As a cameraman, I have shot on tape, XDCAM and P2 in the past two years. When I shoot tape, it’s either an HDX900 or a Sony Z1U or Z7U. I do quite a bit of reality TV and other broadcasts, and it’s usually either HDX900 or HDV for the show, those two formats are most popular. I am rather glad that my Z1U is still making me money. However, I have also noticed that P2 is slowly gaining a foothold in broadcast and corporate markets as well. And, I only used XDCAM once with a BBC crew shooting on location here in Texas. A third area of production, which I am just getting into as a DP and a gaffer is TV commercials, music videos, and narratives. Here, I see DSLR’s and the Sony F3, Panasonic AF100, and Sony FS700 used the most.

So, I am wondering what is going to replace the standard HDX900 and HDV cameras which are still so prevalent in broadcast and corporate work? My speculation is that it could become evenly divided between XDCAM and P2, but this is just an educated guess.

I am asking all of this because I see no point in buying an HDX900, unless I’m wrong and it will stick around much longer like Betacam did. I am looking at what the next ENG style camera will be the most popular. (Panasonic HPX600 looks like a possibility, as does the PDW800 and 500) I am also going to add a cine-style camera to my kit, maybe the Sony FS700, which will be upgradeable, much like the HPX600.

Currently, I only have a Panny HPX370, Sony Z1U, and a Nikon D800 DSLR.