Is this what the DV Rebel Rig of the future looks like?
It's hard to dis the HV20. It may not have the control that more expensive cameras offer, but the subset of controls it does offer might be OK for most DV Rebels. I knew we wouldn't have to wait long to see someone put an M2 on one, but Taylor Wigton has posted the first full-res before after stills that really sell this as a viable option.
It's hard to look at these images (the full-res originals are here) and not start doing some simple math—the HV20 plus the M2 and a couple used lenses comes in well under the cost of a stock HVX200 with two P2 cards.
I couldn't help but run Taylor's stills through Colorista. And while I was doing that, I thought of another fun thing I could do. See, as much as I dig shallow DOF and adapters like the M2 and my own Go-35 Pro, I know they're not for everyone. They reduce the DV Rebel's agility considerably, and that's unacceptable to some. So I ran the "naked" HV20 image through the new Magic Bullet Looks, with an eye toward roughly matching the M2 image.
Not a replacement for the M2 by any means, but something to think about. See you at NAB!