ALL: Thread for suggested modifications if Panasonic was to make a AC130B/160B

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ELN614

Well-known member
Since Jan is on the site perhaps she'll make note of this thread. (I'm praying)

1) make formatting the SD cards easier. Going through the menu is a pain. Perhaps a button, which requires you to hold down for 3 seconds.
2) allowing the SD door to be open during recording (to swap cards) OR not 'locking' the 2 SD slots behind one door.
3) making the door (for SD cards) easier to open. would love a little extra for the finger nail to catch and pull with. just a tiny lip would help.
4) allow the reset button to work on resetting the TC - if the TC is displayed.
5) color grades in the audio level meter. white to yellow to red. right now it is white all the way up. makes impossible to know when your getting close without training your eyes on number of hashes. Makes if hard to trust a new videographer setting the levels. (please refer to DVC30 as sample)
6) old fashion volume knob for headphone setting.
7) getting more of the all the OSD stuff to the very edges. I feel it covers more stuff up than it needs too.
8) time date stamp NOT come up when color bars are active.
9) (can't think of anything else but I know there is more)

Would be even nicer if Panasonic had a focus group session during NAB for us to make suggested changes as in new features or improved features. You don't need to pay us money... all though feeding the group may help bring people in.
 
I can't see 1 happening, this is a company focused on safety and reliability, and anyone accidentally formatting a card would be such a disaster that they would never allow it.

Same with 2. The reason the cards are locked behind the door is because if you eject a card while it is being accessed, it could destroy the card(!). SD ain't P2. So you'll notice that if a card is being recorded or played back and you open the door, the cam will stop record or playback. It uses the door to slow you down from accessing the card until it can finish accessing it.
 
Continuing with 2, making two doors sounds more practical.

On 4, that is exactly what it does. Go into the TC Preset menu and press the reset button and it will zero out the timecode.

5, 7, and 8: yes, yes, and yes!
 
friendly response to Barry's post
1- I can't see anyone accidentally holding down a button for 3 seconds. (my 2 cents) but nothing stopping them from using a button that only a paper clip tip can access. (and still be able to do through menu for paper clip-less users) similar to old reset buttons for some video cameras. Never heard anyone accidentally hitting them.
4- (I didn't explain myself well) I have to go through the menu to reset the TC. When the counter is up, all I do is hit the reset button (no menu). why not when the TC is up I can hit the same button without the need for sifting through the menu.
 
Well, for the same reason there's a plastic guard over the audio dials ... they are really quite resistant to allow anything accidental to mess up a shoot. So they make you deliberately go into the menus to reset the timecode. They make you deliberately go into the menus to format a card. They caught some flack from people for allowing the "Last Clip Delete" function; people complained that they didn't want there to even exist the possibility of deleting a clip accidentally (and, truthfully, they made it a three-step process to prevent there ever being a case of an accidental deletion). And they put a plastic shield over the audio dials so that nobody can accidentally/unknowingly turn the audio dials and mess up their sound recording.

It's just how they design cameras. It's their philosophy. It's why they put auto-locking on the function wheel, even though that's one of the few things Adam Wilt expressly complains about in his review -- they didn't like the idea that someone might accidentally bump that wheel and ruin their shoot...

I'm not saying what you want wouldn't be convenient. I'm just saying why I think they wouldn't do it, that's all.

The other thing missing from the list -- please add magnified focus assist!
 
-10 for hold down button to erase. Would never ever want that on any camera. It's hard to erase cards so you never do it by accident. And I could easily foresee a moment when I'm grabbing the camera in some run and gun way that I don't notice I'm holding down the button. I'll take the SDHC card security as it is for now- that design aspect is fine. Like Barry- agree with 5,7,8 tho.

-Noah
 
Haha... I'd say Panny should repeat the cycle of the DVX/HVX/HMC(HPX170) - that is, go back to the "old" joystick (a la DVX or HMC) after trying something a little different (a la HVX). I know, poor Panny, that that old joystick design gets a lot of complaints... but it's better! The AC130/160/250 menu control is not as bad as the HVX, but not as good as the HMC...

And, of course, the lens cap. Get us a lens cap like the HVX/HMC/HPX170!
 
ullanta said:
.........And, of course, the lens cap. Get us a lens cap like the HVX/HMC/HPX170!
Click to expand...
my nightmare, it is like it is not for that camera, i have to check twice if it is really the correct lens cap i'm trying fit in.
 
Yeah it takes me several attempts to put the cap on and even then it just falls off.

to address #1 if everyone hates the button idea how about Format is on the first page after hitting menu button verses page two and is a sub-item.
 
Colors on the audio meters would be great. Fix the LCD so it loses the green/yellow tint and is more accurate for judging color temp. Hopefully this stuff can be firmware fixed, none of the button or sd card door stuff bothers me at all. Overall a fantastic camera that just needs a couple tweaks.
 
ELN614 said:
Yeah it takes me several attempts to put the cap on and even then it just falls off.

to address #1 if everyone hates the button idea how about Format is on the first page after hitting menu button verses page two and is a sub-item.
Click to expand...

Just curious... why are you in such a hurry to format? Rushing any process that erases footage is to me a bad idea. In fact, I set things up so that I NEVER format a card in the field... formatting is a last step in my offloading/backup process which happens only in the edit bay.
 
ullanta said:
Just curious... why are you in such a hurry to format? Rushing any process that erases footage is to me a bad idea. In fact, I set things up so that I NEVER format a card in the field... formatting is a last step in my offloading/backup process which happens only in the edit bay.
Click to expand...

hurry-- no. Just there are a lot of steps I need to take to format/erase.
1) I am afraid of wearing out the buttons.
2) Format is the most popular function I use. I am always erasing the card to make room for new footage.
3) The SD card is back up for me. cards never leave the camera unless the original is corrupt. And I know if I need the card's footage the same day I shoot. So -- the next day the footage on the card is worthless.
 
Ah, that makes more sense. Unfortunately, your case might be outweighed by the "needs" of the bulk of users... but it doesn't hurt to request... I can see where a user button option for a quick (confirmation-needing) format might be OK... though I'd never want to set it up that way myself. But sure, I'll vote for the option, as long as it only brings you to the card select screen, which then needs confirmation.

On the other hand, I sometimes format 10 cards in a row with my workflow... it would be great if there were some hard-to-enter "quick-format mode" (maybe accessible only from playback mode) in which it's faster to format a bunch of cards...
 
Id prefer a lens cap that doesnt require removing. Just switching it on and off. Doesnt have to be electronic. Just a switch on the lens hood to close or open the hood.

Ive been clamoring for this for a loong time. Some sony cams have built in mechanical lens cap. Its one if those little things that should be made that makes the camera worth getting.
 
mechanical lens cap sounds good!

how about touch screen to select from the menu? And maybe to touch and set the spot to auto-focus and auto-iris. Although it's not the best way to operate the camera, but i somehow think it's a modern technology that helps making quick adjustments.
 
Oh no! why think of AC130B/AC160B, we all have cameras with almost zero hours. Panasonic should correct the errors in AC130/AC160B first
 
cherchieh said:
mechanical lens cap sounds good!

how about touch screen to select from the menu? And maybe to touch and set the spot to auto-focus and auto-iris. Although it's not the best way to operate the camera, but i somehow think it's a modern technology that helps making quick adjustments.
Click to expand...
oh ive suggested this on the af100 wishlist thread 2 years ago
 
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