Lumix Lx3 Hybrid?

J

JerryB

Well-known member
I know this is the GH1 forum, but this camera is along the same hybrid lines and a panasonic. I am waiting on a GH1 order and in the mean time thinking about what to get for a simple B camera. I am between the HV30 and Lumix Lx3. I know the HV30 takes quality footage and is meant for video but the pocketability of the Lx3 and solid state recording is appealing. I've have seen some pretty good footage come out of it.

Just wonderin' if anyone has had any experience with this cam, and what you would suggest.
 
Well, the LX3 isn't in the same class as the HV30 let alone the GH1 when it comes to video. If you want a cheap alternative to the GH1 then maybe one of the Nikon D5000 would be worth a punt.

If you are set on a compact I hear Sony's backlit sensor W range camera coming out in September is stunning for photos - and should be pretty interesting for video too, featuring 720p HD on a backlit sensor... low noise!
 
Just sold my LX3. It's a great camera for stills but so so for video. Although I've shoot som ok videos with it I think it's the weak codec that is to blame. Look at the TZ7 that has 720p recording in AVCHD format for a compact still/video solution to complement the GH1. Or look further on in september when the GF1 arrives.
 
Before the GH1 I didn't consider replacing a proper video camera with a hybrid. It's easy to forget, the GH1 is the first of the new breed, with no real peers yet.
 
I had 2 of them i took on a quick trip round the world... Absolutely loved it as a still camera. Great raw camera. But definitely lacked a bit in the video dept. One of the main problems was when there was a particularly bright light in frame, you'd get a vertical light streak across the entire frame at the same point... especially night time with street lights and things...

Shot a couple talking head projects with acceptable, not great results.
 
senomar said:
I had 2 of them i took on a quick trip round the world... Absolutely loved it as a still camera. Great raw camera. But definitely lacked a bit in the video dept. One of the main problems was when there was a particularly bright light in frame, you'd get a vertical light streak across the entire frame at the same point... especially night time with street lights and things...

Shot a couple talking head projects with acceptable, not great results.
Click to expand...

The vertical streak comes from the CCD sensor, it's one of those image quality quirks you get with that technology.

The TZ7 / ZS3 is better for video. I also hear the Canon SX1 IS is good for video, with it's CMOS sensor and full HD output... 1080p with Digic 4. Costs almost as much as the D5000 though!

http://www.vimeo.com/4011525
 
With point and shoots being called hybrids and with the GH1's lack of mirror box we need a new term for vDSLRs....I propose ILLSVCTATP....short for Interchangeable lens large sensor video cameras that also take pictures (gh1, maybe if HPX-170 gets a m4/3 makeover with lenses...) and ILLSSCTATV for Interchangeable Lens large sensor still cameras that also take video (5D mkII, Nikon D300s, etc.)

I predict that these new, easy to pronounce acronyms will soon become common place and eliminate all confusion.
 
I've read the TZ7 as terrible audio. The new FZ35 has 720/30p video and great stills. Not sure how it'd compare to a HV30. Since the TZ7 and FZ35 have a CCD rather than a CMOS would panning be smoother?
 
Is it a bird? Is it a VDSLR? Is it a Hybrid? No it's a GH1! Sorry.

I think they should stick to calling them Hybrids. It has a nicer ring to it than VDSLR or similar. It's just that SLR has become synonymous with top end cameras even though it has not relevance to the Micro Four Thirds format.
 
http://philipbloom.co.uk/2009/06/02/the-perfect-pocket-hd-camera/

T27?

What about GF1? Can you wait for details?

Is it a bird? Is it a VDSLR? Is it a Hybrid? No it's a GH1! Sorry.

I think they should stick to calling them Hybrids. It has a nicer ring to it than VDSLR or similar. It's just that SLR has become synonymous with top end cameras even though it has not relevance to the Micro Four Thirds format.
Click to expand...
I humbly disagree. I think there needs to be a name to show off the fact that it has a LARGER sensor than most video cameras, and can easily accept interchangeable 35mm lenses w/o an adapter (well a 35mm adapter..still needs adapters for Canon, Nikon, etc.)

I also don't mind if people call the GH1 a DSLR...as it has quality on par with one...despite the lack of what...well...makes an SLR an SLR. In any case I resent the implication that it has lower quality...such as how Flickr on their camera use graphing refers to the G1 as a point and shoot! Hardly!

When cameras like the Lx3 and the Canon SX1 and the T27, or even the EP-1, or GF1, get the label Hybrid, something else is needed for cameras like the GH1, 5D, etc.

Although part of the reason i like the Gh1 is that it doesn't fit anywhere...it's a much better camera in terms of video features than any other "hybrid" on the market.
 
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Oh the above said, if you're looking for a hybrid P&S...Canon SX1? If you can ignore the arrogance of this poster the footage is actually respectable for a P&S...although no where near the 5D quality the poster suggests, or that his bizaare pleasure noises on the camera's audio track would indicate.

http://vimeo.com/2422404
 
Yeah the SX1 is easily the best point and shoot for video quality.

Sound whilst zooming however picks up plenty of noise from the body - something to be aware of on all these hybrid cameras unless you have an external shotgun mic, preferably mounted not to the hot shoe but separate.

It remains to be seen how the SX1 does in low light. But yeah - impressive. The dynamic range or smooth colour gradation of the GH1 is not there but sharpness and overall colour saturation is excellent, and due to it being a small sensor there is very little in the way of jello. Plus the lens is very versatile with an excellent stabiliser.
 
I actually just bought the Pana Zs3 about an hour ago (needs to be shipped)
For a few hundred bux it seems to be pretty nice.

I look forward to messing around with it.
 
The SX1 shouldn't even been mentioned in the same sentence as the GH1 but given what the OP was asking about should work nicely (disclaimer: never used one.)
 
We are talking a different class of camera from the GH1 but I am very impressed with what the SX1 can do for the money (and size).

In the same way that the GH1 is a threat to 'prosumer' (I hate that word) and even professional video cameras, one day even the consumer point and shoot market may come up and bite the ass of the GH1 style camera, with image sensors so incredible and a lens so sophisticated you would only need one for all purposes.... wide, fast, long, sharp, distortion free, macro capability, you name it. This is where all this is heading.

Yeah we do need a better name than Hybrid for the GH1 but there isn't one. It'll rely on the manufacturer's spreading the meme for it to catch on, whatever it will be.

Another suggestion... how about EVIL CAM? (That's Electronic Versatile Interchangeable Lens Camera) :)
 
There's no need for a change of the name "hybrid". It means a camera that shoots good video and good photos. As of recently there are definitely varying degrees, GH1 adn 5D at the top and t27 and lx3 closer to the bottom. I do like the idea of EVIL cam though...

I have looked at the t27 and it does look very nice (for what it is). I have not seen the Phillip Bloom review (which instills confidence in my considering this camera). The only reason I was considering the Lx3 is because of it's faster glass (2.0 as opposed to 3.3 of the t27 ), has a hot shoe (for possible seperate audio) and manual controls. FZ35 looks interesting but might as well go with hv30 considering the size of that camera and lack of interchangable lenses and no hotshoe.

I am not looking for another GH1 since I have already preordered that. For the most part something portable, that I can have on me most of the time, serve as my main camera till Gh1 shows up (hopefully Sept.) and a decent B camera when my GH1 shows up.

Does anyone have any other suggestions or comments on Lx3, t27 or other HD P & S or if I should just go with an HV30 or Xacti HD2000 or something of that nature. I am really not looking to spend over $5-600ish, since I have already dropped $1500 on GH1.

Thanks!
 
Well the reason to not say hybrid is because the draw of cameras like the GH1 is not that they do both photos and video but rather that they shoot video using large sensors and great optics that allow for shallow DOF and great low light performance.
 
In regards to SX1, does it record past 4g? I have been reading that it can only record to 4g which in 1080p would be 13 min or so.
 
I doubt it. I don't usually use cards larger than 4gb anyway lol. Gh1 breaks up files right? Not sure about SX1....I'd look it up if I were you, can probably find somewhere.
 
In defense of the LX3... The LX3 is smaller and lighter than the SX1 or HV30. It has a wider faster lens. And it has a bigger sensor. So if you want to shoot low light (eg., indoors or outdoors at night) still close ups, then the LX3 is the way to go. Another reason -- once you get your GH1, you won't take your SX1 or HV30 out of its case again. But you will still take your LX1 in some situations because it offers great image quality in a more compact form factor than the GH1.

Unfortunately the LX3 is limited to 720p24 movies and you can't use the optical zoom in movie mode. So if your primary interest is in video, the HV30 is the way to go. Otherwise, I'd choose the LX3.
 
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