Focusing the HVX-200 ?

H

hotchkiss

Well-known member
I've heard focusing the HVX is a bit difficult- even more so than the 100A ? Does the focus zoom feature help much? How is it to find focus through the viewfinder ? How is the VF ? Good , bad, other ?

I had a chance to check one out at a recent/Panasonic demo event, but didn't get the time with it that I would have liked to.

I'd really like to hear from owners/operators your experince with focusing this cam, and how the viewfinder and LCD stack up ? I'm a 100/100A owner so that's the point of reference.

Thanks gents.
 
Last edited:
Autofocus is much slower...a trade-off to be able shoot real 23.98fps. Barry Green is much informed on this, but has spoken about it several times in other threads.

Manual focus, to me, is the same as the 100A.
 
Focus

Focus

Hey Barry,

I read the link in your response. Great stuff. My only question is if you are using the standard def option on the HVX, can you use the camera's lcd monitor to focus?

I only ask because I may have to buy the HVX first and then buy accessories like the p2 cards and monitors later. I can't afford it all at once and will probably use the camera as a dvx at first.

Thanks.
 
yeah, focusing is a pain in the butt... it's hard to tell what's in focus with the lcd screen.. i wish I could customize the position of focus assist box. especially during recording... I usually focus on the head of the person which is in the top half of the frame, not the middle.. so what usually happens is I inadvertanly tilt up the shot to frame the head of the person...

plus the other thing I hate is that it seems to take forever to focus with the focus ring.
 
Last edited:
Barry, thanks for the thread. So... it sounds like it's going to be more of a challenge focusing this camera in run and gun or near run and gun situations compared to big cameras and even the 100A.

Fortunately I just got a new eyeglass prescription but it's a bit disconcerting none the less. I'd gladly pay more for this camera if it had a better LCD and/or viewfinder. Bummer.

Thanks again for the responses.
 
I've shot about a 40 hours of P2 footage and I will say that practice helps. My early stuff was definitely more hit and miss than later on. I've gotten better at interpeting the EVF as well as judging distances. I think with another 100 hours of practice or so, :-) I'll be able to hit the mark pretty well fairly quickly. Although I agree with pkendall about the focus assist box since it is dyametrically opposed to the rule of thirds for photography. Should be like most modern SLR cameras where you can dial in your focus points instead of always being dead center.
 
Focusing is pretty simple with the HVX in my opinion.

I start off by zooming all the way in on my subject, then pop up the focus assist box, focus on the subject, then zoom back out to whatever the framing calls for. I've never had a problem with focus yet using this technique.
 
Exactly which Marshall LCD monitor is everyone talking about for focusing? I've searched through numerous threads and can't seem to find any actual model number. Everyone just says "the Marshall".
 
I think the focusing issue is more in a run and gun, handheld in bright sunlight situation where either the subject or camera or both are moving in the z plane where you often don't have the luxury of time to do the "zoom/focus/frame/everyone stay still" system. I have found HD a lot less forgiving in the focus area than DV. The manual focus ring seems to take a lot of moving to go from infinity to macro too compared to a lot of cameras. Ideally I'd like a focus system like you find in the Canon SLRs with that kind of response.
 
Id like to throw in my 2 cents about focusing...

I am right back from 1 month of documentary shooting, we did a lot of spontnious shooting in the streets and i think we pushed the cam to the maximum.

We were not shooting hd, but dvcpro 50, so no focus assist, just auto focus.
The cameragirl i worked with is really one of the best, she worked with everything from 35mm to 1 chip camcorders.
She was also used to work with the 100 for a long time, so the hvx was not totally "new" to her.
But we experienced that focusing(specially in documentary work) is really a pain in the ass: the auto focus is incredible slow, and often doesnt find the right point finally.(we got a lot footage where the backround-maybe 30 cm away-is sharp, while the person we were shooting was a bit unfocused).

It s impossible to see those small differences on a lcd that got 200 000 pixels.
I got no hd expirience yet with the cam (as we are in pal land), but i am really wondering hiw this should work in the right way without a marshall or something else.

All in all i have to say that she got used to it a little better at the end of 4 weeks(she did the manual focus first, then automatic focus and back to manual when she had the feeling it is fine finally) but its still the biggest minus we see for the hvx.

But i also have to say that we dont regret our decission as young filmmakers that we bought a camcorder that cost us about 10.000 euro(with p2) and that the quality of the pictures is overwhelming(if the right person uses the cam)

I am sure that also with the focusing problems the hvx will have a big influence on the european broadcast and independent market!
 
Good item for a firmware upgrade.

Good item for a firmware upgrade.

Bob Fagan said:
Although I agree with pkendall about the focus assist box since it is dyametrically opposed to the rule of thirds for photography. Should be like most modern SLR cameras where you can dial in your focus points instead of always being dead center.
Click to expand...

Great point on the rule of thirds. This would be a great item to modify on a firmware upgrade by Panasonic - hint, hint.

All in all, I'm most likely going to take the plunge on the HVX. For the life of me I can't understand how such a great image maker could be hobbled by the viewfinder- a portal to utilizing this camera's potential.

One doesn't always have the luxury of setting focus via zooming in, monitor etc... I know there are going to be compromises at this price point, but I'd gladly trade a better viewfinder for a compromise in another area.

Just a mini-rant.
 
G-Man said:
My only question is if you are using the standard def option on the HVX, can you use the camera's lcd monitor to focus?
Click to expand...

In HD, the focus is critical. Even though you *might* be able squeeze by in some situations with Focus Assist, you really need a better monitor (than HVX's the built-in LCD) to be a lot more accurate. I went for the infamous Marshall monitor and I'm very happy with its performance and usefulness in framing and focusing.

In SD mode, the built-in LCD monitor is more forgiving with focusing. Although, when I had my DVX100A, I mostly used my laptop with DV Rack (full-screen monitoring) to focus.
 
They can spin it however they want, but the LCD on the HVX is a step backwards form the DVX100. As noted above, even when shooting in SD they had problems with focus being just a bit out. I have seen this too. I never had this problem on the DVX.

When comparing the DVX100 (non b) to the HVX side by side in an "LCD" shootout the difference in clarity on the DVX is significant. A dispointment to me as a big part of getting the HVX was based on ease of focusing with a large LCD.

Keep in mind I am not talking HD at all.
 
So it seems like the Marshall (or a comparable LCD) is required for shooting with the HVX.

How do ya'll recommend mounting an external LCD for handheld shooting?
 
HowdyDoo said:
So it seems like the Marshall (or a comparable LCD) is required for shooting with the HVX.
Click to expand...

Yeah, pretty much.


HowdyDoo said:
How do ya'll recommend mounting an external LCD for handheld shooting?
Click to expand...

Use the HVX's threaded handle. I found a nice adapter that does the trick. Just be careful.
 
How about the VF then ?

How about the VF then ?

HowdyDoo said:
So it seems like the Marshall (or a comparable LCD) is required for shooting with the HVX.

How do ya'll recommend mounting an external LCD for handheld shooting?
Click to expand...


I can see using a monitor when appropriate for static stuff, but for handheld? Not for me, it's too much of a deficit. For interviews, films etc.. -no problem. I'm very disinclined to carry around an external monitor for handheld work and b-roll situations. Yikes!

So the LCD stinks- how does the viewfinder stack up against the 100A ? I prefer using a (good or good enough) VF over the LCD in many situations anyway, is this one usable. The peaking function adequate ??? If it is, then I'm content using the LCD to check WB and for rough focus.

Thoughts on the VF ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top