GS400 Has 30P

Guy Bruner · July 21st, 2004, 07:53 PM

AFAIK, the DVX100A doesn't have HQ widescreen, although it apparently does offer anamorphic widescreen which the original model didn't. However, I have seen posts where folks were quite pleased with the old letterboxed image that was cropped and blown up to HD dimensions. So, I guess YMMV.

I'm still waiting on the perfect cam...F/1.2 30X optical lens with OIS, 500grams with battery, 52Gig SD card, 1920x1080 no compression progressive scan video, wireless video transfer, wireless direct to eye viewfinder, wireless direct to ear audio, mental control, 5.1 surround, and it has to be BLACK!

Allan Rejoso · July 22nd, 2004, 03:45 AM

<<<-- Originally posted by Patricia Kim : Yes, Guy, that review of the Sony does kind of kill one's appetite -

I just read Robin's first impression review. Unless there's something totally wrong with my memory, I remember that I was able to set the shutter speed of the HC1000 manually from 1/4 - 1/10000. And if I'm not mistaken, low shutter settings (1/4, 1/8, 1/15 and 1/30) are available under video mode - those low shutter settings are not under digital effect...and those low light settings under video mode are not available with the GS400.

I'd better play with the HC1000 again to verify. I could be dreaming :-))

Guy, I'd be uploading new samples of the GS400 and the HC1000, if that's ok. The new samples are better comparisons IMO because the scenes are almost identical.

Patricia Kim · July 22nd, 2004, 03:54 AM

Well, maybe NA got a stripped version again!:)

Allan Rejoso · July 22nd, 2004, 04:07 AM

Maybe Robin simply read the spec sheets :-) and assumed that the HC1000 shutter speed setting behaves similar to Sony's other cams - you know, that Program AE controlled shutter speed, combined with slow shutter settings under digital effect. Let me verify first, but I do remember playing with and appreciating those low shutter speed settings of the HC1000 and thought 1/15 appeared very controllable.

The only thing missing in the HC1000 is the cool looking square hood of the TRV950, though it has a cute little circular hood.

The fact that the HC1000 can be had for $1,000 in Japan is affecting my impressions of this cam of course. :-))...and btw, based on the samples I have seen so far, it appears to be better than GS100 in low-light, although the default sharpness setting seems to be softer than that of GS400.

Guy Bruner · July 22nd, 2004, 06:45 AM

Sure, Allan, put them up...and some Optura 30 clips if you have them.

I think Robin was considerably unimpressed with the ergonomics of the HC1000 that she probably didn't look too much at the exposure technology. There will be a more thorough review when they can get a cam to test.

Boyd Ostroff · July 22nd, 2004, 08:10 AM

From what I've read they've removed the physical multi-function wheel found on the TRV-950/PDX-10 and put all the functions into touch screen menus. I would find that totally unacceptable. It means digging through menus to control everything, very awkward for working in manual mode. I suppose that if you use the auto modes it would be less of an issue though.

Also it's a big disappointment that they LCD and viewfinder are lower resolution, and that the touch screen has gotten physically smaller at they same as they move more functions to it.

The inability to use the larger QM91 batteries is also a downer, you will need to carry twice as many batteries with you. But a $1,000 price tag would indeed offset some of these complaints. Wonder what the US price will be? B&H isn't listing it yet. Interesting though, they still list the TRV-950 for $1,650 which isn't much of a deal compared to $1,850 for the PDX-10. I actually thought the price was lower on the TRV-950, maybe they've raised it?.... it has a banner next to it proclaiming "Top Seller!". They're offering a pretty unexciting rebate from Sony, save $50 if you also buy a photo printer....

Allan Rejoso · July 22nd, 2004, 09:44 AM

Ok, new samples have been uploaded to Guy's site both in the GS400 and HC1000 albums.

For those combined GS400&HC1000 videos, the first parts are taken using the GS400.

I have also uploaded combined GS400&PC350 samples (procinema/cinematic and widescreen interlaced). Again the first parts are taken using the GS400.

All these samples came from a Jap magazine.

Guy Bruner · July 22nd, 2004, 11:45 AM

Thanks again, Allan!

LOL, lots of interest in these shots...my site may exceed its bandwidth before I can get some more. Viewing has already exceeded 38 Gig this month. Folks can help out by only viewing each clip once or by downloading the clip and viewing it off line. To download, right click on the link above the player window that says "It may take awhile to load the movie" and SAVE AS...

Allan Rejoso · July 22nd, 2004, 04:23 PM

Folks, please help out. We don't want Guy's site to go offline especially next month. I may be able to upload progresive/frame-mode/procinema galore after August 20 :-)). I'll upload in zip next time.

Guy Bruner · July 22nd, 2004, 04:29 PM

Allan,
Uploading in ZIP won't fix it because the server unpacks the ZIP file into the album. I can set up files for download in zip format. It won't make much difference on the bandwidth except it might deter folks from viewing the clips multiple times. You'll have to send me the files some other way...maybe FTP. The downside of this method is the size of the ZIP file and the download time.

Rokta Bija · July 22nd, 2004, 05:34 PM

Great clips Allan, thanks! The GS400 procinema mode is impressive. If that's frame mode, I don't see much loss in resolution.

Regrading the two GS400&HC1000-Road clips, you can see some noticable sharpness differences between the GS400 and HC1000. The GS400 looks sharper in the center grass strip in the road and if you look at the trees at the far end of the road, the GS400 show much more detail.

Here's another test idea to properly evaluate skin tones. It would be nice to see close ups of that model in a bikini :-)

Allan Rejoso · July 22nd, 2004, 06:24 PM

Yeah Rokta, I agree with you on the difference in sharpness. In fairness to the HC1000, and I hope it's noticeable enough in the heavily compressed samples, the HC1000 video of the "shop" looks brighter than that of GS400, though yellow tint appears to be strong. It also appears that the HC1000 has a higher contrast ratio.

Mark Kubat · July 22nd, 2004, 07:48 PM

I managed to see the new clips this aft. just before Guy pulled them - the "street" or highway shot was very impressive in terms of colours and so was the "shop" shot. The downtown street scene too was rich in colour and detail. Wow, the footage all looked so sharp!

The procinema stuff has a real nice feel to it - very high quality, very pro... I'm excited by the direction panasonic has taken. Recently, I've shot regularly with the DVX100, GS200 and DVC30 and they've all got interesting qualities - from what I've seen so far about the GS400, it seems to me to be an amazing bang-for-the-buck and the newer clips seem to further indicate that won't fail to impress...

Am hoping the clips come back soon!

Allan Rejoso · July 22nd, 2004, 09:22 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Mark Kubat : Am hoping the clips come back soon! -->>>

Anybody willing to host the clips, I can send the files, but you've got to hurry because I'd be on vacation next week:-)).

Chris Hurd · July 22nd, 2004, 10:26 PM

DV Info Net can host them. Allow me to catch up on this thread... I'm talking to Guy and will get in touch with Allan in the morning (my morning that is, Friday, sorry about the time difference Allan!)

Oops, no we can't host them, due to copyright restrictions.

I'll be happy to host original clips though.

July 22nd, 2004, 07:48 PM	#88
Mark Kubat Major Player Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 375	I caught the clips and they were amazing I managed to see the new clips this aft. just before Guy pulled them - the "street" or highway shot was very impressive in terms of colours and so was the "shop" shot. The downtown street scene too was rich in colour and detail. Wow, the footage all looked so sharp! The procinema stuff has a real nice feel to it - very high quality, very pro... I'm excited by the direction panasonic has taken. Recently, I've shot regularly with the DVX100, GS200 and DVC30 and they've all got interesting qualities - from what I've seen so far about the GS400, it seems to me to be an amazing bang-for-the-buck and the newer clips seem to further indicate that won't fail to impress... Am hoping the clips come back soon!

July 22nd, 2004, 09:22 PM	#89
Allan Rejoso Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 569	Re: I caught the clips and they were amazing <<<-- Originally posted by Mark Kubat : Am hoping the clips come back soon! -->>> Anybody willing to host the clips, I can send the files, but you've got to hurry because I'd be on vacation next week:-)).

July 22nd, 2004, 10:26 PM	#90
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	DV Info Net can host them. Allow me to catch up on this thread... I'm talking to Guy and will get in touch with Allan in the morning (my morning that is, Friday, sorry about the time difference Allan!) Oops, no we can't host them, due to copyright restrictions. I'll be happy to host original clips though. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

July 21st, 2004, 07:53 PM	#76
Guy Bruner Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ashford, AL Posts: 937	AFAIK, the DVX100A doesn't have HQ widescreen, although it apparently does offer anamorphic widescreen which the original model didn't. However, I have seen posts where folks were quite pleased with the old letterboxed image that was cropped and blown up to HD dimensions. So, I guess YMMV. I'm still waiting on the perfect cam...F/1.2 30X optical lens with OIS, 500grams with battery, 52Gig SD card, 1920x1080 no compression progressive scan video, wireless video transfer, wireless direct to eye viewfinder, wireless direct to ear audio, mental control, 5.1 surround, and it has to be BLACK!

July 22nd, 2004, 03:45 AM	#77
Allan Rejoso Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 569	<<<-- Originally posted by Patricia Kim : Yes, Guy, that review of the Sony does kind of kill one's appetite - I just read Robin's first impression review. Unless there's something totally wrong with my memory, I remember that I was able to set the shutter speed of the HC1000 manually from 1/4 - 1/10000. And if I'm not mistaken, low shutter settings (1/4, 1/8, 1/15 and 1/30) are available under video mode - those low shutter settings are not under digital effect...and those low light settings under video mode are not available with the GS400. I'd better play with the HC1000 again to verify. I could be dreaming :-)) Guy, I'd be uploading new samples of the GS400 and the HC1000, if that's ok. The new samples are better comparisons IMO because the scenes are almost identical.

July 22nd, 2004, 03:54 AM	#78
Patricia Kim Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 453	Well, maybe NA got a stripped version again!:)

July 22nd, 2004, 04:07 AM	#79
Allan Rejoso Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 569	Maybe Robin simply read the spec sheets :-) and assumed that the HC1000 shutter speed setting behaves similar to Sony's other cams - you know, that Program AE controlled shutter speed, combined with slow shutter settings under digital effect. Let me verify first, but I do remember playing with and appreciating those low shutter speed settings of the HC1000 and thought 1/15 appeared very controllable. The only thing missing in the HC1000 is the cool looking square hood of the TRV950, though it has a cute little circular hood. The fact that the HC1000 can be had for $1,000 in Japan is affecting my impressions of this cam of course. :-))...and btw, based on the samples I have seen so far, it appears to be better than GS100 in low-light, although the default sharpness setting seems to be softer than that of GS400.

July 22nd, 2004, 06:45 AM	#80
Guy Bruner Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ashford, AL Posts: 937	Sure, Allan, put them up...and some Optura 30 clips if you have them. I think Robin was considerably unimpressed with the ergonomics of the HC1000 that she probably didn't look too much at the exposure technology. There will be a more thorough review when they can get a cam to test.

July 22nd, 2004, 08:10 AM	#81
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	From what I've read they've removed the physical multi-function wheel found on the TRV-950/PDX-10 and put all the functions into touch screen menus. I would find that totally unacceptable. It means digging through menus to control everything, very awkward for working in manual mode. I suppose that if you use the auto modes it would be less of an issue though. Also it's a big disappointment that they LCD and viewfinder are lower resolution, and that the touch screen has gotten physically smaller at they same as they move more functions to it. The inability to use the larger QM91 batteries is also a downer, you will need to carry twice as many batteries with you. But a $1,000 price tag would indeed offset some of these complaints. Wonder what the US price will be? B&H isn't listing it yet. Interesting though, they still list the TRV-950 for $1,650 which isn't much of a deal compared to $1,850 for the PDX-10. I actually thought the price was lower on the TRV-950, maybe they've raised it?.... it has a banner next to it proclaiming "Top Seller!". They're offering a pretty unexciting rebate from Sony, save $50 if you also buy a photo printer....

July 22nd, 2004, 09:44 AM	#82
Allan Rejoso Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 569	Ok, new samples have been uploaded to Guy's site both in the GS400 and HC1000 albums. For those combined GS400&HC1000 videos, the first parts are taken using the GS400. I have also uploaded combined GS400&PC350 samples (procinema/cinematic and widescreen interlaced). Again the first parts are taken using the GS400. All these samples came from a Jap magazine.

July 22nd, 2004, 11:45 AM	#83
Guy Bruner Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ashford, AL Posts: 937	Thanks again, Allan! LOL, lots of interest in these shots...my site may exceed its bandwidth before I can get some more. Viewing has already exceeded 38 Gig this month. Folks can help out by only viewing each clip once or by downloading the clip and viewing it off line. To download, right click on the link above the player window that says "It may take awhile to load the movie" and SAVE AS...

July 22nd, 2004, 04:23 PM	#84
Allan Rejoso Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 569	Folks, please help out. We don't want Guy's site to go offline especially next month. I may be able to upload progresive/frame-mode/procinema galore after August 20 :-)). I'll upload in zip next time.

July 22nd, 2004, 04:29 PM	#85
Guy Bruner Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ashford, AL Posts: 937	Allan, Uploading in ZIP won't fix it because the server unpacks the ZIP file into the album. I can set up files for download in zip format. It won't make much difference on the bandwidth except it might deter folks from viewing the clips multiple times. You'll have to send me the files some other way...maybe FTP. The downside of this method is the size of the ZIP file and the download time.

July 22nd, 2004, 05:34 PM	#86
Rokta Bija Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 61	Great clips Allan, thanks! The GS400 procinema mode is impressive. If that's frame mode, I don't see much loss in resolution. Regrading the two GS400&HC1000-Road clips, you can see some noticable sharpness differences between the GS400 and HC1000. The GS400 looks sharper in the center grass strip in the road and if you look at the trees at the far end of the road, the GS400 show much more detail. Here's another test idea to properly evaluate skin tones. It would be nice to see close ups of that model in a bikini :-)

July 22nd, 2004, 06:24 PM	#87
Allan Rejoso Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 569	Yeah Rokta, I agree with you on the difference in sharpness. In fairness to the HC1000, and I hope it's noticeable enough in the heavily compressed samples, the HC1000 video of the "shop" looks brighter than that of GS400, though yellow tint appears to be strong. It also appears that the HC1000 has a higher contrast ratio.