Is the JVC LS300 still a competitive camera today?

[W. Bill Magac]

Check out this recently posted JVC LS300 review posted on YouTube.

YouTube (Short URL)

Enjoy.

[Noa Put]

I"m still using one for weddings mainly to cover speeches during a ceremony and reception in combination with a gh5 and g80.
Colors on my ls300 are better then my gh5, especially skintones which look more natural.
Peaking with magnified focus during recording is like night and day difference with my gh5, it's that much better, I never miss focus with this camera.
Whitebalancing is much quicker to achieve, just a push of a button.
Possibility to zoom with prime lenses.
sound recording when using xlr mikes gives very clean sound.
SDI and HDMI out to a ext screen or recorder.
A lot of finetuning options for the image + JLOG which doesn't require that much grading.
Big batteries can be used for long recording times, dual sd slots.
Build in ND's
strong lens mount and can carry heavier lenses without extra support.

Just a few advantages that come to mind, low light is not one of it's best features, 1600iso is as high as I will go and I only use fast primes on this camera like a f1.2 nocticron.
The lcd screen is it's weaker part, feels quite flimsy and cheap and color is not accurate..
It also takes a bit more time to set up compared to my gh5, it's quite small but still a lot bigger then my gh5 and needs stabilised lenses for handheld work.

You get a lot for your money.

[Nick Haman]

I use this camera daily, and love every minute of it. It's easy to get nice looking footage, and the log can be quite malleable. You can also get fantastic images straight out of the camera - this image is straight out of the camera, with no adjustments.

Am I glad I bought it? Absolutely

Would I buy it again now? Nope, there's another very exciting camera around the corner, and you could get 2 for less than one LS300.

[Jim Nogueira]

Which other very exciting camera around the corner are you referring to, Nick?

[Noa Put]

My guess is that they say it fits in your pocket but it doesnt

[Nick Haman]

I was talking about the not-quite-pocket camera.

Do you think JVC will implement whatever is needed to record ProRes RAW on the new Atomos V? That would make this camera remain competitive for a little while longer.

[William Hohauser]

Atmos would have to update their recorders to capture ProResRAW. The LS300 already puts out a fine 8bit SDI signal. 10bit is probably never going to come out of the LS300. The electronics don't support it.

[Gary Huff]

Originally Posted by William Hohauser

Atmos would have to update their recorders to capture ProResRAW

They already have, but JVC has no raw out of the LS300.

[W. Bill Magac]

In the Record menu setup, you have the option to output 4K/60p EXT via hdmi. Is the camera able to output 4K/24p or 4K/30p via hdmi? I'm thinking of getting a Ninja V when it is available, but only if I can record 4K/24p/30p ProRes in the Ninja V.

[Nick Haman]

The Ninja V will record whatever you output from the camera. Here's the possible resolutions and frame rates, taken from their website.

4K DCI; 24/25/30/50/60p
4K UHD; 24/25/30/50/60p
2K
1080p; 24/25/30/50/60/100^/120^
1080i; 50/60i, 720p; 50/60p

The only limitation is what your camera can output, I don't think the LS300 can output 120fps for example, but it can do 24/25/30/50/60

I was wondering if JVC are likely to add RAW output now that recorders can record it. I personally doubt it, but you never know.

EDIT: I just noticed, there's no mention of ProRes RAW on the official site for the Ninja V. As far as I can tell, it's only the Shogun Inferno and Sumo 19... does anyone konw any different?

[Chris Hurd]

Thanks Nick,

Originally Posted by Nick Haman

I don't think the LS300 can output 120fps for example

Actually the LS300 can record 1080p120 internally. Surely it can output that over HDMI as well, but I'm not certain.

[W. Bill Magac]

I just ran a test with my Ninja Blade connected to the LS300 via HDMI. The LS300 can record 4K/24p/25p/30p/50p internally. However, the LS300 does not output 4K/24p/25p/30p externally via HDMI. When I was recording 4K/24p and 30p internally, the camera was outputting 1080/24p and 30p via HDMI to the Blade. It appears the only 4K frame rate the camera can output via HDMI is 60p. This is a bummer and I hope JVC can update the firmware to output 4K 24p,25p,30p,50p via HDMI. I doubt this will happen since the LS300 is a bit long in the tooth. No sense in me upgrading to a Ninja V if the camera cannot output 4K 24p/30p via HDMI. I primarily shoot interviews and the higher frame rates (60p, 120p, etc) are not critical for me.

[Nick Haman]

I'm sorry to say that non of that information is correct.

I record daily in 4K 25p to an external recorder. The LS300 CANNOT record 4k50/60p internal, you must have a suitable external HDMI recorder for this resolution/frame rate.

Here's a few things about your test:
The Blade can only accept 1080i/p signal, it's not a 4k recorder. Therefore, it was either downscaling your signal, or you accidentally had the camera set to output 1080i/p in the A.V Set part of JVC's menu.

On the LS300, you have to set the internal recording and then go into another part of the menu (A/V Set) to set the output resolution.

That said, if you're filming 4K 422 internal, you can only output 1080 (interlaced or progressive) signals. If you're recording at 4k, but not 422, you can output 4k signals. Both of these options will match your internal frame rate and push it out of the HDMI. (only 24/25/30 since 4k50/60 cannot be recorded internally)

If you're set to record 4k50/60, you wont record anything internal, all recording must be external.

If you're set to record 1080 at 100/120, then the HDMI will only output 50/60 at 1080. I have tested this myself and was disappointed that I couldn't output 120, although my recorder can accept that signal from compatible cameras.

If you'd like, tomorrow I can hook everything up and go through all the setting so you can see what is and isn't possible on a 4K recorder. (Atomos Ninja Assassin - so unfortunetly I can't do 4k50/60p)

[W. Bill Magac]

Thanks, for the response Nick. I ran a quick test. With 422 enabled in the record format, 4K/24p/30p outputs do not seem possible. The A/V Set, Video Set HDMI output is set to 1080p and grayed out. I prefer shooting with 4K 150M 422 enabled. With 422 disabled, the HDMI output can be configured for 2160p or 1080p. For me, not being able to output 4K/24p 150M 422 would be a problem.

[Chris Hurd]

Thanks Nick. For anyone following this thread, I've attached a screen from the LS300 brochure outlining the various output sizes and frame rates.