My "Ditch" List for Panasonic !

A

andynick

Well-known member
OK - the wish list that's current is all very well, but the HVX200's made to a price and we all subscribe to that price bracket, so if Panasonic are listening to our comments, why not let them know some of the things we'd happily EXCHANGE for the improvements we want?

I'm going to kick off with a couple of my least favourite HVX details:

Barrell Distortion . . .
Give me 10mm less Wideangle but please Spare Me the Barrell Distortion

Virtually ALL the User Button Items:
Rec Check - (if we're going to keep this, allow me to chose how much of the last clip to view. The last couple of seconds is impractical)
Spotlight - (complete waste of time - too "hit and miss")
Backlight - (see above)
Blackfade - (I can do this in post - I would never do it "on camera")
Whitefade - (see above)
ATW - (good idea but doesn't really work in practice - read Barry's Book)
ATW lock - (unneccesary if we ditch ATW)
Gain 18db - (if I have to use more than 6db, I give up)
Focus Ring - (aaargh! I get confused enough as it is!)
Index/memo - (can't comment on this, I've never tried it)
Shot mark - (same as above)

Of course, one man's meat is another man's poison, so don't be offended if I've slated your favourite item!

Let's have some more ideas!

Andy
 
Ditch the LCD...

... and replace it with something that allows us to focus without having to use lasers, guesswork, expensive external monitors, tape measures, voodoo, etc, etc.

This is a HD camera for crying out loud.. why is it equiped with an LCD with the res of a 1942 radar screen????? Come on Panasonic, you perfected P2 cards... you can do something about the LCD!!!

God DAMN it!:Drogar-Smoke(DBG):
 
We KNOW they can because the general consensus is that the DVX LCD is BETTER! How difficult would it be to at least use the same decent LCD as on
the DVX?

OK, now that that's off my chest, I'm OK.
 
Jason Ramsey said:
What don't you like about the focus ring on the HVX?
Click to expand...
It's not the focus ring itself that he's complaining about, it's the menu item that lets you assign the "focus ring" function to a user button. That menu item lets you control the iris with the focus ring (instead of controlling focus with the focus ring). But it requires you to put the camera in autofocus mode before it'll work, so it's of dubious value.
 
mainstreetprod said:
We KNOW they can because the general consensus is that the DVX LCD is BETTER! How difficult would it be to at least use the same decent LCD as on the DVX?
Click to expand...
It uses the same LCD as the DVX100B does. What appears to have happened is that they changed suppliers or something between the DVX100A and the DVX100B.
 
andynick said:
Barrell Distortion . . .
Give me 10mm less Wideangle but please Spare Me the Barrell Distortion
Click to expand...
I'd fight tooth & nail against having less wideangle. The wide angle is probably one of the most valuable features of the cam. I wish it had a 20x zoom, and then for guys like you who don't want to face the distortion that happens at full wide, you could just zoom in a tad, but for those of us who need it, at least it's there.

Virtually ALL the User Button Items:
Click to expand...
Hah -- you must have attended one of my training seminars, where I say basically the same thing -- there are something like 18 user button options, but only three that you'd actually use (INDEX/MEMO, SLOT SEL, and SHOT MARK).

Blackfade - (I can do this in post - I would never do it "on camera")
Whitefade - (see above)
Click to expand...
Actually these may be of some benefit for event shooters. Not everyone uses the camera the same way, so (just like the tape drive) some of these features might be vital for a large swath of the customer base.

Index/memo - (can't comment on this, I've never tried it)
Click to expand...
This button could be brilliant if people would use it, and use the metadata associated with it.

Shot mark - (same as above)
Click to expand...
Okay, now I know you're kidding -- shot mark is perhaps the most useful of all the user button functions! :) The ability to mark good takes, instantly review all marked takes -- if you haven't used this, you really should, it's one of the key benefits to the P2 workflow.
 
On the HVX and XDCam 350s, the shot mark and essence mark feature respectively (2 types on the XDCam) are essential features. It is a brilliant carry-over from film - Print Good Take!

I agree about the tape drive, but then I don't. I kinda like the ability to do a down-and-dirty archival recording of our internal development meetings with the same camera we take out to produce pilots and tasters in 1080p. That's awesome.

Still... I would like four slots on the HVX. Yes, four would be nice.

e
 
Provide a higher definition LCD.

Replace and relocate the 4-pin FW cable to a better location and use a locking 6-pin cable that can be oriented as a right angle.
 
Why not make the LCD removable, that way I can rig up some glasses with it right in front of my eyeball.
 
=Prodigy= said:
Yeah it's sure hard to see noise when the compression is poop.
Click to expand...

Maybe so, but I don't have the rights to post a better version. Just watch MTV2 then, you'll see it. It's a specific look, all I'm saying is it is not a useless feature.
 
I'd like a better focus ring actually, something that isn't so swishy that you can feel the increments on, with marks on it so I know where the heck I'm at. I've taken to putting tape on it. 18db of gain is nice to have just in case. I agree most of the user button functions are useless though. Most.

And now I'm gonna repost that focus-ring bit on the wishlist thread...
 
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I'd fight tooth & nail against having less wideangle. . . . at least it's there
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Point taken Barry - so let's compromise . . .
We'll have Panasonic give us user-defined limits on the zoom - and I'll set mine where there's little or no Barrell Distortion - and then fit the Zoom-thru Century when I want to go wide!


Hah -- you must have attended one of my training seminars, where I say basically the same thing -- there are something like 18 user button options, but only three that you'd actually use (INDEX/MEMO, SLOT SEL, and SHOT MARK).
Click to expand...
I only wish I had - When are you going to do one over here in the UK??
Let me buy the First Ticket!


Actually these may be of some benefit for event shooters. Not everyone uses the camera the same way, so (just like the tape drive) some of these features might be vital for a large swath of the customer base
Click to expand...
Agreed - as I said in my original post, one man's meat . . .
I find plenty of uses for the Tape Drive - I'd hate to lose that.

Okay, now I know you're kidding -- shot mark is perhaps the most useful of all the user button functions! :) The ability to mark good takes, instantly review all marked takes -- if you haven't used this, you really should, it's one of the key benefits to the P2 workflow.
Click to expand...
Well, I just learned something new about the HVX!
Thanks Barry, I'll make a point of using it.

My new topic didn't really work - I intended it to be suggestions for things we don't care for on the HVX, which we'd "trade-in" for the things we really want, but it seems to have become a second wish list.

Andy
 
Anything above 6db of gain for me has red lines through all of it. Has since day 1. I thought all HVXs were like that...
 
pmpworks said:
How 'bout ditching the tape drive, and putting a couple more P2 slots there.:)
Click to expand...

I'd be willing to do away with the tape drive even without more P2 slots. The tape drive and the LCD are the two flimsiest parts of the camera -- do away with them, and you'd have a much more robust machine.
 
i like barry's idea of the Focus assist in the WHOLE LCD and the standard image i nthe Viewfinder. That would be real cool. Im pulling my hari out cause of focus issues and monitoring. Also the NEW LCD although technihcally shrarper had a very narrow field of view and looksl ike a cheap portable DVD palyer screen. I really detest it. i LOVE the Dvx100a LCD.
 
How about a higher resolution CCD sensor.

Get rid of the pixel shift and give me better resolution from the start. Not wanting to beat a dead horse or open any old wounds or anything, but a true HD pixel count would improve an already great camera.

We could have skipped all of the guessing and res chart stuff in the "early days".
 
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