August 13th Meeting Recap

Hey everyone,

MIVA had a great meeting for August 13, 2008. Several of our members and regular attendees are attending the WEVA convention in Florida. We wish them a great time and safe travels.

The meeting was split into two main parts:

First, Mark Salloum from VideoMagic Productions gave a great talk on helping your business prosper in a down economy. He shared fabulous nuggets of information to give your business a boost during these tough economic times. To learn more about what Mark discussed, you can contact him via his Contact Page.

A couple of highlights from his speech:
Remember: We are not just event videographers, we are first and foremost producers and directors who have the potential to help clients with a huge variety of video and film projects.

Always be mindful of the 3 Keys to Success in our industry:
1. Be good at what you do.
2. Be able to sell and market your product or service.
3. Know how to run your business efficiently and make money.

Thanks, Mark, for sharing a little of your knowledge and
wisdom with us!

Second, we had an HD Camera shootout. We compared several popular models of HD/HDV cameras being used currently by our organization members and industry.

Models from lowest to highest in price:
Canon XH-A1 $3299 (Has 1/3″ image sensor) 20X
Sony Z1U $4900 (Lee Thomas spent $3800) (1/3″ image sensor) 12X
Panasonic AG-HVX-200 $5199 (1/3″ Image Sensor) 13X
Sony Z7 $5249.00 (George paid $4700) (1/3″ Image Sensor) 12X
Sony EX1 $6449.00 (Has 1/2″ Image Sensor) 14X Best Image in low light…
Sony HVR S270U Full Size $8700.00 (1/3″ Image sensor and same electronics as Z7) 12X…

All of these models are very good choices depending on your budget. Many were surprised at the Canon’s image considering its price and 20X Zoom Lens. The other cameras’ zooms ranged between 12X and 14X.

Thanks to Don Pham for bringing his EX1 and for pulling all the footage together on his laptop to compare the images acquired. Also, thanks to John Miller (HVX-200), Lee Thomas (Z1), Lee Higginbottom (XH-A1), George Haddad (Z7), and Tom Berris (S270) for bringing their cameras in to compare.

Coming soon, MIVA plans to bring in reps from the major manufacturers (Canon, Panasonic, and Sony) to present information and demonstrate their products. Check back to MIVAonline.com soon.