What are some good HD cameras and how much do they normally cost?

Ever heard the phrase "If you have to ask, you can't afford it"? Because that's what it's likely to come down to...

Well for "Film" work there are two

The Sony 900 and the Panasonic Varricam.

As to purchasing them lets put it this way. We shot a feature using the Varricam. To have the camera, several batteries, prime lenses, 19' HD monitor and all the bells and whilstles that come with it we were told that to purchase that package would be about $125,000.

Unless your George Lucas or Robert Rodriguez you dont buy those cameras you rent them. Rentals varry but are often somewhere around $1,500 to $3,000 for a weekend. (pick up on fri, return mon morning)

There is also a consumer level HD cam from JVC but 99% of the stuff Ive seen come out of it looks like crap. (I did see one very nice looking comercial spot but dont know what went into making it) MPEG2 compression onto MiniDV? I still dont get it. So sorry for the bad news but there it is.
R. Michael

"Luck, is when opportunity, meets preperation." "There are 3 sides to every story. Yours, mine, and the truth, and none of us are lying" -Robert Evans
Tizzy Entertainment "Redemption" Hi-Def trailer

The current workhorses of the HD world are the Panasonic Varicam (Sometimes referred to as the 27f or 27v depending on the software) and the Sony CineAlta f900. The Sony boasts higher resolution while the Varicam has the advantage of limited variable speed capabilities. The going rates for these camera bodies only are (new) ~$50,000 for the Varicam and ~$100,000 for the CineAlta.

Sony has since released the Cinealta f950 which has better colorspace (4:2:2 to tape, but capable of 4:4:4) and I believe also has higher progressive scan resolution (1080p).

Reaching back before these cameras, Sony had a couple of 1080i (60 fields) models that are still floating around. There are also a variety of field and studio models from Sony, Ikegame etc...

Probablly the best HD camera currently available is the Viper Filmstream from Thompsons/Grass Valley. They're very rare, though (I think there are still under 20 in existance).

Of course, the camera is just the first step. As Tizzy mentioned you need a whole array of goodies and post tools to make it work. It makes very little sense to buy this stuff unless you're a rental house or have money to burn. Even Lucas rents through Panavision.

Nota "AJHDCW-927 MonoCAM-f" Mono

Thanks guys...I think I'll Just stick with the MiniDV for now..lol