Dv852 at DVinfo.net

Jon Kamps · December 13th, 2003, 11:19 AM

I'm thinking about picking up a DV852 from B&H to hold me over till I can afford a better cam (GL2 DVC30 DVC80...etc) I"m not totally clear what features it has though:

does it do frame mode?

is it just letterboxed 16:9 or does it do anamorphic

any other downsides compared too the DV953, I know the color won't be quite as good but is thier anything else? but for half the price as the dv953 it seems like a good deal.

Frank Granovski · December 13th, 2003, 06:22 PM

No frame mode, no anamorphic. BUT...

The PV-DV852 is undeniably a marvellous 1-chipper, in the traditional poker style body shape. Its main aim is to point and shoot where others dare too prod. There is no need to look for more light with this tool, for this is the one for shooting for fine deep shadows and dork blacks. Just lookie here what the mysterious BB writes about this poker styled cam (www.eeplaza.com), and lookie here about the quick low light test you can do: test by shooting in normal, indoor light of 20 to 80 lux, then see if the playback has low noise, shadows and clear sharp red. http://www.eeplaza.com/bestbuy/index.htm#testvcam :-)

Tommy Haupfear · December 13th, 2003, 10:55 PM

Just remember that B&H has just a handful of DV852 and this cam has been discontinued for a while now.

The DV852 also lacks manual audio, zebras, color bar, and manual sharpness and color when compared to the DV953.

Still, like Frank said its a great single chipper and for the price should definitely be considered!

Frank Granovski · December 14th, 2003, 03:21 AM

Jon, read what our good member Ben wrote about the PV-DV852 here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=18300

R. Scott Hanson · December 14th, 2003, 06:11 PM

What about the DV852 vs. the GS70? Both about the same price...

Tommy Haupfear · December 14th, 2003, 06:14 PM

Quote:

What about the DV852 vs. the GS70? Both about the same price...

Unless you just need the micro size of the GS70 then I would save $100 and get the DV852. The GS70 is a dumbed down DV953 and the DV852 has some of the best color accuracy I've seen on a single chipper.

Not to mention the DV852 has optical image stabilization which can be used for both video and stills.

Oh yeah, the GS70 loads tapes from the top so it doesn't have to be removed from the tripod like the bottom loading DV852.

R. Scott Hanson · December 14th, 2003, 06:32 PM

The OIS and perhaps better low light (and $100) are good reasons to choose the DV852 over the GS70, but is its color accuracy really as good as the 3CCD on the GS70?

Sounds like the DV953 (or its replacement in Jan 2004 at CES) or the GS100K are still the best, but the DV852 or GS70 (or their possible replacements in January) may be what budget-minded folk like me should shoot for...

Yow Cheong Hoe · December 14th, 2003, 07:03 PM

Yes, I have mixed footage from the MX8 and the MX350, you probably can't tell the difference. The MX350 is not much difference from the MX500.

You will appreciate the following on the MX8 (DV852):
1. Optical stabiliser
2. Nice colours
3. VERY decent mic
4. Extremely low noice (but softer image)
5. Sensitive even in extreme low light (try 1 candle)
6. Wide angle wide (about 35mm)

The GS70 is digital stabiliser and very poor low light performance.

The MX500 (probably true for the DV953) will have semi-pro features like adio input levels, zebra, 16:9, top loading, ect, but:
1. Poor low light performance
2. Noisy at low lights
3. Not as wide angle (about 40mm)

The wide angle issue you'll appreciate if you live in a tight space like I do.

December 13th, 2003, 11:19 AM	#1
Jon Kamps Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 56	Dv852 I'm thinking about picking up a DV852 from B&H to hold me over till I can afford a better cam (GL2 DVC30 DVC80...etc) I"m not totally clear what features it has though: does it do frame mode? is it just letterboxed 16:9 or does it do anamorphic any other downsides compared too the DV953, I know the color won't be quite as good but is thier anything else? but for half the price as the dv953 it seems like a good deal.

December 14th, 2003, 07:03 PM	#8
Yow Cheong Hoe Major Player Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Singapore, Passport: Malaysia Posts: 407	Yes, I have mixed footage from the MX8 and the MX350, you probably can't tell the difference. The MX350 is not much difference from the MX500. You will appreciate the following on the MX8 (DV852): 1. Optical stabiliser 2. Nice colours 3. VERY decent mic 4. Extremely low noice (but softer image) 5. Sensitive even in extreme low light (try 1 candle) 6. Wide angle wide (about 35mm) The GS70 is digital stabiliser and very poor low light performance. The MX500 (probably true for the DV953) will have semi-pro features like adio input levels, zebra, 16:9, top loading, ect, but: 1. Poor low light performance 2. Noisy at low lights 3. Not as wide angle (about 40mm) The wide angle issue you'll appreciate if you live in a tight space like I do. __________________ Cam: Panasonic MX350EN, SOLD my MX8EN Mac: G3 400MHz PowerBook, 256 MB, OS 9 PC: Pentium 4 2800MHz, 512 MB, WindowsXP SW: iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, Ulead Video Studio, various little utilities

December 13th, 2003, 06:22 PM	#2
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	No frame mode, no anamorphic. BUT... The PV-DV852 is undeniably a marvellous 1-chipper, in the traditional poker style body shape. Its main aim is to point and shoot where others dare too prod. There is no need to look for more light with this tool, for this is the one for shooting for fine deep shadows and dork blacks. Just lookie here what the mysterious BB writes about this poker styled cam (www.eeplaza.com), and lookie here about the quick low light test you can do: test by shooting in normal, indoor light of 20 to 80 lux, then see if the playback has low noise, shadows and clear sharp red. http://www.eeplaza.com/bestbuy/index.htm#testvcam :-)

December 13th, 2003, 10:55 PM	#3
Tommy Haupfear Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 1,415	Just remember that B&H has just a handful of DV852 and this cam has been discontinued for a while now. The DV852 also lacks manual audio, zebras, color bar, and manual sharpness and color when compared to the DV953. Still, like Frank said its a great single chipper and for the price should definitely be considered!

December 14th, 2003, 03:21 AM	#4
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Jon, read what our good member Ben wrote about the PV-DV852 here: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=18300

December 14th, 2003, 06:11 PM	#5
R. Scott Hanson New Boot Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 14	What about the DV852 vs. the GS70? Both about the same price...

December 14th, 2003, 06:32 PM	#7
R. Scott Hanson New Boot Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 14	The OIS and perhaps better low light (and $100) are good reasons to choose the DV852 over the GS70, but is its color accuracy really as good as the 3CCD on the GS70? Sounds like the DV953 (or its replacement in Jan 2004 at CES) or the GS100K are still the best, but the DV852 or GS70 (or their possible replacements in January) may be what budget-minded folk like me should shoot for...