Ed Kishel
Veteran
How I'm liking it....
I have had it for a few weeks now, and it has allot of strengths. But there are deficiencies as well, which do irk me.
This doesn’t mean I don’t like the cam. This is an excellent camera for the price, not perfect, but very very good! My pros and cons:
CONS:
1. 720 24p looks awesome, however 1080 24p is no sharper. Seems to me the 1080 mode was added so that they could say it does 1080, but it’s really a 720p cam IMO. Add the fact that the 1080 mode might actually loose data based on the size to codec- well, this is my main complaint. It has kind of an "upres to 1080" look and feel. So why even use 1080 then? :huh:
I also hooked the 150 and the cam we use at work- a Sony V1U to a 1080p LCD and compared their 1080 24p modes. Both cams at stock out of the box settings... and sharpness goes to the Sony. Tweaking the detail of the 150 got it close, but to my eye resolution still went to the Sony. Now this was a static focus chart, real world shots would probably show less of a difference.
2. The focus assist could use some improvement. The EVF detail helps, but the focus graph only helps if the majority of objects in your frame are to be in focus. A small item in focus against a soft background and the graph will indicate "out of focus". It assumes all your shots are deep focus, and shallow DOF shots will throw it off. Useless for rack focusing against soft backgrounds. This is where Sony and Canon have the edge- the peaking technique that uses a strong colored outline is much more accurate. The enlarge feature will have to do
3. The servomotor for the zoom is loud, much louder to my ear than the DVX100A. Slow to medium zooms are tame, but a quick snap zoom and the onboard mic will pick up the motor during quiet shots like nature scenes. This was remedied somewhat by an external mic, but it became an added cost. The OB mic housing is too stiff IMO, and coupled with the added sensitivity of the mic- motor noise is too prevalent.
4. The SDHC door uses and spring and latch design. This may wear down over time, and if it does, and wont stay closed- the cam will give a "door open" warning. The hard covers/doors of most pro cams use a very small magnet to keep it shut. Works for our 20+year-old beta cam.
5. The "3CCD" lettering on the lens is no longer the laser etched embossed decal (like the Panasonic on the LCD door). Now its been painted on? Corner cutting that looks a bit cheap to me. I will admit this is minor though...
6. Lens hood is a joke; it feels like Tupperware with that corny lid. Should I be listening for that trademark "burp"? At least the lens will stay fresh I guess. Come-on panny- is a integrated lens cap too much to ask on a $3500 cam? Or at least give us the old DVX hood.
7. I know its a tough camera, and it has the magnesium alloy used in Panny Toughbooks- but there is still too much hollow plastic covering the cam. Its most evident on the bottom side- where it will see the most wear and tear? :huh:
PROS:
1. The 720p mode is very very good. If you ignore the 1080 mode, this cam's image if gorgeous. Sony may have the edge on sharpness, but Panny has them beat on color.
2. Low-light capability. Interestingly, when I did my little informal shootout with the V1U, I noticed by accident something very interesting. When I shut off the clip lamp lighting up the chart- and allowed only the ambient light in, the Sony's resolution dropped to well under the Panny. The panny kept its resolution under low light and didn’t flinch. Hmmm :thumbup:
3. Low noise. Not noise free, but very good under low light. And the noise is fine and not a splotchy chroma noise.
4. A wide lens. Although I had to get an external mic for the servo noise issue, I did not have to by a wide-angle adapter. Very cool Panny, thank you!
5. Sharp, big LCD in the 4:3 aspect, which allows a less cluttered screen display. The VF when changed to BW is very good as well.
6. The focus ring is dampened and now feels much smoother. Not as "buttery" as a Sony's, but a big improvement.
7. Histogram, which means under controlled sets you, can use it in place of an external screen. Very cool.
8. 1/4 20 mounting threads on top of the handle for accessories, this will be a big help. And on that note, the handle is thick and beefy (oh my) which feels secure when carrying it around.
9. Focus and iris remote port. This will be a big help when on a boom, or to use for rack focusing with the Manfrotto control knob. Can’t wait to get one! The Sony V1U has "scene transitions" which allow rudimentary rack focuses using preset speeds, but user controlled is much better.
10. Tweakablitiy. Most cams in this price range cant match the adjustments you can make with this one. The Sony pales in this regard.
11. AVCHD. Yes it’s a pain during post, but the NLE are jumping on board quickly- with Sony, Edius, and Adobe handling it natively. Panning shots don’t turn to mush, as HDV could never handle movement as well. That focus chart showed that the Sony is sharper yes, but a focus chart doesnt move (and HDV looses its sharpness during movement).
12. Global shutter. No I don’t see many flash bulbs going off, but I do pan very quickly. No more rolling shutter as the V1U uses.
13. And my biggest pro is the tape less acquisition via SDHC. 16 gigs for $30! I can’t stress this enough. You can archive on this stuff its so cheap! With the Sony HDV, you had to get a compatible deck unless you wanted to use your cam. Digitizing sucks, and dropouts suck harder and so no longer do I have to worry about such things.
So in closing, I really like this camera although some of its weaknesses will take some getting used to. I would give it an A-.
It’s not perfect- but no cam is. There are always tradeoffs, and I thinking I have made a wise choice. This camera is starting to grow on me.
shameless plug: I finally got some footage up http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?p=1434723#post1434723
I have had it for a few weeks now, and it has allot of strengths. But there are deficiencies as well, which do irk me.
This doesn’t mean I don’t like the cam. This is an excellent camera for the price, not perfect, but very very good! My pros and cons:
CONS:
1. 720 24p looks awesome, however 1080 24p is no sharper. Seems to me the 1080 mode was added so that they could say it does 1080, but it’s really a 720p cam IMO. Add the fact that the 1080 mode might actually loose data based on the size to codec- well, this is my main complaint. It has kind of an "upres to 1080" look and feel. So why even use 1080 then? :huh:
I also hooked the 150 and the cam we use at work- a Sony V1U to a 1080p LCD and compared their 1080 24p modes. Both cams at stock out of the box settings... and sharpness goes to the Sony. Tweaking the detail of the 150 got it close, but to my eye resolution still went to the Sony. Now this was a static focus chart, real world shots would probably show less of a difference.
2. The focus assist could use some improvement. The EVF detail helps, but the focus graph only helps if the majority of objects in your frame are to be in focus. A small item in focus against a soft background and the graph will indicate "out of focus". It assumes all your shots are deep focus, and shallow DOF shots will throw it off. Useless for rack focusing against soft backgrounds. This is where Sony and Canon have the edge- the peaking technique that uses a strong colored outline is much more accurate. The enlarge feature will have to do
3. The servomotor for the zoom is loud, much louder to my ear than the DVX100A. Slow to medium zooms are tame, but a quick snap zoom and the onboard mic will pick up the motor during quiet shots like nature scenes. This was remedied somewhat by an external mic, but it became an added cost. The OB mic housing is too stiff IMO, and coupled with the added sensitivity of the mic- motor noise is too prevalent.
4. The SDHC door uses and spring and latch design. This may wear down over time, and if it does, and wont stay closed- the cam will give a "door open" warning. The hard covers/doors of most pro cams use a very small magnet to keep it shut. Works for our 20+year-old beta cam.
5. The "3CCD" lettering on the lens is no longer the laser etched embossed decal (like the Panasonic on the LCD door). Now its been painted on? Corner cutting that looks a bit cheap to me. I will admit this is minor though...
6. Lens hood is a joke; it feels like Tupperware with that corny lid. Should I be listening for that trademark "burp"? At least the lens will stay fresh I guess. Come-on panny- is a integrated lens cap too much to ask on a $3500 cam? Or at least give us the old DVX hood.
7. I know its a tough camera, and it has the magnesium alloy used in Panny Toughbooks- but there is still too much hollow plastic covering the cam. Its most evident on the bottom side- where it will see the most wear and tear? :huh:
PROS:
1. The 720p mode is very very good. If you ignore the 1080 mode, this cam's image if gorgeous. Sony may have the edge on sharpness, but Panny has them beat on color.
2. Low-light capability. Interestingly, when I did my little informal shootout with the V1U, I noticed by accident something very interesting. When I shut off the clip lamp lighting up the chart- and allowed only the ambient light in, the Sony's resolution dropped to well under the Panny. The panny kept its resolution under low light and didn’t flinch. Hmmm :thumbup:
3. Low noise. Not noise free, but very good under low light. And the noise is fine and not a splotchy chroma noise.
4. A wide lens. Although I had to get an external mic for the servo noise issue, I did not have to by a wide-angle adapter. Very cool Panny, thank you!
5. Sharp, big LCD in the 4:3 aspect, which allows a less cluttered screen display. The VF when changed to BW is very good as well.
6. The focus ring is dampened and now feels much smoother. Not as "buttery" as a Sony's, but a big improvement.
7. Histogram, which means under controlled sets you, can use it in place of an external screen. Very cool.
8. 1/4 20 mounting threads on top of the handle for accessories, this will be a big help. And on that note, the handle is thick and beefy (oh my) which feels secure when carrying it around.
9. Focus and iris remote port. This will be a big help when on a boom, or to use for rack focusing with the Manfrotto control knob. Can’t wait to get one!
The Sony V1U has "scene transitions" which allow rudimentary rack focuses using preset speeds, but user controlled is much better.10. Tweakablitiy. Most cams in this price range cant match the adjustments you can make with this one. The Sony pales in this regard.
11. AVCHD. Yes it’s a pain during post, but the NLE are jumping on board quickly- with Sony, Edius, and Adobe handling it natively. Panning shots don’t turn to mush, as HDV could never handle movement as well. That focus chart showed that the Sony is sharper yes, but a focus chart doesnt move (and HDV looses its sharpness during movement).
12. Global shutter. No I don’t see many flash bulbs going off, but I do pan very quickly. No more rolling shutter as the V1U uses.
13. And my biggest pro is the tape less acquisition via SDHC. 16 gigs for $30! I can’t stress this enough. You can archive on this stuff its so cheap! With the Sony HDV, you had to get a compatible deck unless you wanted to use your cam. Digitizing sucks, and dropouts suck harder and so no longer do I have to worry about such things.
So in closing, I really like this camera although some of its weaknesses will take some getting used to. I would give it an A-.
It’s not perfect- but no cam is. There are always tradeoffs, and I thinking I have made a wise choice. This camera is starting to grow on me.
shameless plug: I finally got some footage up http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?p=1434723#post1434723
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