Book Review: Andrew Lock’s How to Shoot, Edit & Distribute HDV
Event DV By Stephen F. Nathans 
Reviewing the current crop of HDV products is not the primary purpose of How to Shoot, Edit & Distribute HDV (Focal Point, www.hdvbook.com, $24.99), a new book from British producer, consultant, and trainer Andrew Lock, but its up-to-date assessment of the key products in the HDV market is one nice advantage of the book at its moment of publication. Lock includes thorough descriptions of all eight available HDV cameras, and does a nice job of enumerating the significant advantages and shortcomings of each: audio I/O; the long and longer-GOP versions of HDV MPEG-2; JVC's HD1 vs. Sony's HD2; JVC's 24p vs. Sony's CineGamma and Canon's 24F; the pros and cons of Sony CMOS chips; component vs. HD-SDI output to DVCPRO and HDCAM decks for uncompressed HD acquisition; the advantages (particularly for filmmakers), of being able to switch lenses on the fly with the Canon XL H1. Lock's discussion of the available cameras is astute and succinct, and a terrific overview for videographers and filmmakers beginning to comparison-shop. Lock delivers on the promise of the book’s title,with excellent chapters on shooting HDV, editing HDV, pursuing a film look, and more--in addition to sharp, comparative reviews of all eight available HDV camcorders. read more...
Reviewing the current crop of HDV products is not the primary purpose of How to Shoot, Edit & Distribute HDV (Focal Point, www.hdvbook.com, $24.99), a new book from British producer, consultant, and trainer Andrew Lock, but its up-to-date assessment of the key products in the HDV market is one nice advantage of the book at its moment of publication. Lock includes thorough descriptions of all eight available HDV cameras, and does a nice job of enumerating the significant advantages and shortcomings of each: audio I/O; the long and longer-GOP versions of HDV MPEG-2; JVC's HD1 vs. Sony's HD2; JVC's 24p vs. Sony's CineGamma and Canon's 24F; the pros and cons of Sony CMOS chips; component vs. HD-SDI output to DVCPRO and HDCAM decks for uncompressed HD acquisition; the advantages (particularly for filmmakers), of being able to switch lenses on the fly with the Canon XL H1. Lock's discussion of the available cameras is astute and succinct, and a terrific overview for videographers and filmmakers beginning to comparison-shop. Lock delivers on the promise of the book’s title,with excellent chapters on shooting HDV, editing HDV, pursuing a film look, and more--in addition to sharp, comparative reviews of all eight available HDV camcorders. read more...
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