LCD resolution and clarity? whats wrong?

I

icicle22

Well-known member
OK. I have had it for about 6 hours now. I won't even post any impressions yet as I was working on my car for 5 of those 6 hours. But I have a serious question that really concerns me in the 45 minutes I have had with it.

The LCD seems very low rez. I have a very hard time focusing with it and in comparison to my DVX it is soft. I have increased the contrast but it still seems washed out. Anyone else seeing this and what can I do to get the DVX type clarity on the HVX LCD? I remember early on someone else posted about this too but I don't think it was ever addressed.

Also the camera came with P2 HD mode set to 7.5 ire? Whats up with that? I changed it to zero and the image in the LCD looked a little more crisp but still not near as sharp as my DVX100 LCD.
 
I have found using the EVF DTL switch , on the rear of the camera just above the battery is a great help in focusing.
 
Well the fact is that when I use the EVF detail switch it helps a lot. BUt with it off the image is very soft. In fact when comparing with my DVX100 I would say it looks like someone applied a blur filter from photoshop to it. I am trying to match it up with the DVX but having no luck. It seems much closer when in SD mode than in Hi def.
 
That's what I care most about HVX - I already decided to buy one but this low-rez LCD thing makes me think I'd better wait for a second or third batch, hoping Pana to address this issue soon.

I now tried two of the HVXs in different local stores and they both have this low-rez LCD. HVX is supposed to have 210,000 pixel rez LCD (DVX100B also has same rez) whereas DVX100A has 200,000 pixel LCD. By looking at their LCD side by side, one can easily say DVX has better clarity on the LCD. With the shiny brand-new HVX, even the text on the LCD (eg. TC or some other info) looks somewhat blurry. This is really bad.

As far as LCDs are concerned, SONY Z1 and JVC HD100 both have good LCD, counting 250,000 pixels. Focus peaks can easily be seen with these LCDs (of course for super accurate focus, external monitor is still needed). Canon XL H1 is notorious for having bad EVF too, counting 215,000 pixels.

Funny thing is I've only heard a couple of same complaints for the HVX LCD. Barry disagreed with me completely here, stating the text on the LCD is razor-sharp. For me, as I said earlier two HVXs I've seen so far have low-rez LCD, with somewhat blurry TC. Is this just a personal preference, or are there some defected HVXs with bad LCD out there ??
 
saru,
So you've seen more than one HVX200 and they both looked slightly blurry? Sometimes the Text in the menus and the timecode almost look like a ghost image underneath it. I have the original DVX100 and side by side the difference is dramatic. I also seemed to notice that the new LCD seems more sensitive to angle. If I am off by a hair the image really fades. It does it on the DVX100 also but it has a better tolerance than this HVX.

The sad thing is that I picked the HVX200 partially because I love focusing with the DVX100 LCD so much I figured I'd have the same luck with it. So far I am a little disapointed in the LCD.
 
icicle22 said:
Sometimes the Text in the menus and the timecode almost look like a ghost image underneath it. I have the original DVX100 and side by side the difference is dramatic.
Click to expand...

This is exactly same on the two HVXs I've seen, yes, two of them.
Not sure about the angle sensitivity, but as I post earlier here, I also noticed the pink and green fringe? on the left / right edge of the LCD. It's nothing, but with the bad clarity we're talking about, I'd have to think Pana might've used cheep LCD panel or bad assembly on the HVX.

I also loved focusing with the DVX LCD, but I really hate it with HVX LCD :embarasse

I'm gonna try third HVX soon. Fingers crossed :thumbup:
 
I'm telling ya, that ain't right. On my HVX the text on the LCD is razor sharp and crystal clear. That's what they all should look like.
 
I'll say that using the LCD on the HVX200 is a bit different than the DVX100. I definitely use the Focus Assist button as much as possible. Of course where this is tricky is on constantly moving subjects and targets. I am getting used to what "in focus" looks like on the monitor. I think the bottom line is if you are close to being what appears to be in focus on the LCD, you're okay. It will look good on an HD monitor or TV. However, it *could* be slightly off focus and it'll be a tad soft, but I'm noticing that being a little off on the HVX is not a huge deal. Soft slightly off focus shots are more than useable, especially if the moving subject ends up in super sharp focus part of the time.

It's been mentioned here many times before, the suggestion of using a 7" high res monitor or greater. If you can purchase/rent one, AND you're all good with dealing with the added bulk and cables (locked down tripod for sure), you'll be way happier than using the on camera LCD. I haven't tested trying to go hand held with the Monitor on camera. I'm sure it's not much fun. So focus assist is God for run and gun. :)
 
But Holyzoo, how does the text look on your LCD? The question is whether the text itself is blurry. icicle22's saying he's almost seeing a ghost image under the text. In mine it's sharp & clear -- how's yours?
 
Barry, I was responding to the original post about being able to focus, etc, due to the LCDs lack of res, which I think we all know an LCD that small can't do too much justice to an HD image, but it's way better than the XL-H1.

Regarding the text being blurry, I can see they put what looks like a black outline on text to make it reliably pop against dark and light images on the screen. I have no problem with this. If I nitpicked how the text looked, I could criticize, but really - if I can see, read, comprehend, and use the info gleaned from the text and icons, I'm happy. I swear, not to blast some people, but it seems some people will complain about anything. ;) I think my text on the LCD is fine. And my post above addresses potential focus issues using such a small screen for HD.

I think getting used to how "in focus" looks on the LCD is a critical rite of passage with the cam. Thoughts?
 
Hi there, my first post here, tanks for all your info so far. Here in Europe I played a bit with a HVX (NTSC) and I noticed the very soft lcd. I found it hard, almost impossible to focus it. I shot many hours with the DVX-100a and always liked the LCD and felt comfortable focussing it. I really hope this problem does not exist in all camera's, maybe some people can send some stills of their LCD with text.
 
Wow. One post and he already figured out how to change fonts. I'm impressed.
Seriously though, people, this is getting a bit ridiculous with the endless worries. Can somebody just post some photos so we can see what we're dealing with before people call Pana demanding a recall?
 
LCD.jpg


Just got through doing a side-by-side in the field, night on the LV Strip with the HVX and the Sony FX1. Had the two cameras on a Matthews monitor platform strapped to my chest, so there wasn't a whole lot of ease-of-use going on. I used the HVX LCD with EVF DTL and the magnified focus assist, and it was significantly easier to grab critical focus than the FX1 was. FX1 had zebras on, so IIRC that means peaking wouldn't work because you can't have both but it was night and day different, the HVX was way easier.

So I just tried 'em both now -- I found the peaking/zebra switch on the FX1 and set it to "peaking" and tried 'em both. I'd say with peaking on both, they're almost exactly the same. If there's a difference between them in LCD sharpness, it's splitting hairs. The HVX is plenty sharp enough to grab proper critical focus with, provided you use EVF DTL and the magnified focus assist. Otherwise of course it won't work; you can't expect to fit a million pixels in the frame on a 200k pixel LCD. But if you use the tools, it's very easy to do.
 
Thanks Barry, and I think I might have to say what I see on your photo is quite different from what I saw in the local stores.

However I'd better check it again and take photos of the *bad* LCD in one of the stores.

icicle22, can you post some photos of your HVX LCD like Barry did ?


Cheers
 
icicle22 said:
OK. I have had it for about 6 hours now. I won't even post any impressions yet as I was working on my car for 5 of those 6 hours. But I have a serious question that really concerns me in the 45 minutes I have had with it.

The LCD seems very low rez. I have a very hard time focusing with it and in comparison to my DVX it is soft. I have increased the contrast but it still seems washed out. Anyone else seeing this and what can I do to get the DVX type clarity on the HVX LCD? I remember early on someone else posted about this too but I don't think it was ever addressed.

Also the camera came with P2 HD mode set to 7.5 ire? Whats up with that? I changed it to zero and the image in the LCD looked a little more crisp but still not near as sharp as my DVX100 LCD.
Click to expand...
My very first impression as well. In my opinion the LCD is only good for reading menu's and looking at thumbnails. Focusing is difficult with the LCD alone.
 
Well as hopefully my last chime in here. Barry, that's what my LCD looks like as well.

As final note, I think this thread is a testament to how this camera is a professional camera, a precision tool with many powerful functions, yet some limitations that requires practice and skill to use. For me, I come from a background of using what's at hand to get the job done, or create impactful innovative art. The HVX200 is way over the top as a high end creative weapon/vehicle/catalyst.

May the nitpicking continue on...
 
Well let me say I resent a bit that we are being accused of nitpicking. I could care less if the font in the menus has a ghost effect if the image itself is clear. But I notice a lack of clarity in the footage displayed on the LCD. I will try to take a picture of the text and see if you can make out the slight blur/ghost on the text. That might be the only way to tell as you would never be able to make out the lack of sharpness in a photo of actual footage. I only have a Canon Powershot that does not have a Macro function so I don't know if I can capture it cleanly or not.

And Holyzoo....with all due respect if your HVX was looking much softer than your DVX I do think you would be inclined to "make sure" it is by design and not a potential problem with your unit. I really don't see this as nitpicking. I just want to make sure it is right.

I will try to get a photo now.

Thanks!
 
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