Panasonic's new AG-CX350 camcorder

LShaped210 said:
UX180 and DVX200 both have Leica-Dicomar lenses, so I'm wondering why not the CX350. Although, they seem like the same lens specs.
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I hadn't noticed that. I kind of assumed since the lens specs seemed the same as the UX180 they might have similar hardware.
That's what happens when I don't look closely ;)
 
Is the handle removable? If not, I may have to wait for an upgrade to the fz2500 and hope that it has internal 422 capabilities.
 
Barry, are the tripod camera plate holes on the bottom of the camera 3/8-16 and 1/4-20 or 1/4-20 with a hole for an anti-twist pin?
 
Here are just a few things that Panasonic got exactly right with the CX350, especially when considering some of the limitations that have been present in the last few generations of cameras:

1) The LCD and the EVF both work at the same time.
2) The HDMI and the SDI both work at the same time.
3) The magnified focus assist works even while recording.
4) The hybrid 5-axis optical image stabilization works even in 4K/UHD.
5) It's compact and lightweight, even a little smaller than the UX180.
6) It has a 20x zoom lens, with zero frame size changing or cropping going on. All resolutions and frame sizes are all the same field of view.
7) The i.Zoom is a "lossless" crop on the sensor that results in extending the focal length; it's 24x in UHD and 32x in FHD. i.Zoom hasn't worked in UHD on prior cameras.
8) The menu navigation is so much easier on this camera, because there's a full pad of buttons that can be used for up/down/left/right as well as touchscreen and wheel navigation.
9) The waveform monitor doesn't take over the whole screen, it doesn't make the other displays disappear, it's just an additional display like you'd want it to be.
10) When shooting UHD, the HDMI output doesn't have to change down to HD, it can continue outputting the same signal it was during standby.

There are just so many things that work exactly like they're supposed to. In the last few years there have been some workarounds necessary because the chipsets being used didn't support mixing certain features or whatever. It's like all those have been swept away in the CX350, and instead the camera just works exactly the way you'd always wanted it to, without any odd limitations or workarounds. That's why I say it's like a "greatest hits" of Panasonic camcorders, all the best features from all the best cameras are all combined in this one unit.
 
Can you move quickly from UHD to HD120?

(I love the S+Q button on my FS7 but it is HD only without a menu dig)

Does it have low FPS for faux timeplase?

Can that be engaged quickly?
 
morgan_moore said:
Can you move quickly from UHD to HD120?
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No, going into super-slow requires a few seconds. It's one button press when shooting 1080, but when shooting UHD it requires a menu change. Either way it takes a few seconds.

Does it have low FPS for faux timeplase?

Can that be engaged quickly?
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Yes, it can do 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 fps etc. It also has real time lapse, 1 frame every second on up to 1 frame every 10 minutes.

If you've pre-set your desired variable frame rate, then toggling into VFR mode is one button press and instantaneous.

Additionally, you can choose individual frame rates for each of the six scene files; frame rates can be stored in the scene files, and swapping between the scene files is 2 button presses and about 2 seconds.
 
Hey Barry, I'm not sure but it seems that the AG-CX350's lens is not a Leica, so it should be manufactured by only Panasonic. This is the first time that I didn't see a Leica logo on it (but maybe I've missed the right picture) , how does it performs?
 
Barry,

Will you be doing a video series of tutorials for this camera as you did for the DVX200 and the UX180? I love those. Thank you for all your help.
 
Barry_Green said:
Here are just a few things that Panasonic got exactly right with the CX350, especially when considering some of the limitations that have been present in the last few generations of cameras:

1) The LCD and the EVF both work at the same time.
2) The HDMI and the SDI both work at the same time.
3) The magnified focus assist works even while recording.
4) The hybrid 5-axis optical image stabilization works even in 4K/UHD.
5) It's compact and lightweight, even a little smaller than the UX180.
6) It has a 20x zoom lens, with zero frame size changing or cropping going on. All resolutions and frame sizes are all the same field of view.
7) The i.Zoom is a "lossless" crop on the sensor that results in extending the focal length; it's 24x in UHD and 32x in FHD. i.Zoom hasn't worked in UHD on prior cameras.
8) The menu navigation is so much easier on this camera, because there's a full pad of buttons that can be used for up/down/left/right as well as touchscreen and wheel navigation.
9) The waveform monitor doesn't take over the whole screen, it doesn't make the other displays disappear, it's just an additional display like you'd want it to be.
10) When shooting UHD, the HDMI output doesn't have to change down to HD, it can continue outputting the same signal it was during standby.

There are just so many things that work exactly like they're supposed to. In the last few years there have been some workarounds necessary because the chipsets being used didn't support mixing certain features or whatever. It's like all those have been swept away in the CX350, and instead the camera just works exactly the way you'd always wanted it to, without any odd limitations or workarounds. That's why I say it's like a "greatest hits" of Panasonic camcorders, all the best features from all the best cameras are all combined in this one unit.
Click to expand...

Thank you Barry!!!!

Do you know off hand if you can shoot UHD 120fps with Pre-Rec?
 
Danilo Del Tufo said:
Hey Barry, I'm not sure but it seems that the AG-CX350's lens is not a Leica, so it should be manufactured by only Panasonic. This is the first time that I didn't see a Leica logo on it (but maybe I've missed the right picture) , how does it performs?
Click to expand...

As I understand it, the lenses are always made by Panasonic, just like Sony's Zeiss lenses are always made by Sony. When a camcorder lens says "Zeiss" or "Leica" on it, that generally means that a) it meets or exceeds certain specifications that the lens company has established, certain minimum specifications in order for it to carry the company's name, and b) the camcorder manufacturer pays the company to allow them to use their name (in some manner or other, it may be a partnership, it may be a licensing arrangement, etc).

So that means that even though the lens was made in Japan or wherever, as long as it meets the optical and manufacturing specifications that Leica or Zeiss specify and passes quality control, then -- what difference does it make? A lens entirely manufactured in Thailand or China could still be a Leica or Zeiss lens, so long as the lens manufacturer developed it to Leica or Zeiss optical and quality control standards and so long as the lens maker has entered into a partnership with Leica or Zeiss to put their name on it.

Zeiss put up a blog post to try to explain the difference between a Sony/Zeiss lens, and a Zeiss lens. I mean, Zeiss builds very few lenses themselves, crafted in Germany, but Sony pumps out millions and millions of Sony/Zeiss lenses from their camcorder and camera factories in Japan or Asia, so -- clearly Zeiss isn't manufacturing 185 million tiny camcorder lenses themselves! This blog post explains their relationship:
https://lenspire.zeiss.com/photo/en...ers-should-know-about-the-partnership/?p=6131

The part I'm referencing most clearly is here:
3. Where are the lenses manufactured?
ZEISS still picture lenses are manufactured in Japan and ZEISS cine lenses in ZEISS’s factory in Oberkochen, Germany. It is still economical for ZEISS to produce its cine lenses in Germany due to the more sophisticated skills required to manufacture these special lenses for the film industry. To satisfy the much higher global demand for still picture lenses, ZEISS has established a partner network in the optics industry. During the entire development and production processes, ZEISS experts ensure that the high-quality standards for which ZEISS has been famous for over 165 years are met.

Sony/ZEISS lenses are manufactured by Sony in factories across Asia. In these factories Sony uses lens testing equipment that has been developed and manufactured by ZEISS. An example is the MTF-tester K8, a versatile and compact instrument used to measure the modulation transfer function of photographic lenses, or similar systems, at an infinite object distance.
Click to expand...

I am certain that the relationship between Panasonic and Leica is pretty much the same as the relationship between Zeiss and Sony.

So Panasonic has been making lenses for a long time, and has had a long partnership with Leica. Sometimes Panasonic gets the lens certified by Leica, sometimes they don't. As examples, the DVX200, UX90 and UX180 have Leica Dicomar-certified lenses, but the PX270 and PX230 and CX350 don't. In keeping apples to apples, the HD-only little HMC40 had the Leica lens, and the HD-only PX270 doesn't. And the PX270 has long been praised as the most outstanding handheld camera Panasonic ever made (at least, up until this new CX350). I don't believe the $1,500 HMC40's lens is superior optically to the $5,000 PX270's, not a chance.

So why do they put the Leica name on some cameras, and they don't put it on others? It seems to me that either a) they don't think they need to pay for the certification, the camera will sell by itself whether they call it "Leica" or not, or b) the lens wouldn't pass Leica's certification. In my opinion, for the CX350, this is a strictly marketing decision. I just think that the marketing department thinks that the camera has enough unique selling features that they don't need to pay extra to get the Leica certification and the Leica label on it. And seriously, this camera is significantly better in many ways than the DVX200 or UX180 that preceded it, and it has enough unique selling points (like the integrated live streaming, or being the first NDI|HX handheld camera), that they probably didn't think it necessary to add that one more marketing point.

I haven't started to delve into comparative optical performance between this camera and its predecessor, the UX180. I will be doing so. I don't expect to find any substantial differences between them lens-wise, the lens looks to me like it might very well be the exact same lens for that matter. If I'm not mistaken, I think the specifications between the two cameras are identical, it's a 20x 24.5-490mm equivalent with an f/2.8-f/4.5 iris range. So it's possible that this is the exact same Leica-certified lens from the UX180, manufactured by Panasonic, but they're saving costs by not paying for the Leica name? I don't know that to be true, I'm just saying -- I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

This is all my opinion, not anything from Panasonic. If I'm totally off base I'm sure Mitch will correct me.
 
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Thanks Barry and Mitch, I really appreciate your clarification about my question, I want to emphasise that Barry made a great answer as usual! :-)
 
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