video2zero

Size does matter. It’s not about pixels it’s about control.

You’ve seen them - reviews comparing the $40K Sony XDCAM to video cameras costing over $100K. The XDCAM compares very favorably.

Or user testimonials boasting that the $10K Canon XLH1 produces images that are  indistinguishable from those of the XDCAM. The $4k Canon XH-A1 is touted as “almost identical” to the XLH1, and dozens of users claim that the $800 HV20 matches perfectly with the A1.

It is surely not unreasonable to suggest then that the HV20 can stand alongside cameras costing 100 times the price.

Not surprising really this notion has been bedrock testament in the camera world for over 70 years. Ken Rockwell’s “Why Your Camera Does Not Matter” has had millions of page views over the past couple of years:

Your equipment DOES NOT affect the quality of your image. The less time and effort you spend worrying about your equipment the more time and effort you can spend creating great images.

This is great news if all you care about is the quality of your image.

And what else is there to care about?

Well there are a couple of things, Ken continues:

The right equipment just makes it easier, faster or more convenient for you to get the results you need.

So if you are concerned with ease, speed or convenience then your camera might matter. Not the number of pixels the camera can collect - but the amount of control you have over the way they are collected.

The less control you have over the shoot the more control you need over the camera.

At a minimum a video camera has controls for focus and exposure which need to finessed while filming. Add in exposure lock, focus lock, exposure compensation, white balance, filters, gain, audio levels etc - and my left hand might access a dozen buttons or dials many times during a shoot. The more shooter/subject move the more adjustments required.

It is difficult to find all those controls - let alone manipulate them confidently - on an HV20.

Having controls buried in menus is the second biggest “gotcha” impacting the usability of consumer cams in demanding environments.

The biggest “gotcha” of course is “digital zoom”. But I don’t think that one fools many people these days.

Go here for an article on controlling exposure for the HV20