AC130: AC130 without viewfinder

I don't think so!! Panasonic also has done this with several other cameras in the Proline range and NTSC versions were never made ..it was for the European market..the only difference in AVCHD is that the footage is 50 or 25fps instead of 60 and 30 but in DV mode it's 720x576 not 720x480 so the DV option is probably the reason why... Most NLE's will comfortably allow you to edit AVCHD in either 50 or 60 (or 25 or 30) and your image size is still 1920x1080. It really only the DV mode that would be a lot different.

These came out about 3 weeks after the 130's here and I missed out and had already bought two 130's and seldom if ever use the EVF as I converted mine to a loupe on the LCD like my HMC80's had....Just beware that it's not only the EVF that is missing for the lower price!! You also don't get some accessories notably no battery with the camera so you need to factor those in as well!! Generic batteries are freely available but the equivalent VB6 pack only runs around 2 hours compared to the genuine at 3 hours!! You also don't get the wireless remote or any camera straps but they still supply the CD ROM, charger and mic holder..but that's all

Chris
 
ChrisHarding said:
I don't think so!! Panasonic also has done this with several other cameras in the Proline range and NTSC versions were never made ..it was for the European market.
Click to expand...

That's interesting. I wonder why Panasonic thinks an EVF is necessary for US markets.
 
There must be a market somewhere but not in the USA...a friend of mine shoots news clips on Panasonic in Japan and Asia and his camera is unique only to Japan and available nowhere else and despite Japan being NTSC it's a PAL camera too..he tells me a while ago that most news stations used to shoot PAL but broadcast in NTSC!!!

Unless you have a specific use for SD video (I don't any more) there is no harm in shooting at 50i or 25P in the USA ...you simply just render out the the correct frame rate. Yeah, my EVF's just sit on the camera and do nothing ... I really cannot work well with a 0.45" display even magnified...guess my eyes are getting old now!!

Chris
 
I wouldn't recommend shooting 50i or 25P in any country with 60hz power. You will run into all sorts of flickering from fluorescent and street lights. You can dial it out by setting the shutter speed accordingly, but it's an extra step to go through. It's the same issue shooting 60i or 30P in 50hz countries. PAL and NTSC are holdovers from decisions made in the late 1800s regarding power frequencies. Japan actually has both 50HZ and 60HZ power systems in use, that would explain shooting in PAL and broadcasting in NTSC

Cheers

John
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top