Real world comparison's HVX200-170?

I must say personally that the lens issue stoped me and several people that I know from buying the 170, thank God that did not pull the trigger on pre ordering I had a funny feeling since I did that once with a car that turned out to be a lemon because it was completely redesigned, and I must say I am going to wait maybe till nab to see what other goodies are available, my clients are happy with hvx footie, plus I never ever shoot at night, just my .002:)
 
David S. said:
What inference do you draw from that? There are reviews out there including a pretty darn good one by Adam Wilt.
Click to expand...

Based on the fact that I have tried to post a review twice to B&H's site in the last week and it hasn't shown up as of yet. There are no other reviews posted on there by other end users on BH's site. I do realize that it is a holiday right now as well so hopefully there will be some posted as potential buyers really do need some honest feedback about the camera BEFORE they make their purchase.

Also, I don't confuse thinly veiled PRs as reviews.

The comments posted by the end users only in the "showstopper" thread on this website is really the only REAL critical feedback that is out there right now on the internet, IMHO.
 
I've confused by your reference to "thinly veiled PRs as reviews."

Are you saying that Wilt's review of the 170 is a "thinly veiled PRs as reviews?"

Or is that incorrect?
 
I personally think that Adam Wilt is a pretty fair guy. I emailed him right after the whole "wigglegate" thing and he responded that he had not witnessed the defect on his test camera. He also emphasized that he had only tested "one camera"! He's a pretty sharp guy, but he's not clairvoyant.
 
I started the "Show Stopper" thread and Adam came over to my place to see the wiggle on my HPX170. He is a straight up guy, does not favor any manufacturers over the other and has been nothing but generous with his time and knowledge to me. I would trust any review he wrote without hesitation.
 
Don't buy the 170 until Panasonic fixes the camera. When that will be no one knows. You don't want to be stuck with a camera you can't shoot with.
 
i also have the "wobble" issue. buut not nearly as bad as some folks. in fact mine moves less than the specccomm repair moves. so im pretty pleased. i tested mine with my brevis+follow focus rig as well as just a standard rack focus and there was ZERO perceivable wobble in the image.

aside from nit-picky things here and there, my 170 performs SUPERBLY!
 
alekan-H said:
Don't buy the 170 until Panasonic fixes the camera. When that will be no one knows. You don't want to be stuck with a camera you can't shoot with.
Click to expand...

We have the wiggle.

We have shot some great footage.

It doesn't affect every situation at all.

It is isolated to some specific situations.

But saying that you are stuck with camera you can't shoot with is hyperbole
 
atlfilmguy said:
As others have said , you can read all about it in the Show Stopper thread. Over 30000 views it is a big deal.

People are calling it Wigglegate.
Click to expand...

Ha Ha Ha!

I read early in the thread somewhere about a potential cover up attempt.

Thats pretty funny. Wigglegate, Ha!

I have a feeling no one will ever doubt Dino again :)
 
ROne said:
Unless I've missed it or it's buried so deep as to make me cross-eyed - do we have a general users' comparison thread? (people who've gone from 200 to 170s)

I've seen the odd comment, I just thought we would be inundated with topics.

I will take the slap if it's just me!
Click to expand...

If you can wait until Sunday, October 26th, I will have a 32 page article that I am finishing up on this exact user experience you are requesting that will go live on www.kenstone.net Lest I be accused of being a fanboy, I do a full page and a half on the lens wobble issue.

Personally, my copy does not have the lens wobble issue and I feel that this issue has been blown out of proportion by a lot of overly dramatic reaction to it. I seem to recall that the EX1 had five separate initial shipping issues and while there was complaining, it seemed more in proportion than this single issue. If I were a buyer, the lens vignetting, focus issues, paint flaking, silk screening peeling off and IR miscalibration on the EX1 would have been a bigger issue that just the lens wobble on the 170, but that's just me.

Did Panasonic mess up? Yes, apparently. Will they address it on future shipments? Yes. Will they take care of everyone who bought one who is experiencing this issue? Yes. Can you order an HPX170 today and receive one that already has a Panasonic approved solution in place? Yes, call Andrew Hoffman at Spec Comm and order one and have him do the fix before he ships it. No reason to write off what looks to be a great camera because of widespread Internet panic. This business reminds me of the stock market lately, billions of dollars are being lost because of collective Lemming-like panic and misinformation.

It is an issue but not all of the cameras have it and it does not affect every shooting situation.

Dan
 
Last edited:
puredrifting said:
I seem to recall that the EX1 had five separate initial shipping issues and while there was complaining, it seemed more in proportion than this single issue. If I were a buyer, the lens vignetting, focus issues, paint flaking, silk screening peeling off and IR miscalibration on the EX1 would have been a bigger issue that just the lens wobble on the 170, but that's just me.
Click to expand...


That's for sure!
The EX1 is a decent camera, but man, it took Sony close to ten months to get these issues sorted out!
 
Dan,
I respect your posts.
I have been reading them for a while and have found some good info in them.

I do not really think there is as much hyperbole as you may think and certainly not any panic. There is a great deal of talk going on, maybe it appears to be panic just from the volume of posts. But most people are not claiming the sky is falling. Noone is abandoning Panasonic.

I and others have been posting about our desire to have panasonic pay for the return shipping for the repair that will surely come soon. Besides a small sampling of the huge show stopper thread, most of the posts are in line with the issue I think.

I tend to manually focus a lot so I am concerned, rightly, that my shots move laterally when I change focus. I am worried that this image shift will not be acceptable to my clients. I am scared that this otherwise great camera will cost me clients. I want to have confidence in my gear and have the HPX handle at least the same situations that the HVX can.

I understand that no camera can be good for every situation....
 
atlfilmguy said:
Noone is abandoning Panasonic.
Click to expand...

Hiya:

But that's the thing, I have seen several posts here and on several other sites that begin with, "I was going to order an HPX but since Wobblegate and the fact Panasonic has built a defective model, I am going with camera XYZ instead..."

That to me is mindless thinking inspired by hyperbole and panic. I do agree that this issue is a wildfire and the longer that Panasonic lets it go without dousing it with a solution that makes everyone happy, the more scorched earth (in the form of a bad reputation for the cam and Panasonic) it will leave. Our world of prosumer and professional camcorders is actually quite small and rumors and misinformation travel very quickly. Although if the EX1 story is any indicator, once the issue is addressed, it will blow over very quickly. While the Sony had all of those issues, you have hardly heard a peep about them for the past few months.

But whatever. I have the HPX170, have been shooting with it and writing about it and it is a great camera. I guess I will just have to leave the controversy to Panasonic.

Best,

Dan
 
Dan:

You can't account for every knee jerk reaction. We also have wobble/wiggle, but we are still using the cam, because our current shoots don't require the situation where it is accentuated.

But I think the reaction here at least has been reserved, calm and within reason, generally patient.

Looking forward to your article at ken's site.
 
I just finished a three-day shoot with my 170, its maiden voyage. We used the Letus Ultimate on it. Timur Civan was the director of photography, and I'll let him speak for his own views on the 170, but my 200 is being sold today. The 170 is a massively wonderful upgrade to an already great camera. We had a 200 there at the same time that we were considering using for b footage, and I think we did actually use it for one dolly/zoom shot. But frankly there's no comparison, the 170 excels in every imaginable way over the original 200. The 200A is a better match to it, but the 170 spanks the original HVX200.

Does the lens wiggle? On mine, yes. Will it be fixed? I'm certain it will be. Is it a "showstopper"? Don't make me laugh. To me it is a minor inconvenience, and Panasonic's already said that they will "make it right." Your mileage may vary, but I find it pretty minor, and with a properly-mounted lens adapter it is absolutely unquestionably and without a doubt a complete non-issue. Without the lens adapter, yeah, it needs to be fixed, but with the adapter it's completely irrelevant.

So - for the original poster who asked for 200 vs. 170, I've used the 200 since December 2005. I actually got mine in December, I think it's serial number 32. And I have absolutely no regrets in sending it out the door today to make room for the 170. The 170 has so many nice little workflow improvements, is ergonomically so superior, and the image is a lot nicer. It's creamier, it's cleaner, it's more sensitive, it's better. No regrets, not a hint of a tinge of regret in upgrading to the 170 from the 200.
 
Barry, I feel EXACTLY the same way! :thumbsup:

I've been having a hard time selling my HVX200 at the price I want for it but I think that has a lot to do with the current economic climate of the world. However, I just recently found a buyer and "the check is in the mail." Well, at least a very hefty deposit to hold it until she can come up with the balance next month. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top