky VX2000. They also take higher resolution snapshots than the VX2000, something to keep in mind if you want a digital camera and a digital camcorder in one unit.
Do I recommend the VX2000? Absolutely. It is a stunningly powerful and capable camcorder. However, it is getting long in the tooth and no longer is the unit of choice for consumers who want the cream of the crop and the latest technology.
When I bought this expensive toy, my wife feel a $... camera is good enough and I was crazy to spend the money that could buy 10 cheapest SHARP DVs. Now when I compare DVD from my brother's $... DV and mine, she agree that it worth to invest and baby's every moment is priceless.
Yes, it is bulky, it is expensive. But if you can afford it, you (will) have a baby/kids and you will mainly shoot indoor, don't hesitate. It is not perfect. Some guys will point out that Canon GL1/2 have better ergnomics. But hey, just take a loot at pictures from VX2000 and GL2, or even XL1, you judge it. Its color is so accurate that when I play the video of my niece, everyone is surprised to see how good it is.
Finally I need to mention its low light performance. I have to use amazing to describe it. When my eyes have difficulty to look, man, I can see it on LCD, color is still good, with moderate noise. With $... range DV, what you can see is just gray and black, lots of noise, no color at all.
With the lens we find incorporated two neutral density filters giving us a choice between three options, first one is without filter letting all light fo through the lens to the three chips, second setting is a neutral density filter to take away some contrast. We then arrive at ND2 which is a stronger neutral density filter which is normaly used during full daylight. In order to control exposure there is a button on the left which needs to be pressed in order to go into manual iris, there is a wheel below where the aperture can be controlled.
There are three chips to capture the light information rather than a single chip thus improving the look of the image. If we find that we are in a dark room then we can boost the gain if we want but if someone does not want to use the gain then it is possible to take the shutter from 1/10 000 of a second to 1/3rd of a second . The shutter speed is controled from the back of the camera via pressing the shutter speed button on the back and turning the wheel below for the correct speed. This greatly increases the light coming into the lens. As an illustration I have shot scenes with light far too low for cameras such as the Canon XL-1 to cope with and the most spectacular part is how little noise shows up on screen afterwards.
For sound we have an onboard mic which is good for ambiance sound and it is possible to plug in a mic with a 3.5mm plug. We have two settings for the microphone, either as microphone (plug in power) or as line in. Once the microphone is selected we can check the sound levels through preswsing the audio level at the back which will display the sound. Through the menu it is possible to choose between automatic or manual. By selecting manual the level may be adjusted with the db meter in camera showing -30 -20 -12 -8 -4 0 etc. so that the sound engineer may get the correct level for recording.
Additional comments
The centre of gravity is well placed on the tripod so that it lies at the same place as the mounting plate making it easier to use on a tripod. The tape compartment is accesible at all times closing in two stages, firstly getting the mechanical part in place, tape winded and ready to shoot followed by shutting the door to avoid dust coming in. With there being two record buttons, one close tothe front right of the camera and the other in the normal position there is a greater variety of shots possible.
An interesting feature with this camera is the possibility of creating an edit decision list within the camera so that it can behave as an edit controler to dub scenes onto a second device. It is dv enabled thereby allowing to copy material from one dv tape to an other. Included with this is the possibility to play from any device directly into the camera for copying tapes etc. onto a dv tape.
I've owned the VX-2000 for over a year now, and I'm very happy with the results. Arguably, the picture quality is better than the Canon XL-1 (and the vx2000 is significantly -- thankfully -- smaller), it's rugged and reliable, and it's somewhat portable. I carry mine in a backpack that has a padded pocket designed for laptop computers. It was the best solution as most smaller camera bags don't fit this beast. Those that do aren't useful for toting other things as well.
Anyway, I know a handful of other people with this camera. Some of them are *filmmakers* and these people use their VX-2000's to document events that they'd later like to make movies of. The filmmakers, as a whole, LOVE this camera. I also have a friend who does casting for television ads. Often, for his boss, he walks around with a VX2000 and shoots people on the street, later bringing the tape to the boss for evaluation.
The other people I know own the VX-2000 because they *like electronics*. They *Like To Own The Best* and they like to play with gadgets. I advise, if you're one of these people, and really, I KNOW YOU ARE, get a different camera. Something smaller... granted the quality will be slightly less, but you're more likely to have it when you witness your kid's first words (or your best friend's wife in a rendevouz with a neighbor. you get the point) Furthermore, this camera is somewhat lacking in toy features. No night vision, no silly effects (save for a few wipes, swipes, fades, and sepia, etc.), no bluetooth transmitter, etc. It's just good, strong, somewhat rugged, and takes a great shot.
I give this camera a 5 for quality (sharp, beautiful, accuracte colors, good in medium/low light, backlight compensation remarkable, optical steadyshot rad). Just keep in mind what you want... this camera is neither professional nor amateur, and therefore I believe it serves best a select, picky subset of the population.
Last, if you do buy it, go for (1) a bigger battery, well worth the cost, and (2) a wide angle lens. Both are cool.
The other attitude is this camera is an awkward fit into either environment. Pros (i.e. people who get paid to deliver quality video) will probably object to the noisy audio. There's lots of discussion on other webpages, so I won't delve into it here. Yes, the noise is present. No, it probably won't bother consumers shooting their vacation in Hawaii. Yes, it stands a reasonable chance of annoying a client who paid for a corporate training video. No, it probably won't annoy a client who paid for a wedding or funeral video. So take either view, depending how much you enjoy living on the high-end.
If you want to make commercials or big dramatic productions, just pay the extra cash for truly professional gear that won't leave you shopping for a better camera after a few projects. Yes, there's a special case for documentary work. Don't take $5000 cameras into volcanoes, jungles, or skydiving. Use cheaper gear that'll still do the job, like this cam. Also, there's a reasonable case to be made for interviewing people with smaller, less intimidating, consumer cameras. So those particular applications might prefer the 'best darn consumer camera around'.
My best advice is to decide what you really want to do with a camcorder. If you want to take home vids of your kids AND brag to your neighbor (who last year outdid your VHS-C camera by getting a Digital 8), this is probably right up your alley. Get it and bask in the pure pleasure of it.
If you want to simply capture your personal world on tape, get something (much) cheaper and smaller. Cheaper and smaller means you're more likely to take it along. Remember, there are good shots and ok shots, but the only bad shots are the ones you missed cuz you left the camera at home. Don't let price and bulk mess with your creativity. That'd be a crying shame.
UPDATE: After receiving some email from readers, I thought I'd clarify my opinion. Yes, the VX2000 is a good camera. But does the average non-professional need one? I'm skeptical.
A home video enthusiast can do just as well with an $800 model, perhaps even better, since it's easier to carry a smaller consumer camera around. Web-movies to be shrunk by 75% and then MPEG compressed don't need a 3-CCD camera. And an independant filmmaker will probably find it cheaper to rent better gear on the shooting days.
Buy this camera if you are highly confident that you can get massive enjoyment or a monetary return on your investment. Don't get it if it's just going to sit inside its case.
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