Sony DSR-PD150

I looked at another VX2000 & then I saw this one! I happened across it at our Airshow Downunder recently when I saw a guy using one.I have a production company here in Melbourne & takes me to many countries throughout the world. I need a camera that is high quality & unobtrusive. The quality of the DVcam is excellent. Disappointed that it does not have a colour viewfinder as with 2000. Love the mike attachment for radio mikes. A great buy in Hong Kong together with long life batteries & wide angle lens. Bellair International

All round Sony quality & features

No colour viewfinter

Vx 2000 , JVC full size SVHS, Panasonic 3 chip & Sony 3 chip compact

N/A

What can I say to do this camera justice. For the money, sub $4,000, I think you will be hard pressed to top this camera. It is without a doubt, one mean puppy.

I've had this camera for 4 months since June 2000. And I love it! There was a slight problem with the audio -- it hissed, YUK! But Sony has since fixed that issue, and now the camera produces that nice clean audio you will want.

I'm glad I chose this camera over the VX 2000 -- mainly for the XLR audio and additional manual controls. But both cameras are great. There are 2 XLR plugs, which is just perfect for me.

I shoot in the field, meaning outside the US and in 3rd world countries. The camera is light and very user friendly. The Zoom ring is nice for touch zoom, but I much prefer the power zoom for any significant zoom work. The focus ring would be great if it was not an infinite focus ring.

The picture on this camera is amazing, and comes in great in low light conditions. The colors are very good for DV. I typically use the DVCam setting, which uses more tape. And having this added feature is a welcome addition. Tape cost is so low that I don't mind losing 20 minutes on a 60 minute tape. Because the added redundancy is comforting.

All in all, I think this is the best camera out there for under $5,000. If you want to change lenses, then you'll need to bump up to the DSR 300, or similar camera, but for what this camera is intended for you can't beat it. It goes through customs very easily and does not draw too much attention.

Go grab one while you can and you'll see, too. Make sure, though, to get the audio upgrade if it is not already installed on the camera. This is very important. And apparently the newer models have it. Double check.

BTW, the picture is much nicer than the VX 1000, TRV 900, GL-1, and XL-1.

Too many to put down. Great picture. Finally, good audio. Very user friendly, and great manual controls for a camera in this range.

Zoom ring is not too great.
Focus ring just stinks!

Canon XL-1, Canon GL-1, Sony VX1000, Sony TRV 900, and Sony VX 2000

I sent my camera in for the audio upgrade and Sony took care of it. Sure the people were a slight pain, because they couldn't give me a firm return date, but the camera did make it back to me within the estimated time frame. Other than that, I had no problems with it, and Sony did step up to the plate to address the aduio issue

This camera is without a doubt a mighty tool in the right hands. The picture is pristine, the user controls are wonderfully placed. There is more than enough manual functionality to make even the high-end user happy. Sure, it doesn't allow for a change of lense, but it does do a mean job non-the-less.

Camera is well balanced and very comfortable. I took it to Russia for a mini-documentary and was very pleased with it. It is also small enough to not be TOO noticable, although it does not look like your average consumer camera. One area of possible concern is the audio. At this time the audio, balanced xlr, appears to be an enigma. No clear reason why some people are having difficulties, but it is believed that there is a fix in the works with Sony.

Auto focus is better than most, but you'll still find the annoying seek problem. Go for manual for better control. The manual zoom ring is also nice, but the auto-zoom is awesome. I was able to accurately zoom in and out at desired speeds without much fuss.

Hope this helps, and happy shooting,

Jonathan Franklin
Vision Casters, Inc.
http://www.visioncasters.com

Pristine picture -- absolutely amazin'.
Awesome low level light capabilities.
Size, usability, and downright power in a small package.

Not many to speak of... well, for now, audio appears to be an issue. But I would hope Sony will resolve this enigma. And despite this issue, it still is an AWESOME camera!

In this sub $5,000 range, I've used the Sony TRV 900, VX 1000, VX 2000, Canon XL-1, and Canon GL-1.

From what I hear, it's the best. We'll see what happens with how they handle the audio issues.