Frederic Segard
October 9th, 2003, 09:20 PM
I was at the Sony Fall Show in Montreal yesterday and today, hoping to see a glimpse of the new PD-170. Well there it was, a fully functional pre-production NTSC model.
The first thing I noticed was that Sony slightly changed the color. The front barrel is black (or rather dark coal). When I grabbed it, I immediately felt the added strength to the handle. It felt more solid then the PD-150.
The specs are not that different from what we have seen so far on the web: Bigger viewfinder, hybrid LCD, both VF and LCD on at the same time, improved sound (6dB), 1 Lux instead of 2, bundled 0.7 wide-angle with lens hood, dual speed zoom (switchable) and start/stop on handle, 24 step iris instead of 12, and taller handle. The rest is pretty much the same as the PD-150.
The low light capacity has been improved, not by the replacement of newer CCDs, but by optimizing signal processing. Just to confirm some points, the new PD-170 does NOT, and will NOT have the following: 24p, 30p, clearscan/syncroscan, scene file buttons, larger LCD, barrel markers, true 16x9 CCDs.
During my brief tests, the PD-170 performed as expected. I've long hesitated between the PD-150 and the Panasonic DVX-100. I've read as much as I could on both, read comparisons, heard testimonies; both cameras are very good, but one thing I know for sure is that I will never shoot 24p, or even 30p for that matter. As an event and corporate videographer, fluid motion it a must. I often find myself in hard shooting situations, and robustness is a must. The DVX100, although solid, is not as robust as the PD150/170. And when in doubt, I can always elect to record DVCAM as a security measure it the shoot is very important. We all know there are no second takes in event videography. All this to say that I pre-ordered my new PD-170 today. If all goes as planed, I should be playing with it in mid-November. Yep! That's right, you read well, mid-November.
Hope this sheds some light on the PD-170 arena.
The first thing I noticed was that Sony slightly changed the color. The front barrel is black (or rather dark coal). When I grabbed it, I immediately felt the added strength to the handle. It felt more solid then the PD-150.
The specs are not that different from what we have seen so far on the web: Bigger viewfinder, hybrid LCD, both VF and LCD on at the same time, improved sound (6dB), 1 Lux instead of 2, bundled 0.7 wide-angle with lens hood, dual speed zoom (switchable) and start/stop on handle, 24 step iris instead of 12, and taller handle. The rest is pretty much the same as the PD-150.
The low light capacity has been improved, not by the replacement of newer CCDs, but by optimizing signal processing. Just to confirm some points, the new PD-170 does NOT, and will NOT have the following: 24p, 30p, clearscan/syncroscan, scene file buttons, larger LCD, barrel markers, true 16x9 CCDs.
During my brief tests, the PD-170 performed as expected. I've long hesitated between the PD-150 and the Panasonic DVX-100. I've read as much as I could on both, read comparisons, heard testimonies; both cameras are very good, but one thing I know for sure is that I will never shoot 24p, or even 30p for that matter. As an event and corporate videographer, fluid motion it a must. I often find myself in hard shooting situations, and robustness is a must. The DVX100, although solid, is not as robust as the PD150/170. And when in doubt, I can always elect to record DVCAM as a security measure it the shoot is very important. We all know there are no second takes in event videography. All this to say that I pre-ordered my new PD-170 today. If all goes as planed, I should be playing with it in mid-November. Yep! That's right, you read well, mid-November.
Hope this sheds some light on the PD-170 arena.