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This camera belongs most definately in the professional broadcast/film league. If you are serious about making an impact with video or film and you can't afford to spend twenty grand upwards, you'll definately not be making a mistake by investing in the AG-HVX201AE. The first thing that struck me when I opened the box was the very tidy layout of all the accessories that come with the camera which each had their own dedicated compartment in the lift-off lid portion of the polystyrene block which encased the AG-HVX201E. It was plain that a lot of thought had gone into the design to protect not just the camera, but also the various acessories. The AG-HVX200E was also equally held very snugly and protected from shocks and bangs which is great if you are considering selling the camera at some point in the future and sending it by courier, although I would think twice before using DHL to send anything by because they even managed to break a solid iron cast jib in transit and almost completely demolished a big heavy subwoofer I sent using their courier service. The fact that they've lost business and are now presenting themselves as the cheapest courier betrays the fact that a lot of customers (myself included), have had enough!!!! - and will not use them again. The AG-HVX201AE has exactly the same layout in trems of buttons and controls as its predecessor the AG-HVX200E, making migration from the previous version taskless. It's only a pity that they didn't relocate either the manual focus control or the manual iris control on the left hand side of the camera, which, because they're both so close together make manual operation of both at the same time virtually impossible uless you're a concert pianist, but this is made up for to some extent by the excellent auto-focus which is even better than on the Sony EX1 and EX3 and by the auto-iris control which functions equally well. The improvements over the HVX200 become aparent when shooting a wide angle shot or using the camera in low-light conditions. which Panasonic have improved on the HVX201AE which also has a better signla-to-noise-ratio than its predecessor giving less smear when panning. For those who are Sony struck, this AG-HVX201AE is worth a try because it outwits the specs on many Sony cameras and records more colour information, which becomes especially evident and useful when using blue or green screen chroma key. One other area it scores over the Sony EX1 / EX3 is that the auto-focus is much better which is highly welcome when using a Steadicam, so much so, that I wouldn't want to use a Sony on a Steadicam, period. All the buttons on the AG-HVX201AE are where you'd expect them and the remote that comes with the camera is especially useful when using the camera on a jib or crane as well as for playback purposes. I cannot praise this camera enough and when it comes to editing its an absolute dream. The EX1 uses XDCAM HD, a Long GOP codec where frames are actually filmed and the camera creates the remainder using some clever science. The video is great, but it can make some post-production workflows difficult, e.g. with certain special effects, compositing, colour manipulation. In DVCProHD (which the AG-HVX201AE utilises), with i-frames (each frame is fully intact in itself), in a progressive shooting mode, means you are effectively taking 25 individual photos per second, as opposed to only 1 in 12 (or 15) with The EX1/EX3. Why pay the extra for the Sony EX1?Read full review
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