HPX250: Lens comparison

[ggrantly]

I have lusted after a long lens Panny camcorder for a long time and it seems my wish may have been granted. Now the only issue is the money....
I really would prefer the shoulder mount form factor of the 370, but the price difference and the longer lens of the 250 is a powerful pull. Does anyone have an opinion on the IQ of the 250 lens vs the stock lens on the 370 (magnification aside). The lens upgrade path on the 370 gets expensive very quickly, so that isn't in my budget if I did get a 370.

TIA,
Grant

 

[Garion]

Hi Grant, I know where you are coming from. I have the 371 and the standard lens is quite sharp if properly back focussed. i also have the Fujinon 13X wideangle lens and i have compared it to the standard 371 lens. The 13x is slightly sharper but when fully open it is noticeably softer than the kit lens.

i have seen the 250's Videos and the new lens looks very good, i think it comes down to this:

250 lens: Very good zoom range, sharp, but no constant Min F stop across full zoom range (could be slight ramping in darker conditions)

370 lens: Good zoom range but wideangle could be a little wider, sharp, constant min F stop but needs carefull backfocus.

The standard 370 kit lens was updated compared to the 300's lens, this was confirmed by the test Alan roberts did for the BBC.

To get a new long lens for the 370 can cost more than the camera itself (in the UK) so the 250 is looking good here. Another point to consider is portability and cost of extras. The 370 with mic and battery pack is a big beast, gives beautifull images but if you work on your own its a lot to carry around. The 250 does the same thing but it a lot more portable and has the greater zoom range.

the main thing swinging in favour of the 370 is build quality, its relatively light but built very well (mainly metal) and can take the abuse.

I guess you need to decide what you want to shoot with it, if its wildlife then the 250 easily wins there. For general shooting they should be almost identical although i believe the 250 has a wider lens so indoor shoots would be easier.There is one thing which should not even come into the equation but is unfortuneatly true. Sometimes customers see a smaller camera and assume its a consumer item, they see a big shoulder mount.. oh your a pro! Daft but ive heard it said.

 

[Kolor-Pikker]

Another point to consider is portability and cost of extras.

Very good point here: The bigger the camera, the bigger and more expensive everything surrounding it has to be as well (battery, tripod, bag, etc), so plan ahead in that direction as well.

P.S. I can't help but wonder if anyone has even seen the Canon KT17ex4.3B in use on a 1/3" camcorder, I can't find anything about this lens from searching Google, but then again it is twice as expensive as the 370 itself.