sticky focus ring in cold weather

So, I was THIS close >||< to buying the 170 when I read this thread. Needless to say, I am very concerned about performance/function in slightly cold weather. I am thinking that a solution might be the Porta Brace Polar Mitten: POL-MVX200/XH.

http://www.portabrace.com/productA-POL-MVX200_XH

This product allows you to put hand warmers inside the cover. Has anyone used one of these? How are they ergonomically?

Also, has anyone tried &/or confirmed that a remote focus such as the Foxi would work? Is the internal focus solenoid mechanism separate from the external focus ring?
 
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Star2Fin said:
So, I was THIS close >||< to buying the 170 when I read this thread. Needless to say, I am very concerned about performance/function in slightly cold weather. I am thinking that a solution might be the Porta Brace Polar Mitten: POL-MVX200/XH.

http://www.portabrace.com/productA-POL-MVX200_XH

This product allows you to put hand warmers inside the cover. Has anyone used one of these? How are they ergonomically?
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imagescaler.php


OMG.. haha I can picture myself holding something like that whilst wearing a nice dress shirt.. "No it's not weird.. the camera feels cold." :Drogar-Happy(DBG):
 
booggerg2 said:
Regarding the 170: http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wc...8125519917&surfModel=Content04102008125519917

Regarding the 150: http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wc...8010809224&surfModel=Content04102008010809224

Panasonic also had a website dedicated to the P2 and Iditarod.. It's no longer up though... http://www.videography.com/article/56092

Here are some Panasonic articles alluding to superior performance of P2-based camcorders in cold environments: http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wc...8033646486&surfModel=Content09262008033646486

http://blog.digitalcontentproducer....anasonic-p2-hd-solid-state-ag-hvx200-cameras/



From: http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wc...8125519917&surfModel=Content04102008125519917 Obviously alluding to the fact that P2 HD based products can operate at physical limits greater than tape or optical-disc based acquisition products.
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I thought I had read something like these. It would seem that there is some seriously questionable statements in those press releases then.

So at this point what should we do about this?

I think Jan should be given a chance to respond to this. Maybe this will give her some leverage with her people to make something happen.

I would also suggest saving those pages as pdf's because i doubt they will be available in a few days. I already have.
 
^
heh, I was told by Jan herself that there was nothing odd going on with my 170's focus ring.

The exact words
"I am ready to ship your camera back. I had the service guys do the lens fix and the froze your camera for 3 hours and it felt just like the other cameras they put in the freezer with it."

hmmm, well I did this test next to an HVX200 and there was absolutely no "unsticking" that needed to be done. So did they really test it or what?

I'm also getting vignetting at full wide on my lens when shooting cine d against flatly lit surfaces... but that's another issue.
 
I have been interested in purchasing the HPX170 but this concerns me since I like to shoot snowboarding here in Canada. I am curious as to whether this is just the ring or the actual focusing mechanism. Does the ring behave the same way when it is switched to the iris?
 
stickman said:
I have been interested in purchasing the HPX170 but this concerns me since I like to shoot snowboarding here in Canada. I am curious as to whether this is just the ring or the actual focusing mechanism. Does the ring behave the same way when it is switched to the iris?
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stick: it is a mechanical issue with the focus ring.. Doesn't matter if you put it in iris mode. The ring is entirely de-coupled from the focus mechanism.. All the focus ring does, is turn an electronic servo which registers the spin. It could then send the signal to the focus mechanism or the iris..

If you read all of our posts, you would see that this camera is not suited for snowboard shooting, that is unless you want to shoot in full auto focus mode.
 
I figured that would be the case. I shoot mostly mountain biking but also do some snowboarding video in the winter as well. I hope that Panasonic addresses this issue. The HPX170 seems to be perfect for what I want from a camera and I was considering purchasing 2 but this shouldn't be acceptable to Panasonic as a difference in design. I can understand something not being as good as a previous model going unnoticed but once it is found it shouldn't be ignored. I hope that they deal with this soon as an "a" version.
 
This is terrible. I am a DVX owner and I've shot in -9f degrees (i am a snowboard filmer). I may have had a slightly stickier focus, but nothing that restricted my shooting. I was looking to upgrade next year before film school and the HMC was my #1 choice.

HMC has so many flaws it seems from audio popping, overly sensitive XLR ports, lens wobbles, and now a focus ring that sticks in ABOVE freezing temps?

Rediculous.
 
Hmm no more responses from Jan on this issue? Is her plate full from the HPX300 issue? http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=168321

Yikes! Many similar sentiments towards Panasonic over the HPX300 issue as expressed in this thread.

So let's see.. we've got one big thread going on the HMC forum about audio pops, one big thread in the HPX170 forum about sticky lens, and one big thread going in HPX300 forum about image quality issues. Do I see a pattern here? It's not possible for all of us users to be inept. Must be the company? What's the deal with Panasonic? Why have they gone downhill all of the sudden on so many products at the same time?
 
Huh, I was about to buy one of these puppies and now...

But I have a question/observation:

users: were you comparing the 170 vs the 200 (no a)?

Panasonic: were you comparing the 170 vs the 200a?

I'm wondering if Panasonic's grease supplier changed the recipe between the 200 and newer production units...
 
I am curious about how you set the focus ring on the camera when shooting with a lens adapter. I haven't used a lens adapter and wonder if I did if it would take care of my problem if I decided to purchase this camera. I am not suggesting that this negates Panasonic's responsibility to deal with this issue but I can't imagine me shooting with most of the other camera manufacturers out there. I don't like HDV and like CMOS even less for what I want to shoot. If Panasonic doesn't get their act together on this I might just get a JVC or Canon and one of those new AJA KiPro devices. Rather expensive but so is a HPX170 that doesn't work the way it should.
 
stickman said:
I am curious about how you set the focus ring on the camera when shooting with a lens adapter. I haven't used a lens adapter and wonder if I did if it would take care of my problem if I decided to purchase this camera. I am not suggesting that this negates Panasonic's responsibility to deal with this issue but I can't imagine me shooting with most of the other camera manufacturers out there. I don't like HDV and like CMOS even less for what I want to shoot. If Panasonic doesn't get their act together on this I might just get a JVC or Canon and one of those new AJA KiPro devices. Rather expensive but so is a HPX170 that doesn't work the way it should.
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Fortunately, if you shoot with an adapter, you won't be affected by the stick focus ring issue because you don't change focus on the camera lens.
 
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