I was going to get a PMW400, but I am re-considering. I do get requests for XDCAM, but rarely and when I do, often the client demands a PMW700/800. That is a very expensive purchase for me and I do not have enough XDCAM demand to pay it off. Considering that I am not yet in the tightly knit circle of network/newsmagazine shooters who do it on a regular basis, I am not shooting XDCAM. Would owning an XDCAM help get me in this circle that I would love to be a part of? Probably not. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse.
Truth is, I am seeing the Canon C300 on more and more broadcast shoots that I am a part of, case in point, working as an A/C for CBS Sports, I am swapping lenses and rigging up a C300. Even on corporate shoots and TV spots, documentaries, etc. seeing more and more of the C300. I have a friend who bought one and he is shooting with it all the time.
I think that having my HPX370 with the good broadcast Fuji glass that I now have, is fine for my ENG style shoots. It does 720,1080, SD, HD, PAL, NTSC, everything I need it to do, if I added a C300 to my arsenal, I would have a pretty good kit and the client would have the option of a larger sensor as well. I could cover ENG and cine style shoots, both of which I am currently a part of.
I don’t think that having an XDCAM AND a P2, thus having 2 ENG cameras would be as smart as having an ENG camera and a Cine style camera instead.