Jvc ls300

Mac said:
I totally agree with you in principle - as I said, a corporate bean-counter decision crippled what could have been a stellar offer. But it is what it is, and frankly there isn't another option for those with MFT, EF and S16 lenses - except the Pocket which I have two of - and they don't offer S35 and 4K.

The separate viewfinder isn't a problem for me because I use Zacutos anyway to get it shoulder mounted, but that's just me... And I'm old school so DSLRs just don't cut it for me - the Pocket is bad enough in that regard.

Bottom line, and the reason this thread is in this forum, is I'd hoped to get away from the constipated design of DSLR/BM style cameras with an updated AF100. This 300 is all there is, so I'll give it a try.

And I may regret it - probably will. On dvinfonet a guy is reporting unacceptable macro-blocking. I haven't seen that yet in my experience, but because of bad cameras I haven't been able to test for myself. It could be $3,500 out the window, but sometimes you play the horses for the outsider.
Click to expand...
We saw zero Macro blocking from our footage, especially when we played it back directly on to a 85" JVC monitor.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S47dceBcuJI

Jim Martin
EVSonline.com
 
Thanks Jim, that's good to know... it seems that there is an ongoing conspiracy against this camera - but to be honest JVC isn't doing themselves any favors by allowing tacky to horrible pre-release footage and an industry low for quality control.

I've always liked their innovation from those old orange U-Matics to the early shoulder mount HDVs with the built in earphone. They really should amp up their manufacturing/distribution/support inastructure to match that innovation.
 
I am so completely on the fence with this camera. Every time someone posts a good insight & experience it seems someone else posts a counter-point to it... which is all great and very much appreciated for the online discourse it provides. Mac, you really sum up my feelings on it - that if the QC and things like better onboard monitoring were built into this camera I wouldn't hesitate at all. Beyond those things (and the macro-blocking reports - which I have been reading on DVInfo as well - and hope are an isolated case) I love the package of innovative features and image adjustment options. I too would gladly pay more for a better built & equipped camera... and maybe a future release will justify a higher cost.

For what I'm shooting, a step up from the AF100 is still more of a want than a need. But I really appreciate others posting their experiences - good & bad - and will continue to follow this cam. I agree, it's the only one currently trying to fill the m43 interchangeable lens pro video camera void. Maybe Panasonic will eventually announce an interchangeable lens version of the DVX200....
 
Dave - I should get another camera in about two weeks - I wish I had ordered from Jim Martin, because he's been such and advocate (one of the few), but I had a $2000 credit from another vendor and needed to take advantage of it.... Anyway, given your situation if I were you I'd wait and see what shakes out. I'll be back with more comments once I receive a working camera... About 2-3 weeks.
 
Mac said:
Dave - I should get another camera in about two weeks - I wish I had ordered from Jim Martin, because he's been such and advocate (one of the few), but I had a $2000 credit from another vendor and needed to take advantage of it.... Anyway, given your situation if I were you I'd wait and see what shakes out. I'll be back with more comments once I receive a working camera... About 2-3 weeks.
Click to expand...

I'll look forward to hearing about your experience with the next camera. The experiences you've had with early units remind me of mine with the HD100 way back when. It was a groundbreaking camera in many respects, but I had several of the very first ones produced and there were numerous issues - some of which were eventually resolved (but not without boxing them up and shipping them back to JVC for updating).

It's clear now that in capable hands the LS300 can produce some very, very good images... but equally important to me is that it function well and dependably, day in day out, every time I take it out of the bag.. and hold up to the rigors of daily professional use. My AF100 and AC130 have done that beautifully and I'm hesitant to invest in any new system until it's proven itself in the field. I'm personally thankful for you, Gary Senda, Lpowell and others posting your early-adopter experiences so the rest of us can make better-informed decisions when the time comes.
 
I was really nervous when I got my first Pocket Camera, it was also unproven (and in fact the first one I got needed to be exchanged too). It took nearly a year before I felt I could trust them and commit to them for an important documentary I made for a university.

I think once I get a good LS300 it'll take less time for me to trust it - JVC's been around a lot longer than BM - I actually used their cameras in the 80s when I was first transitioning from film for some docs (those old orange 3 tube ones).

It does feel like a curse that I've gotten two bad ones in a row, but third time's a charm.
 
The image with jvc log is really nice. Which makes me reconsidering this camera.

I have a few questions for the LS300' owners:

- How is rolling shutter in 4k? Does mapping the sensor for a micro43 lens help at reducing RS, let's say, compared to using a s35 lens? Maybe the speed of sensor reading is improved in that case?

- Does the camera have a focus magnification button? if yes, can you zoom around the frame?

- Does the camera ship with the battery charger? I saw that it's a quite expensive piece of equipment!! If not, can you recommend any third party charger?

Thanks a lot!
 
Doesn't come with a batt charger - I grabbed a duel charger from Swit http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1130043-REG/swit_s_3602i_dual_charger_adapter_for.html & a couple of their batts http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1130029-REG/swit_s_8i50_47wh_battery_for.html
The batteries are bigger than the one that comes with the LS300 but they do have a power output which is handy for powering Alphatron viewfinder.

Haven't noticed any rolling shutter headaches during everyday shooting so haven't really tested the differences - I'm using a lot of the M4/3 lenses at 86% or 89% crop rather than the 80% crop that is the M4/3 standard.

Yes, as you found it does have focus expand that can be moved round - can be assigned to your choice of buttons.
 
Still early days of playing with version 2 but two (related?) issues I've found.

Histogram - does not show up on the SDI out. The audio levels disappear but the histogram doesn't appear.

Spot meter - area boxes don't show up on the SDI out. The percentage numbers show up on the right hand side bit the boxes showing what is being metered aren't there.

As I'm using a add on viewfinder with this cam this is a bit annoying - an update soon please JVC (if anyone from JVC reads this forum)
 
Guys - posted in the AF forum as well, wondering how this cam cuts with AF100 footage - multi cam interviews etc if anyone has tried it, really like the look of this cam, definitely looking to upgrade from our 2 x AF101's,
be great if they could add WFM as well, and a better built body and Viewfinder in the next iteration based on feedback so far
 
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