I simply can't focus my AF100 with it's build in FA. Need on camera monitor advice.

Dino/Jeff, sounds like you have a very good hookup (I'm just the guy that suggested a GB), so please let us know what the numbers are for say, 10 ($ discount), 20 ($$ discount, 50 ($$$ discount, etc.) that TV Logic is willing to do.

Thanks,

Mike
 
I received an email from the TV Logic US rep. ten minutes ago from Korea, but he was asking my opinion of a feature question regarding a different monitor model. I will see if he's willing to provide a quote or recommend one of his official resellers for this.

Edit: The group buy request has been escalated to TV Logic upper management at the factory by the US rep.
 
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Mike@AF said:
Any update to the TV Logic group buy?
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I finally just got a call back from a Wes Donahue at TV Logic. He wanted a solid number (10,20,50, whatever) to work with. I'm guessing Dino/Jeff probably already knows this and is waiting on some more info from TV Logic.
 
See my TV Logic thread, WFM-056WP(higher end model), available for special discount for DVXUser members through FilmTools at $1350, list is $1595. This was setup by the US TV Logic distributor, Preco.
 
Steve Kahn said:
Give the focus in red a chance. I have found it to be great.

Use the evf in B&W not the LCD to focus.
Turn on focus in red
Press the evf DTL button to enhance focus in red. It is really good!
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Bam! Thanks Steve. I was with the poster on this one till I read your post. Once you calibrate it like this, your in like Flynn!
 
Steve Kahn said:
The focus in red thing is something you need your eye to look for. It is very subtle but when it is used in B&W mode it is all I could ever ask for and I actually prefer it to a zoom focus because I'd rather not push that button and sacrifice a big chunk of my evf. On the contrary you can use it throughout a scene without having to turn it on and off and look for a button in the process.

Give it a shot in B&W. You will love it once you train your eye to look for it. And the diopter is great as well. I love the evf. Perfect!

I only wish I could see the LCD in B&W as well and use the focus in red on the LCD. That would be my only complaint.
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JVC had a version of this but it was focus in green. It work pretty amazingly. Even better than the AF100.
 
Jon Furtado said:
JVC had a version of this but it was focus in green. It work pretty amazingly. Even better than the AF100.
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I had a JVC HD100 with this feature. It worked, yes, but most of the reason it worked was because the JVC's tiny chip had such deep DOF that it was pretty hard to get something truly out of focus. Totally different story from the AF100. Originally the Panasonic engineers had it tuned like the JVC and I begged them to back it off; the red was just too generous and it was too easy to get red to show up on stuff that wasn't really, truly, crisply focused. On the JVC it didn't matter because it was 1/3", but on the AF100 the sensor is 16x bigger so it matters a lot. I asked them to tune the AF100 so that the red is extremely stingy, and will only show up if something is really, really sharp.

You can get it to act more generously if you use EVF DTL plus the focus in red, so you really have both options available to you. I like using the FA by itself whenever possible, so that it's as accurate and precise as possible.
 
I spent part of a day doing some camera tests and and found it difficult to focus the AF100, even with focus in red, EVF detail on, and B&W EVF. Granted, I was using the Voigtlander 25mm at f/0.95 part of the time, but it was still difficult. As comparison, I also was testing the GH2 and that was much much easier to focus with the zoom focus assist and I was getting sharper footage from it because of that. It seems wrong that we're forced to buy an expensive external monitor just so we can get proper focus when there shouldn't be any reason why Panasonic can't include a zoom focus assist on the AF100.

This is one of the few things that really bums me out about the camera, the others being audio monitoring in VFR mode, lack of color balance control on the LCD, no ISO setting dial, no scene file dial, and the physical placement of the WB button blocking or making difficult use of follow focus with some lenses. And most of those should be able to be fixed with firmware. They can just add more mode to the DIAL MODE button and dial, giving us frame rate, shutter, ISO, and scene file all in one place.
 
Absolutely... I shot three "talking head" commercials Saturday for a local Mayoral candidate. I was using the Nikon 1.4 almost totally wide open, so there was a thin margin of focus. This is what Barry's talking about. The red with enhanced detail in the B&W eyepiece got me right in on the eyes... Just Great! The footage is really nice... soft BG and crisp subject... just like I knew it would be. I did tests for the few days in advance of the shoot just to get familiar with settings and buttons... a little scarey, but I'm glad I didn't follow my panic instincts and bring the DVX... I'm afraid it's now going on the auction block along with a diopter and .6 century WA. For the shoot, I used the standard setting but with detail turned slightly down and coring slightly up and the Skin Tone setting ON... I also used a 4X4 diffusion filter... (the candidate is an older lady)

Barry, your book arrived today also... it's nice to have a "real" manual that I don't have to boot up... Thanks!
 
I want to know if the color accuracy/banding is better on the TV Logic 5.6" monitor verses the SmallHD DP6. I've heard they both use the same lcd panel, but the internal processing is different. Does this mean that the color accuracy/banding will be identical or that the TV Logic will be more accurate because of better internal processing? Thanks.


Also, another question. I am looking at the Marshall 800x480 resolution monitors. I am wondering if the smaller resolution can be an advantage sometimes, since the AF100 doesn't have a digital zoom focus assist feature.

Am I correct in saying that all the external monitors don't have digital zoom, they only have 1-to-1 pixel mapping? And because of this using a lower resolution monitor like a Marshall 800x480 would give you a more zoomed in image to use for focus assist then a high resolution monitor?

Basically when I want to use a 1-to-1 pixel mapping as a focus assist, using a low-rez Marshall would show me a screen with just an eyeball in it, and the SmallHD or TV Logic would show me most of the face. Right or wrong?
 
I can't speak for the TV Logic, but I don't understand this color accuracy/banding statement. I've compared my DP6 to many different displays and the reproduction looks great to me. I've never seen banding it in that wasn't in the original footage. Period.

Pertaining to 1:1 pixel zoom, I have a DP1X which is 8.9 inches diagonal and the DP6 which is 5.6 inches diagonally. I can focus them equally as well when using 1:1 pixel mapping. I'd take a higher resolution screen at the same diagonal size ANYDAY over one of smaller resolution. the main reason being, once you go 1:1 I'd like to see a little more while I focus so I don't have to change the framing to see the important part I need to focus too if it is not in the same 1:1 area being shown on the screen.

(And yes, you are right, that is what should happen)

One thing I will say, if you can get the opportunity to use the LCD panels you want beforehand, that is the best thing. The DP6 compared to the DP1X is so much better it is not even funny. Night and day. I will also say this, the only minus at the moment with the DP6 is when it is out on my crane at certain points, it is smaller so I don't have as much freedom of how far away from me it is.

I've used the 1:1 on the DP6 with the AF100 and it worked very well.
 
i just picked up the TV Logic LCD and I'm going to be much more comfortable focusing now. I set up the Function button to zoom and it allows you to control the amount zoom with the wheel on the side up to 80% in 10% increments. You can also adjust the intensity of the focus in red feature which will be helpful as well.
 
Mike,

That's great, I'm glad you picked up a VFM-056WP and took advantage of the DVXUser member discount! My monitor doesn't arrive until Monday, so it's great hearing your thoughts on the unit. I really think it and the Small HD DP6 are the perfect monitor for the AF100.
 
Mike@AF said:
i just picked up the TV Logic LCD and I'm going to be much more comfortable focusing now. I set up the Function button to zoom and it allows you to control the amount zoom with the wheel on the side up to 80% in 10% increments. You can also adjust the intensity of the focus in red feature which will be helpful as well.
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So wait, is there some kind of zoom function other then 1-to-1 pixel mapping? Can you zoom in further then whatever level of zoom you get with a 720p frame cutout of a 1080p image?
 
Chris Lawes said:
So wait, is there some kind of zoom function other then 1-to-1 pixel mapping? Can you zoom in further then whatever level of zoom you get with a 720p frame cutout of a 1080p image?
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Yes. You can set it to 1:1 pixel mapping in the menu, but there's not an easy way to get it to normal view. You'd have to go into the menu and switch the mode again. That's as far as I could tell. But then there's the zoom function which lets you zoom in 10% increments up to 80%, so you can zoom in more than just 1:1 that way. You can also move around the frame, although it's really slow moving around. I'm going to call TV Logic on Monday and ask if there's a trick to move it around quicker.
 
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