Panasonic's new AG-CX350 camcorder

This is a dilemma because I need a camera soon, I don't think they will improve the AG CX350 much with the latest update it seems that it is better in focus. but you never know!
 
MCeron said:
This is a dilemma because I need a camera soon, I don't think they will improve the AG CX350 much with the latest update it seems that it is better in focus. but you never know!
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With Canon scheduled to introduce their new XF605 at the end of the month, wonder what Panasonic’s counter will be? Wish my CX350 had better autofocus and a higher quality sharper LCD monitor.
 
Despite the latest V.6.0 update?
Precisely what the new small AC Cx10 etc. bring. very good viewfinder and focus. but 1/25 sensor
 
MCeron said:
This is a dilemma because I need a camera soon, I don't think they will improve the AG CX350 much with the latest update it seems that it is better in focus. but you never know!
Click to expand...
I wouldn't wait if you need it. I would treat it as if it were a rental. If something better comes out sell it.

The development cycle for camera companies is painfully slow. Even if they were going to replace this with a new model (which I don't think they will) it takes a long time from the announcement until the time it's in stock at a store. With the pandemic related chip shortages who knows how long the wait might be. I bought a UX90 and UX180 which was released in 2016. Five years later there isn't a new model and they're still selling the same camera.

As far as auto focus is concerned most if not all camcorders use the same contrast detection technology. Over the years they add tweaks but nothing game changing like you find in mirrorless and dslrs. I'm not sure why.
 
Partly true, but it's moot because only two companies offer great AF, and Canon put DPAF into a few of their models.
 
MCeron said:
Despite the latest V.6.0 update?
Precisely what the new small AC Cx10 etc. bring. very good viewfinder and focus. but 1/25 sensor
Click to expand...

My CX350 is running v6.01. I also occasionally use a UX90. I prefer the UX90’s LCD monitor and autofocus to that of the CX350.
 
MCeron said:
I'm freaking out ... How bad is the CX350's autofocus?
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It's an "ignorance is bliss" kind of thing...

If you haven't used Sony's or Canon's newer AF, it might be decent for you, workable.

If you have and are used to either then Panasonic's will be unusable and will ruin the camera for you if you rely on continuous AF for longer periods of time (like face-tracking).

Only good news is the sensor is small so might be passable on YouTube for regular viewers.
 
I’ve only used cx350 a few times and didn’t notice anything different about the af.

Because camcorders AF is so poor professionals don't use it. So I wouldn't base your buying decision on it. The AF system of these cameras need the subject to remain centered and be lit with good contrast. If either of these conditions are not met the camera will go out of focus and will be difficult to get it back into focus. For paid work you can't afford for this to happen while filming. AF is mostly used to establish focus and then it's turned off.
 
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Peter C. said:
Even for interviews if the subject is off center or leans forward the camera will focus on the background. In the past when camcorders had small sensors the DOF was so large, virtually everything would be in focus. With these 1” sensors it’s more tricky because the DOF is significantly shallower.

Bottom line most pros don’t use autofocus so it’s not an important feature to be overly concerned with.
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It's painful how much you don't know about modern AF.
 
I've always used manual focus and iris, I'm shooting wildlife, but we've tested the Canon R5's autofocus in photography and it's very good. If it works the same in video, new possibilities are opened to record animals in action and birds in flight, which until now were impossible. I do not want to record videos of nature foto-cameras ... then I have Sony Z280 and Canon XF705 both with little telephoto lens and a lot of price. As a Panasonic user, for accessories and others The CX350 seemed like a good option but I see that you have to continue focusing manually.
 
MCeron said:
I've always used manual focus and iris, I'm shooting wildlife, but we've tested the Canon R5's autofocus in photography and it's very good. If it works the same in video, new possibilities are opened to record animals in action and birds in flight, which until now were impossible. I do not want to record videos of nature foto-cameras ... then I have Sony Z280 and Canon XF705 both with little telephoto lens and a lot of price. As a Panasonic user, for accessories and others The CX350 seemed like a good option but I see that you have to continue focusing manually.
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These cameras are mostly used for live event or corporate so I assumed that's what you were using it for. In those applications AF isn't used for the reasons I stated. I can't say if the cx350 AF would be sufficient because never used it to film wildlife more specifically birds in flight.

I noticed z280 has facial tracking af but I'm not sure if it works on birds. It's 17x lens zoom is close compared to cx350 20x. Also the z280 lens is faster constant aperture which is nice because exposure doesn't change when zooming. I think there is a member (Doug Jensen?) who did a review of the z280 shooting wildlife. If the price is too high then it's a moot point. I think this camera is priced higher because it has broadcast features.

What camera is best is subjective question that is best answered by actually using it.
 
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