Should I go to HD?

In my other topic I ask about what sort of camera I should buy, now I would like to know if it's worth going to HD. All of the prosumer cameras that aren't too expensive don't use HD, are there any cheap prosumer cameras that use HD or should I not worry about whether my camera uses HD or not.

thanks
 
if your buying your first camera then HD is a long way away for you still... the cost to upgrade is substancial.

use an SD camera as your first, get an XL1 if your looking for something to be taken seriously with, tis a good favourite :)

HD cameras get expensive by a grand or more. yes they are better quality and will make your shit look good! but when you take into consideration distribution of your stuff, you need to have a HD editor, your computer needs to be able to handle the strain and you need a blu-ray disk burner if you want to appreciate the High Def. and you need to export videos to HD and if uploading them to the internet it may be slow and if your doing your stuff to be seen on youtube for example, youtube reduces the quality anyway so most people dont get to benifit from all your HD...

this is just my knowledge and i accept that i could be wrong somewhere down the line.
but this is what im telling you :L

good luck
 
HD is the future, both in a metaphorical sense and possibly for where you are at as a filmmaker.

Is what you're making going to be absolutely needed to be seen in the distant future in HD or will it reside solely on DVD and YouTube as a marker for your beginning moviemaking?

Only you can answer this question for yourself.
 
It wouldn't hurt to get to grips with HD. It will become more and more relevant.
The only problem would be to do with your set up. You can find HD difficult to work with on a basic computer. It's very demanding on the hardware.
 
I'm not an HD whore...I'm not. I've been told I am...but just because the number 1080 makes me shutter...or how the letter P roses my cheeks...I'm not bias at all. Just becuase a sick rack focus makes me drool...or how the letters DOF make me quiver...

No but really. If you plan on practicing your craft...getting your chops up...learning the way a film is made...do it on a $300 SD camera. But when you're ready to shoot a feature that is going to be taken seriously...a feature that is going to look good, and is something you can be proud of...shoot it in HD. In my eyes...HD is the MINIMUM of appeal you want for your indie picture. We're not talking about RED...lenses...adapters...Depth of Field here...those are all steps up in the impressive game of indie film making...but in all honesty...the LEAST you want to have is the ability to say you're shooting in 720p, in 16:9. If you can't say that...then people tend not to take you seriously (this includes investors and distributors).

My wife and I just worked on a feature in Vermont...we drove 4 hours to work with these guys because they are super cool...super friendly...and super passionate. We had a great time (even though we shot until sunrise outdoors in the rain for two nights straight). Even though they were using these TINY little HD cams capable of 1080 (I'm skeptical of that)...they are going to be editing in SD at 4:3...ummm...basically the films future just got sealed. We knew it...but it's totally cool. We had fun, and these guys are so nice. But it doesn't take a pro to know an SD, 4:3 film isn't going to have boasting rights, nor are any distributors going to want to release it...

It's sad. But it's true.

If you want to be taken seriously...the least you want to do is shoot in HD (720p min). I would start with a nice $5000 prosumer camera like the HVX200a. (http://www.dvxuser.com/articles/hvx200a/)



My two cents.
 
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