atlfilmguy
Well-known member
Nearly blew my coffee out of my nose reading that one.
HPX170 Lens Wobble Improved
- Thread starter Dino
- Start date
Nearly blew my coffee out of my nose reading that one.
Deaniweenie
Active member
Intrepid, if as Jan says, Panasonic will sort your camera, other than a little inconvenience while the camera is away, you should have nothing to regret.
This wobble has upset quite a few users but that aside, most people are saying what a wonderful camera the 170 is and how fantastic the images are.
Yes, the problem should never have been there in the first place, but Panasonic have now acknowledged the issue and have promised to rectify it.
If that is the case, Panasonic have listened to this forum and responded quickly. Quite something in this day and age.
This wobble has upset quite a few users but that aside, most people are saying what a wonderful camera the 170 is and how fantastic the images are.
Yes, the problem should never have been there in the first place, but Panasonic have now acknowledged the issue and have promised to rectify it.
If that is the case, Panasonic have listened to this forum and responded quickly. Quite something in this day and age.
alexdias
Well-known member
Adding to the last post, you should not regret your purchase at this point since Scarlet is still a concept and who knows when it will be available and at what point that camera will be functional. It took RED a few builds to be considered practical, so...
If you have a project or jobs going on right now the Scarlet is not an option and for this price range the 170 is the best deal around.
You'll find nothing like what you have here from Jan, Barry and others with any other camera (including Red).
atlfilmguy
Well-known member
did I mention how happy I am that Jan said they would rectify the problem cameras?
Mike Harvey
Veteran
I nearly did the same with Coca-Cola (I was about to just write Coke... but the whole blow-coke-nose mental image didn't seem quite right :huh
wgzn
Veteran
are you KIDDING ME?!? as mentioned in your other post about the scarlet - its not due for another year. if you can sit on your thumbs for a year waiting [hoping] for another camera. and that waiting isnt going to kill your business - or on the flip side. if you can only forsee yourself buying one $5000 camera in a year. you have no business buying either of them to begin with...
im going to get busy selling work with my perfectly functional wobby/plasticy hpx and be happy as a clam!
Cees Mutsaers
Veteran
When I saw the 150 at the IBC2008 i hoped the build quality of the hpx170 would be better. Unfortunately my fear seems to come true when I read this thread. Waited 3 years for nothing !! very dissapointed 
Luckily shares went down .
Luckily shares went down .
wgzn
Veteran
jesus-marimba! who are you people?!??!? are there build issues with the camera? sure. do some of them have a possibility of effecting performance? maybe...
BUT:
1. jan (and panasonic) have acknowledged that and im sure they will make good for those who see real performance problems.
2. as many of us have tested. these supposed issues only effect a small portion of those whos cameras exhibit the symptoms.
do we really need to spread glee that the company - like pretty much all others is taking a stock hit?
Cees Mutsaers
Veteran
i agree
i agree
I have to agree when i look at the wiggle video and the photo you posted. On the photo there seems to be no chink between the first ring and the camera body. definitely different designs !!!
i agree
I have to agree when i look at the wiggle video and the photo you posted. On the photo there seems to be no chink between the first ring and the camera body. definitely different designs !!!
wgzn
Veteran
couple of questions:
1. i could well be wrong - but, that looked more like a cheap tripod than lens wiggle to me.
2. why wouldnt things move when you tap the mic or focus ring?
i did though notice something in your footage. did you by any chance have OIS on? i was doing a tilt+zoom out at a test shoot last night and i had OIS on. and i had a very similar left/right shift in my footage...
Segarza
Well-known member
1. US$2,700.00 Sachtler tripod/head capable of supporting 26.5 lbs (HPX weighs 5lbs)
2. When taping the focus ring there IS image shifting, this is caused by the lens wiggle. When taping the int mic with the SAME force there is barely any camera shake and no image shifting.
No OIS on.
Gary Senda
Well-known member
Try to tap the camera body near the lens: it is very different than tapping the mic.
atlfilmguy
Well-known member
Some people are saying it is a bad tripod or a OIS issue.
This is not the case.
There is a wide range of users here with a wide range of skill. Beginning cam ops and seasoned ops agree that something is up with this camera with the image shifting caused by the overly movable shock mount.
I have a 516 head with a MVB515 legs. It is sturdy, I had OIS off and I had as bad or maybe worse image shift as the others.
It renders the camera only half useful (only as a 35mm adapter camera).
Some are affected more than others.
Jan has said it will be addressed, it looks like on a camera-by-camera basis.
I for one am tired of people discounting this. This is not an "alleged" or "supposed" issue that needs to be figured out if is true or not. It is a real defect.
I have seen it with my own eyes, and I cannot use this as a stock camera to produce proffesional work for my clients.
This is not the case.
There is a wide range of users here with a wide range of skill. Beginning cam ops and seasoned ops agree that something is up with this camera with the image shifting caused by the overly movable shock mount.
I have a 516 head with a MVB515 legs. It is sturdy, I had OIS off and I had as bad or maybe worse image shift as the others.
It renders the camera only half useful (only as a 35mm adapter camera).
Some are affected more than others.
Jan has said it will be addressed, it looks like on a camera-by-camera basis.
I for one am tired of people discounting this. This is not an "alleged" or "supposed" issue that needs to be figured out if is true or not. It is a real defect.
I have seen it with my own eyes, and I cannot use this as a stock camera to produce proffesional work for my clients.
Segarza
Well-known member
The problem exists... it is more than evident. I believe no further testing is required.
You can tap different camera parts, I arbitrarily chose the Mic because lengthwise it's in the same position as the focus ring. We can argue that it's not part of the camera body, etc, etc. But the facts remain the same, there's a problem with my camera and it needs to be solved ASAP.
You can tap different camera parts, I arbitrarily chose the Mic because lengthwise it's in the same position as the focus ring. We can argue that it's not part of the camera body, etc, etc. But the facts remain the same, there's a problem with my camera and it needs to be solved ASAP.
puredrifting
Major Contributor
I have just mounted my HPX-170 on my Sachtler DV-6SB and zoomed in all of the way (51mm) and did several rack focuses on a brass nameplate in my office. Count me in the "no image shift" camp. I do see slight breathing, as is to be expected with most zooms and prosumer lenses but no noticeable lateral image shift.
I do see slight "wiggle" at the base of the lens mount but when I compare it to my DVX-100A and a well used HVX-200 here at work, it isn't dramatically different.
Honestly, it sounds as if some of you may have received cameras that had more variation in the tolerances perhaps?
I can totally see the logic of shock mounting the lens assembly. If it were rock solid and you hit it against something when swinging the camera, it would crack the lens assembly. I am not denying that some of you may be experiencing shift problems that may affect your picture. If Jan has said that it will be handled, it will be. Jan has always been a straight shooter, she does what she says she will do, I am the same way.
I have yet to see a small camcorder and most larger ones introduced in the last few years that doesn't have some "issue" when it is released. What is unacceptable is when there are several issues like the ones that plagued the EX-1s, I believe at one point, there were five or six MAJOR issues on that camera when it was first released? It is still a good camera and from what I have heard, Sony has rectified most of the initial issues, I think. If you want to skate the cutting edge, you end up bleeding sometimes. Other than the minor inconvenience of having to bring the camera to a service center, I don't think it will be that big of a deal for most of us, although, yes, if you have shoots, that is a major hassle.
Best,
Dan
I do see slight "wiggle" at the base of the lens mount but when I compare it to my DVX-100A and a well used HVX-200 here at work, it isn't dramatically different.
Honestly, it sounds as if some of you may have received cameras that had more variation in the tolerances perhaps?
I can totally see the logic of shock mounting the lens assembly. If it were rock solid and you hit it against something when swinging the camera, it would crack the lens assembly. I am not denying that some of you may be experiencing shift problems that may affect your picture. If Jan has said that it will be handled, it will be. Jan has always been a straight shooter, she does what she says she will do, I am the same way.
I have yet to see a small camcorder and most larger ones introduced in the last few years that doesn't have some "issue" when it is released. What is unacceptable is when there are several issues like the ones that plagued the EX-1s, I believe at one point, there were five or six MAJOR issues on that camera when it was first released? It is still a good camera and from what I have heard, Sony has rectified most of the initial issues, I think. If you want to skate the cutting edge, you end up bleeding sometimes. Other than the minor inconvenience of having to bring the camera to a service center, I don't think it will be that big of a deal for most of us, although, yes, if you have shoots, that is a major hassle.
Best,
Dan
Gary Senda
Well-known member
I agree that there is a problem: there's a slot in a shock mount lens that allows the lens move and this can be an issue when focusing at full telephoto. Anyway tapping on the lens (or on the body near the lens) when full zoomed gives always a shaked image and perhaps it is not the best test to perform
Segarza
Well-known member
I agree with you. That's why I did both things. Tapped the focus ring (this accounts for both lens wiggle and camera shake), and then tapped the int mic (this only accounts for camera shake). So ideally, if there were no lens wiggle, the resulting footage from both experiments should look pretty much the same.
When I tapped the int mic, there was only camera shake (very little I must add). But when I tapped the focus ring I got a dramatically different result: lateral image shifting.
When I tapped the int mic, there was only camera shake (very little I must add). But when I tapped the focus ring I got a dramatically different result: lateral image shifting.