Yes, the 3 Leicas. Here we go. Let's compare the lenses of the "e.cam Professional---World's Smallest & Lightest 3 CCD Video Camera," the MX300 with the "e.cam Professional MX350," and "e.cam Professional MX500. Note: nothing is made up. All info is published from Panasonic, word for word. :-))

MX300 - "Leica's Image-Rendering Ability - Leica Dicomar The leadership of Leica in optical technology and know-how that brings the world so many outstanding lenses and cameras is now adapted to the MX300 Digital Video Camera with the especially designed Leica Dicomar lens. It provides superb horizontal resolution equivalent to 1,530 lines of a broadcast camera"

MX350 - "Leica's Image-Rendering Ability - Leica Dicomar The leadership of Leica in optical technology and know-how that bring the world so many outstanding lenses and cameras is now adapted to the MX300 Digital Video Camera with the especially designed Leica Dicomar lens."

MX500 - "Leica's Image-Rendering Ability - Leica Dicomar Discover the famous gradation and detail of Leica Dicomar optics in this 7-element multi-coated lens created under Leica's direction, with 2-stage neutral density filter for aperture-independent brightness adjustment. Reduced flare and ghosting contribute to beautiful image quality."

So, as we can see, gone is the MX300's "superb horizontal resolution equivalent to 1,530 lines of a broadcast camera" with the MX350 and MX500, but only the MX500's Leica has reduced flare and ghosting," for "beautiful image quality." Any comments?

Interesting.

Looking at the lens physically, they seems to be exactly the same to me!

Note that the MX300/350 is 12x zoom and the MX500 is 10x. Also, due to smaller chip, the MX500 has a FOV crop effect, so, even on the same lens, the MX500's widest angle view is not as wide as that of the MX300/350.

As a matter of fact, the MX8 seems to share the same lens, and havng the largest chip in the series, the MX8's wide angle is the widest!

And as for Leica, I'm not even sure that Leica made the lens. Probably endorsed the product. Not best quality, not second best quality, but somewhere in between. Same story with Sony's Carl-Zeiss lens.

(I didn't have the GS100 Leica lens blurb.)

The new GS400 has a 12X optical zoom. :-))

Did you read the part about only the MX300's Leica lens (not MX350's) having superb horizontal resolution equivalent to 1,530 lines of a broadcast camera?

Have a good black mamba Christmas everyone, and don't let the Japanese menus bite you. :-))

It's interesting to see that Canon stand behind their name. No Schneider, Leica or Zeiss badge engineering for them. Here's a chunk from my MVX3i test:

The Canon lens is excellent, and especially so in its lack of linear distortion at the wide-angle end. At maximum wide and closest focus (filming a 35mm slide for instance) the barrel distortion is quite noticeable, but it’s a lot more controlled than many other cameras, the Sony VX2000 included.

The quality of the image at all focal lengths is a tribute to Canon, and it’s interesting to note that they haven’t felt the need to buy-in German names to add prestige. Another unusual aspect of this 10x zoom is the very fast maximum aperture – even at the telephoto end. This is wonderful news for low light addicts and those that want differential focus effects.

tom.

Thanks, Tom. Canon must be laughing silly about all these Leica, Ziess lenses. In photo-land, some of those Leica lenses and even more so, the Nikon lenses, aren't what they are cracked up to be. Nikon/Nikkor has a lot of dogs---and expensive dogs.

I flinch a bit when you say there are Nikkor dogs, Frank. Ok, Nikon - like everyone else who makes fine lenses- are aghast at the sales taken by the pirates, and have designed lenses that compete head on with the likes of Tokina, Soligor, Sigma. They're generally much lighter than their premium lens line, have less speed and less 'droppability' as I call it. But they sure halted the flow, and now you can opt for the cheaper Canon or Rokkor or Nikkor and stay brand loyal.

tom.

:-)) Do you know a way of fastening some of my high quality Nikon E lenses (metal ring versions) to my MX300? I guess I would need a step-up ring. :-))

Gone are the times when naming certain brands meant doubtless quality. Sumicron, Sonnar, Nikkor and only a few others could get that magic.

In the Nikkor line only certain lenses in their line were really outstanding, although most were worth the money. As far as I know they were the only photographic lenses used in filmmaking. Particularly on Eclair cameras they shined.

Canon started making a lens name in the early '70s and stayed there. Their lenses are quite good and an important selling point for their video cameras.

They do not need buying lenses as they make their own, which are very good. Panasonic and Sony never seemed to care too much for that angle. They make excellent video machines, probably much better than Canon. BTW: who makes Canon's transports?

No doubt it would be much better if DV lenses could be interchanged.


Carlos