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**Aryko** · 25 May 2001, 09:41

Just that I _think_ the VX2000 is limited to 15fps when shooting in progressive scan mode, while all Canon models equipped with progressive scan shoot at 30fps. That would make a big difference to me.

Or was it the VX1000 that had the limitation and it was overcome in the VX2000? Anyway, check it out. I love progressive scan.

- Aryko

**NotEd2010** · 25 May 2001, 11:12

Aryko, I think you must be thinking of the VX1000. I can't find anything about such a limitation in the specs or reviews of the VX2000 I have read.

**cjyo~** · 25 May 2001, 12:00

Hi Not,

I went through the same research you are doing late last year. I don't think I could have gotten such a good deal on the GL1 at the time though.

I ended up going with the VX2000 for the following reasons (price wasn't really an issue at the time):

1. vx2000 has incredible low light performance (much better than the old sony vx1000 and the Canon GL1 and XL1)

2. vx2000 has better/newer higher resolution CCDs (I've heard Sony uses the same CCDs in much more expensive cameras, not sure if it's true though)

3. vx2000 has good custom color and sharpness controls, so I can soften and warm up the picture to match the GL1 (if I wanted to)

4. vx2000 is Sony, and Sony seems to have a good track record of 1394 compatibility (I had read of possible issues with the GL1, specifically problems with sound in certain editing packages - but I'm not sure if that's true)

5. the vx2000 LCD screen is really nice (very fine resolution/great color and detail), better than anything I've ever seen

6. After I got the camera, another feature I appreciated was the Memory Stick still photo function and the ability to make custom overlays, mattes and "bugs" in Photoshop and store them on the Memory Stick.

***

That said, in your case, I would probably go with the GL1, unless you plan to do a lot of night shooting with no lights (and it's is worth the cost difference to you). A friend of mine has the GL1 and we've done side by side tests with them. (I like the GL1 and it was a tough choice for me.)

GL1 advantages over VX2000:

1. the GL1 is smaller. The VX2000 doesn't seem that big, until you carry it around all day. I personally prefer the more compact design of the GL1's weight and feel)

2. GL1 has a longer optical zoom (20x), I think it is the longest of all dv cams. The vx2000 is only a 12x optical zoom. This is one feature that is really a sore point for me on the vx2000.

3. GL1 has true 30fps progressive frame-movie mode. The VX2000 does NOT have this feature - it only does 15fps, which is possibly useful for web video...but I never really tried it. 15fps is useless for normal shooting. I would like to experiment with the Canon 30fps frame-movie mode, but I don't miss it. My friend with the GL1 shoots all his projects in frame-movie mode and the final result looks "choppy" to me, compared to interlaced mode (especially with any camera movement). Don't tell me this is what film looks like - because this frame-movie mode doesn't look like film. I also shoot film and work in DVD, where I deal with video vs. film and progressive vs. interlaced everyday. Anyway, I think there is potential to make good use of frame-movie mode (possibly for compositing fx elements), so it's a nice plus feature, but I don't miss it on the VX2000.

I think you can find comparison stills of the vx2000 (or trv900) and gl1 on the Beale site.

Picture wise, the Sony is slightly higher resolution with a cooler default color cast (a slight blue tint), but the picture can be warmed up and sharpened/softened with the custom controls.

The GL1 gives a great looking 3chip picture, it tends to be warmer than the Sony (towards the orange color range, but most people prefer this tint and many pros use warming filters to achive a similar look.) I'm not sure if the GL1 has custom color/sharpness controls. According to resolution chart tests I've seen, the GL1 is slightly lower resolution than the VX2000, but 99% of viewers will never notice the difference, since the GL1 has such a great picture to begin with.

Usability wise, both cameras have a good feel and well designed controls. I might give the power zoom control edge to the Sony. As I said before, you will definitely appreciate the Canon's smaller size.

Buy the GL1 and be happy. It's a great camera. (Feel free to ask me any more specific questions on the vx2000.)

[This message has been edited by cjyo~ (edited 25 May 2001).]

**NotEd2010** · 25 May 2001, 16:18

Opinions on new DV camcorder purchase

I'm wondering if anyone out there has experience with either the Canon GL1 or Sony DCR-VX2000. I can get 20% off the GL1 at a local store, but I had hoped to be able to afford the Sony. As it is right now I can just swing the Canon's price on sale, but I'm wondering what I might be sacrificing
performance-wise. I've looked at a feature comparison, so now I was hoping to get feedback from people using the actual gear.
Thanks in advance!

**Dr Mordrid** · 25 May 2001, 16:33

Here's a user page on the GL1, with links to other pages, that may offer some insights....

http://www.bealecorner.com/gl1/index.html

User "good things" page:

http://www.best.com/~beale/gdat/good.html

User "bad things" page:

http://www.best.com/~beale/gdat/bad.html

Dr. Mordrid

[This message has been edited by Dr Mordrid (edited 25 May 2001).]

**NotEd2010** · 26 May 2001, 20:04

cjyo~
Thatnks for the info. Definitely the kind of comparison I was looking for. Now it come to down to finding out if I really can swing the price even with the discount.
Not Ed

**NotEd** · 29 May 2001, 09:51

Well, I didn't get it. I haven't deluded myself enough to justify the purchase yet. Good thing I have until Thursday until the sale is over. I am sure 48 hours more should allow to come up with some half-@ssed reason why I need it.
Self-delusion is my middle name!

Hey, lookee there. My original registration works again. How'd that happen?

[This message has been edited by NotEd (edited 29 May 2001).]

DJ · 29 May 2001, 12:13

Has anyone gotten a chance to play around with the new Panasonic 3 chip PV951? I see it at Profeel for $1548.00.

DJ

**paulw** · 29 May 2001, 12:20

Why not think outside the square and look at the new Hitachi DVD Cam ??

**NotEd** · 31 May 2001, 11:20

Well, it looks like the deal is off. I was going to break down and get the GL1 tonight when I noticed it isn't compatible with my DV500 card (hey, don't give me grief on that. I got the card cheap and it has worked more reliably than my old G200 Marvel did).
WTF? I am just about ready to give up on this whole DV thing and go back to analog. At least when an analog Svideo signal is sent to you you know that it will work. What's the use in have the IEEE-1394 standard if half the devices out there do not conform to it? I know that this particular problem is Pinnacle's fault, but my experience with other company's hasn't been that much better overall.
Damn.

**NotEd** · 1 June 2001, 06:41

Sorry about that little outburst. I didn't get the GL1. I'm more than a little angry that I would've been better off sticking with my DC30 pro or even my old Marvel. At least I wouldn't have been any worse off if I had. Bummer
Thanks again for all the info.
NotEd

**NotEd** · 5 June 2001, 07:06

I've just read on a forum dedicated to the Newtek VideotoasterNT that Canon has a refurbished camera program for the XL1. If the person was correct a refurbished XL1 could cost as little as $2200. While I still cannot afford that, it gives me hope. They also may extend the plan to other cameras in the line, like the GL1 and Opturas. The drawback is a limited warranty. I might be able to live with that.
BTW, for those dealing with the current Matrox Video Tools debacle, my deepest sympathy. This kind of abandonment of a popular product is not really a surprise to me, which is why I dumped my Marvel G200-TV. While Pinnacle isn't great I didn't have any problems with my DC30 pro and they are quite receptive to my camera problems with the DV500. Overall they have treated me better than Matrox did (although to give them credit, the video division was very helpful when I had Digisuite problems at my last job ).
Thanks again for the help. If I find anything about the camera deal I'll post it.
NotEd

------------------
If you had a infinite number of monkeys with an infinite number of typewriters one of them would eventually become head of Tech Support.

[This message has been edited by NotEd (edited 05 June 2001).]

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