I recently shot with the HPX500 for the first time (with a Fujinon 7.6x17 BRM lens) and I am very pleased with the handling. Especially the lens is great to use with its various zoom speed settings, its very fluid zooming and the focussing help (zoom in and out quickly with just one button). I never used such a modern lens on a shoulder mount before (only ~10 year old lenses with relatively slow zooms) so this is just great.
However there is one thing I really dislike about the HPX500 - the zebras. They show as massive black bars in the viewfinder (just like with the HVX200) and so you can't use them at 70% at all times because then they cover half of the frame and you can't see anything else but zebras. With a 100% setting it's ok, but then you have to go through the menus to change them to 70% - or is there a way to switch between two zebra settings with just one button? Maybe through a user button? I haven't yet found that feature.
I thought the HPX500, as a shoulder mount with b/w viewfinder, would probably feature transparent zebras like the good old Sony DXC D-30/35/50 series. With these camcorders it is possible to use double zebras at all times (stripes for 70% and dots for 100%) because the stripes and dots are so transparent they don't cover half of your picture and you can still see everything. I'm a big fan of constant 70%/100% double zebras, especially for run and gun eng shooting.
Is there a possibility Panasonic will change that with a software update or something?
However there is one thing I really dislike about the HPX500 - the zebras. They show as massive black bars in the viewfinder (just like with the HVX200) and so you can't use them at 70% at all times because then they cover half of the frame and you can't see anything else but zebras. With a 100% setting it's ok, but then you have to go through the menus to change them to 70% - or is there a way to switch between two zebra settings with just one button? Maybe through a user button? I haven't yet found that feature.
I thought the HPX500, as a shoulder mount with b/w viewfinder, would probably feature transparent zebras like the good old Sony DXC D-30/35/50 series. With these camcorders it is possible to use double zebras at all times (stripes for 70% and dots for 100%) because the stripes and dots are so transparent they don't cover half of your picture and you can still see everything. I'm a big fan of constant 70%/100% double zebras, especially for run and gun eng shooting.
Is there a possibility Panasonic will change that with a software update or something?