Upgrading appropriate for me?

[adanac]

I'm an HVX200A user but I would like a shoulder mount camera and many of the features that the 370 provides, I know that already. What concerns me are reports of skew, wobble, CA, etc. I don't want to open a full comparison of the two cameras, only determine if, in those specific problem areas that have been widely reported, I'm going backward in a switch from the 200A to the 370. What, if anything, do I lose in switching?

My second question is about the current, attractive $2000 discount being offered. Should I read anything into this?

 

[videoatlanta]

This really has been covered som much everywhere. You'll have to do your own research and see if the limitations of the 370 outway to cons in regards to you.
Panny has been runny that promo since last dec. with an end date looming and then they bring it back.

 

[adanac]

You're absolutely right, I should research it and see if it's right for me. Thankfully, asking other users in an online forum is a great way to do that. I know that there is always a risk of negative or unhelpful responses (thanks for the reminder about that) but I think most are interested in helping, which is why most of us are here.

 

[Garion]

Like Videoatlanta said, we all have differant needs so grabbing one in the flesh will help you a lot. If you can demo one see if it can be hooked up to a monitor or screen, the viewfinder and lcd whilst nice and sharp have a relatively low
refresh rate. If you start panning the camera around you will see skew in the viewfinder/lcd which is not there in the actual footage. Ive seen people demo the 300 series cams look in the viewfinder and walk away thinking this was what was actually recorded,they really outta fix that one day.

 

[Kolor-Pikker]

I know that there is always a risk of negative or unhelpful responses

This isn't exactly something as wide-spread as photography, so you'll find a much tighter-knit group of people here. At worst someone can be misinformed or have an opposing opinion on something, but that usually get resolved quickly, so ask away.

For your current question, the 370's skew/wobble characteristics are quite simply on par with other CMOS-chip camcorders, so if you like or dislike the skew/scanning of CMOS tech in general, you'll either like or dislike the 370 based on that. As mentioned above, the VF leaves plenty to be desired.

As for CA, you'll definitely see it with the stock lens, more so if it happens to be at the widest aperture for some reason. You can always expect to find purple fringing in the highlights, but the LoCA is present rather often unless you're shooting wide angle at f/4. Just avoid having bright sources of light or reflections in your frame.

How acceptable these things are is up to you, so as was said a couple times before, try it out first if you have the option. Or just ask me to shoot a clip of something and I can upload the uncompressed video.