Toss up between cameras...

Question

There is a lot influencing this decision so I'll just lay it all out there; About four years ago I purchased a canon zr50mc (a real old miniDV camera that is near obsolete in these forums). I used it to film interviews for advanced slide shows and montages. It worked good then, the color and quality of the overall image didn't leave much for the average client to complain about, and it basically got me through the day with some lower paying customers.
I've started to move up on my client chain doing higher paying jobs. About 5 months ago I got my hands on the production suite and have become very attuned and attached to the editing software (and of course After Effects). I used to use FCE and have now moved to PP CS3 (very recently).
So here in lies my problem; I have been reading up a lot on camera features (such as aperture, focus distance, color correction etc...) I'm looking to make a purchase with a few things in mind. First off I will continue to do the interviews for these advanced slide shows. Secondly a friend has asked me to make him a compiled video for a band he manages; it will include their live performance and a semi professional music video. And lastly, I'm looking to get real serious in terms of short films and creative pieces; I plan to apply to some graduate programs in a year and a half to 2 years and I need to start compiling a portfolio. Now I was planning on getting myself an hv30. However I am starting to lean away from HDV as I'm not sure its entirely needed. In addition, the hv30 does not have as many manual controls as I would like. I'm looking to experiment with different effects and styles BEFORE I hit the editing room (such as DOF, color correction, white balance etc...).
I started looking at the GL2 and from what I read there are some issues and it really isnt as fluid as I'd like. So I looked further up the chain with the hopes that something in this new price range will last me a long time before an upgrade is needed. I started to set my sights on a DVX100A or a used xl2. Now I'm weighted evenly in two directions here. On one hand I realize half the controls on these two machines will be entirely foreign to me until I finish the users manual and really experiment (I know more about the internal workings of the camera than things that can actually be toggled). In which case I'm not entirely sure I need something like this or if it will be obsolete in the next year or two. On the other hand I know myself, and I catch on to things very quickly. This being something I'm interested I know I'll spend every ounce of free time I have either reading up on styles and the options for the controls or experimenting with the actual things themselves. In addition to that I know there are presets for different types of things and I'm completely willing to put the time into reading up on what these machines can do. And I'm quite confident that with one of these things I could make some really good portfolio pieces once I've experimented enough.
I'm not that concerned about price as the only expenditures I've had in the last few years (in terms of equipment) are software upgrades and tapes / mics etc... The only thing holding me back is that whatever choice I make, I'm getting a new mic / a stand (off camera, I've had enough w/ camera mounted mics) and a cheap light kit. Sorry for the long post but I did all that in the hopes of an honest answer and to save the board from 25 posts answering questions. Thanks in advance, and give me as much insight into your experiences as possible.

Answer 1

The DVX has an actual manual zoom ring, wheras the Canon has a servo driven zoom. I also like the focus on the DVX much better than the XL2.
Also, you can get a zoom/iris/focus/record remote controller for the DVX (also works with the HVX). Varizoom makes it, very very handy for tripod event work, especially when you need to get over a tall crowd.
Also very handy to have for Steadicam work (if you think you'll ever do any of that).
On the HD route, the Panasonic HMC-150 will be out, around $3K to $4K in price, and will use AVCHD compression on cheap little SD cards. This camera will be a near-identical setup to the DVX in controls and body style, and it has native 1920x1080 (based on current reports...no cameras available to test that out just yet, though). The downer is that your SDHC card isn't nearly as robust and durable a solution as the P2 cards, and the format (AVCHD) is a bit lossier at times than the DVCPro HD solution....but, it's a huge leap from the DVX, and not going to be a whole lot more money (the HPX-170 will be a little more expensive than the HMC-150, probably somewhat comparable to the HVX).
The Varizoom controller should also be compatible with the new HMC and HPX as well, so you could build your equipment around the DVX (or HVX) for now, and then upgrade easily within the next couple of years without throwing away a bunch of accessories.
Just thinking out loud...