Panasonic's new AG-CX350 camcorder

morgan_moore said:
Mitch..
Im missing some of this bouncing but..

Can you clarify if there is, or is not, a device that will remotely control FIZand start stop remotely.. my application would be on the end of a jib.
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Currently, I believe the VariZoom VZ-ROCK does. There's also the free Wifi app, which requires the WM50 dongle.
 
bfjewett said:
I'm wondering if anyone has heard when the AG-CX350 will again be in stock. I would really like to have the camera for use mid/late next week.

Consistent with Murphy's Law, as soon as I decided on it, it sold out on the major sites. B&H is perpetually saying 7-10 days, Adorama just says it is on backorder. I found one site saying it was expected May 5.
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Panasonic is sending out stock constantly, but there are backorders at many resellers. So it is doubtful you'll find one sitting on the shelf. You need o place an order somewhere because otherwise any units shipped will most likely already be allocated to an order before it arrives in a store.
 
Bassman2003 said:
Thank you Mitch. We do not want to attack any messengers and I am sure Panasonic has its reasons for its actions. No worries there. What I will still cast some shade over is the release of this type of camera with a gray area around the remote control features. Holding up the VZ-ROCK and saying all is good is pretty disingenuous imho. I do not feel comfortable buying anything until official word becomes more defined. Basically this camera will not be used by me on tripod until this gets sorted out. Making this a beta release camera in my eyes.

Not cool and a hit to Panasonic's reputation of supporting professionals.

Hopefully we can continue on the forum with dialogue going forward.
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We cannot control what third party companies do and when they release new products. All we can do is work with them toward intended goals. The camera is complete and that is what we control.
 
Jim Feeley said:
Well that would be a complete drag. I was planning on buying one in May.

I know this isn't Mitch's department (and I don't think it's even a camera he's responsible for, right?). But would to hear some sort of availability word from someone at Panasonic, if they know, that is. It's a big world and the camera is clearly appealing to a growning number of people...
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No, it's not my camera. But I do know a bit of what's going on. It is very popular, and organizations that buy cameras in fleets are lining up, so our backorders are pretty big. But we're a big manufacturer and can deal with that, such things are not new.

If you want to buy a CX350 any time soon, place an order with a reseller. That puts you in line. Otherwise many people will just keep getting in front of you. This is a camera that will likely be in backorder for some time. It's very popular. We'll ship them out by the boatload but don't expect them to be sitting around on anyone's shelves. That could be a long time away.
 
Hi Mitch,

I can't believe someone is having a go at Panasonic for having a camera that is 'too popular', and therefore in short supply. Good grief!

I would like to congratulate Panasonic for bringing out a camera that appears to make life easier for videographers, with outputs working at the same time, focus assist working while recording, 10 bit internal recording, amongst many other improvements. I think this camera will be around for quite a few years.

If I wasn't retiring, I would be buying one to go with my DVX 200, and it would become my main camera.

Anyway, well done to Panasonic,

Cheers,

Vaughan
 
Mitch Gross said:
Panasonic is sending out stock constantly, but there are backorders at many resellers. So it is doubtful you'll find one sitting on the shelf. You need o place an order somewhere because otherwise any units shipped will most likely already be allocated to an order before it arrives in a store.
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Thank you, Mitch. You are of course correct. However, due to good fortune or your encouragement, it is now in stock at Adorama. Mine is ordered.
 
Vaughan Wood said:
Hi Mitch,

I can't believe someone is having a go at Panasonic for having a camera that is 'too popular', and therefore in short supply. Good grief!
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Just for clarity, in case you meant me - I was never complaining the camera was too popular. I was just disappointed it was out of stock (which happens with popular gear). Happily, that is no longer the case and mine is ordered.
 
Vaughan Wood said:
Hi Mitch,

I can't believe someone is having a go at Panasonic for having a camera that is 'too popular', and therefore in short supply. Good grief
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I don't think anyone's mad at Panasonic or Mitch about the CX350 being hard to find. That's just the way it is. It's not like they're artificially constraining supply. My guess, and mind you that it's just a guess, is that Panasonic would like to sell as many cameras as possible.
 
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Jim Feeley said:
My guess, and mind you that it's just a guess, is that Panasonic would like to sell as many cameras as possible.
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^Agreed^ and more CX350 sales might increase the odds of a CX365 (DVX200 v2?) with ~MFT multi-aspect BSI sensor, constant F2.8 zoom, 4-ch audio, included JetPack, etc.
 
Missing 1/60 shutter speed setting when recording in 60p?

Missing 1/60 shutter speed setting when recording in 60p?

One thing that is a bit odd about this camera is that 1/60 doesn't show up as a shutter speed option when the camera is set to record in 60p (whether 1080p5994 or 2160p5994). When adjusting the shutter speed with the thumbwheel, it jumps straight from 1/100 to 1/30 (the 1/60 option, what would be a 360 degree shutter angle, seems to be missing).

Not sure if there is any good reason for this. When the camera is set to record 30p, the 1/30 shutter speed does appear as an option so a 360-degree shutter angle does seem to be supported by the camera in some modes. And 1/60 shutter speed is an option when recording in 30p, just not in the 60p recording modes.

The UX180 and DVX200 both had 1/60 shutter speed settings when recording in 60p, and often this is useful when recording at higher frame rates (as the motion blur is still pretty reasonable at 1/60, but more light is available than at 1/100 or 1/120). Seems like a strange omission from the CX350.
 
It's not omitted, it's just handled differently. Press the shutter button so the displayed speed disappears; that puts the shutter at default speed (1/60 in 60p).
 
Barry_Green said:
It's not omitted, it's just handled differently. Press the shutter button so the displayed speed disappears; that puts the shutter at default speed (1/60 in 60p).
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So what does the Shutter button do exactly?

The manual says it "Toggles the shutter mode." Which I thought meant that it switched between auto shutter and manual shutter control.
 
is the CX350 better in low light then the UX180/HC-X1? The ux180/HC-X1 has less megapixels then the CX350 so I would think the cx350 is a bit more noisy?
 
Newer sensor design as well, so I wouldn't necessarily assume that to be true. I don't recall the specs but I believe they are similar.
 
I was in NYC today and stopped by B&H to buy some audio items and to take a look at the CX350 on display. For its price point, I found the CX350 to be a quite impressive except for one thing. The size of the LCD screen. At 3.2" the LCD screen appears to be too small for this camera. A 4" LCD would be a more appropriate size. When I enabled waveforms, a minuscule waveform window popped up that was unreadable. I was not able to enlarge the size of the waveform monitor. Maybe Barry knows of a way. The image in the LCD appeared to be sharp and contrasty. The same for the VF. The 7" Freefly external monitor B&H had attached to the CX350 was the opposite. The camera was running the latest firmware, v1.02. I noticed when I set the iris to "Open" on the LCD and zoomed in, 'Open" did not change. Barry, is there any ramping of the lens when the iris is set to open? The lens ring zoom lag some users previously complained about appears to have been fixed. Also the camera had a Varizoom zoom controller attached to it. I don't know what model the Varizoom was, but it did not work. I will be buying a CX350 unless some announcement at CineGear changes my mind.
 
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There is no way to enlarge the waveform monitor, no.

As for ramping, yes the lens ramps, just like every comparable camera does. The lens ramps from f/2.8 on the wide end to f/4.5 on the telephoto, a difference of about 1.3 f-stops.
 
Barry_Green said:
There is no way to enlarge the waveform monitor, no.

As for ramping, yes the lens ramps, just like every comparable camera does. The lens ramps from f/2.8 on the wide end to f/4.5 on the telephoto, a difference of about 1.3 f-stops.
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Barry, I am aware the lens ramps. My question is when the iris is set to "Open", what does "Open" mean?
 
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