Yow Cheong Hoe
November 13th, 2002, 12:06 AM
This is editted from my post in DV.com.
I have test driven the MX500 and compared with my MX8 and a friend's MX350. Here are the findings on the MX500.
ABSOLUTELY DISAPPOINTING.
1. The LCD was not as bright, and the colour of the LCD doesn't match the TV as well as the MX8 and MX350, although the recorded colour is the same.
2. The 3CCD doesn't look like the 3CCD at all, as the quality of the image of my MX8 is so similar, even in low light, that I can't tell the difference.
3. The 3.0 Mega Pixel still is 'Pixel Shift', hence the interpolation can still be seen sometimes (noise).
4. The lens have very distinct 'aliens landing' streaking, which is not as bad in the MX8 and MX350.
5. The lens are not as wide (wide-angle) as the MX8 and MX350, but tele is OK. For a camcorder, I believe wide-angle will be better than tele.
6. The firewire port is where you put your hand, hence you can't firewire out 'live'.
7. The 'menu' button is beyond the reach of the thumb, so you'll need to press with your index finger at a very difficult angle. The MX8 and MX350 has the menu at the left of the barrel.
That being said, there are some praises:
1. Tape top loading is a great improvement for tripod or steadicam users.
2. The interpolated 3.0 Mega Pixel stills are better than 1.8 MP of the MX350 (less grainy) but not as sharp as the lower res (1.2 MP) MX8.
3. The center-weighted focusing box feature is a good idea.
4. The center of gravity is VERY good.
5. A shorter body ensures convenience in carry and storage.
6. The wired remote control is similar to LANC, very convenient.
For those using MX8 and MX350, I recommend that you keep your cameras, as my friend and I have decided. For those who are buying a new camera, well, this is still the cheapest 3CCD with semi-pro features in the market, go for it.
That's my 1 cent's worth, my complaints and my opinion. I apologise if I have insulted those who jumped into the MX500, but comparing video quality head-to-head among the three, the MX350 is best, with the MX500 and MX8 very similar. That's 3CCDs against 1CCD!
Thank you, and please comment/reply.
PS. Having hear all the raves on the MX500 on the net, I was really disappointed by this 'budget' model that Panasonic rolled out. As Frank maentioned in DV.com, they do it right somewhere, and they mess up something else.
PPS. I finally bought an MX350 to replace my MX8, for the nicer colours of 3CCDs. The stills from the MX350 is very disappointing, but I got it at a bargain price that's more than 30% off the RRP :).
I have test driven the MX500 and compared with my MX8 and a friend's MX350. Here are the findings on the MX500.
ABSOLUTELY DISAPPOINTING.
1. The LCD was not as bright, and the colour of the LCD doesn't match the TV as well as the MX8 and MX350, although the recorded colour is the same.
2. The 3CCD doesn't look like the 3CCD at all, as the quality of the image of my MX8 is so similar, even in low light, that I can't tell the difference.
3. The 3.0 Mega Pixel still is 'Pixel Shift', hence the interpolation can still be seen sometimes (noise).
4. The lens have very distinct 'aliens landing' streaking, which is not as bad in the MX8 and MX350.
5. The lens are not as wide (wide-angle) as the MX8 and MX350, but tele is OK. For a camcorder, I believe wide-angle will be better than tele.
6. The firewire port is where you put your hand, hence you can't firewire out 'live'.
7. The 'menu' button is beyond the reach of the thumb, so you'll need to press with your index finger at a very difficult angle. The MX8 and MX350 has the menu at the left of the barrel.
That being said, there are some praises:
1. Tape top loading is a great improvement for tripod or steadicam users.
2. The interpolated 3.0 Mega Pixel stills are better than 1.8 MP of the MX350 (less grainy) but not as sharp as the lower res (1.2 MP) MX8.
3. The center-weighted focusing box feature is a good idea.
4. The center of gravity is VERY good.
5. A shorter body ensures convenience in carry and storage.
6. The wired remote control is similar to LANC, very convenient.
For those using MX8 and MX350, I recommend that you keep your cameras, as my friend and I have decided. For those who are buying a new camera, well, this is still the cheapest 3CCD with semi-pro features in the market, go for it.
That's my 1 cent's worth, my complaints and my opinion. I apologise if I have insulted those who jumped into the MX500, but comparing video quality head-to-head among the three, the MX350 is best, with the MX500 and MX8 very similar. That's 3CCDs against 1CCD!
Thank you, and please comment/reply.
PS. Having hear all the raves on the MX500 on the net, I was really disappointed by this 'budget' model that Panasonic rolled out. As Frank maentioned in DV.com, they do it right somewhere, and they mess up something else.
PPS. I finally bought an MX350 to replace my MX8, for the nicer colours of 3CCDs. The stills from the MX350 is very disappointing, but I got it at a bargain price that's more than 30% off the RRP :).