I was informed that I would receive GS400s this week.

Peter Jefferson · July 25th, 2004, 07:33 AM

fine with me mate, anything will do right now!

Kaku Ito · July 25th, 2004, 08:00 AM

4:3 interlaced QuickTime MPEG2 files are posted now. Each is about 20MB.

They are MPEG2, interlaced video files, so the best result, you should burn them on video and watch it on NTSC monitor.

Japnaese NTSC standard is 0IR instead of 7.5IR used in U.S., so you might have to do some adjustment in the white level.

You can find the link from my website. Please do not provide the direct link to the file sharing page because I can't keep track.

Mark Kubat · July 25th, 2004, 08:42 AM

Kaku, great footage for the comparison - is that you on the bike? Or were you shooting?

Will now burn to DVD but already on the computer I see a difference between the DVC30 and the GS400 and honestly, there is just something about the GS400 that grabs me more - it's sharper? Also, I like the colour space a bit more - I am not the only one - I showed the clips to my wife who knows nothing about model no's and she also said there is something about the GS400 clip that makes her like it a bit more...

Wow - the GS400 looks to be a great cam!

Thanks for your hard work, Kaku!

Wow!

Kaku Ito · July 25th, 2004, 09:28 AM

I spent almost all weekend for this, so I hope these clips are good enough for everyone to see the differences and thank you Mark for your warm comment. I don't get any of these comments in Japan. Doing this kinda thing in Japan makes me an oddball. Japanese don't like to make strong comments in public. They would say things only on bbs like kakaku.com anonymously, so they don't have to be responsible. I mention that before, you should not concern anything written in kakaku.com because of that.
That is also the reason why I provide important posts in English only on my blog because not worth to provide in Japanese. So, I really appreciate your comments about my site and effort. That is my drive to do this.

Anyway,

I would make a post in my blog to explain what I did, but for the interlaced clips, I had my wife Nancy shoot with those cams and Vinten tripod. All cams set at automatic mode, so everyone can see how those cams work under stricktly automatic mode.

I even added some clips from Saturday. 30P on those three cams at 16:9 amd cinelike. Those are anamorphic mpeg2 files to so you can burn them on DVD, too.

I like the control of DVC30 a lot better than GS400. GS400's ring is way too heavy. When you try to adjust using the ring, the whole cam would shake so it is hard to keep the video stable. DVC30's ring is sooo smooth and light. I was expecting that the ring would be as light as GS100. What a shame.

I will sort out my thoughts on my blog, so please check out my blog "SoMuchInLine" time to time.

<<<-- Originally posted by Mark Kubat : Kaku, great footage for the comparison - is that you on the bike? Or were you shooting?

Will now burn to DVD but already on the computer I see a difference between the DVC30 and the GS400 and honestly, there is just something about the GS400 that grabs me more - it's sharper? Also, I like the colour space a bit more - I am not the only one - I showed the clips to my wife who knows nothing about model no's and she also said there is something about the GS400 clip that makes her like it a bit more...

Wow - the GS400 looks to be a great cam!

Thanks for your hard work, Kaku!

Wow! -->>>

Mark Kubat · July 25th, 2004, 09:58 AM

Kaku, thanks for your hard work - the DVD of the GS400 footage is absolutely amazing!!! Great mpeg compression! Wow, talk about really getting a sense of what the new cam can do - am glad you indicated now that you shot on full auto mode - wow, the autofocus response is incredible - I understand your concerns with the ring but in terms of video quality, the GS400 is incredible for the money!

I have old xl1 and I'd say this 1/4.7" cam beats it easily.

The colors are rich and the resolution is incredible - how does Panasonic keep pulling off one small miracle after another?

I will be visiting your site often to see the other clips - burning to DVD is definitely worth the effort, folks! Wow, talk about quality!

Great work Kaku!

Kaku Ito · July 25th, 2004, 10:08 AM

Mark,

Thanks. The ones in the woods are interesting, because I shot them at the same time. The focus is auto, but the iris is fixed at what ever it looked good on the built-in LCD monitor. GS100 and GS400 fell in to the same iris (F4.0) and DVC30 was F5.2 or something. I assume DVC30 can take more darkness ( I dont know how to say it correctly). When I play these clips back with my company's Action! Model One 120 inch projector, GS400's 16:9 anamorphic video looked the best, so you can tell it has the best resolution. For regular TV like around 30 inch, they might all look the same.
However, these DVcams are not really feasible for larger screen and I'm hoping that the true progressive cams with hi-res 16:9 like XL2 would be good enough for projector playback.

I shot many more with GS400, so I will post some more good clips during this week.

Kaku Ito · July 25th, 2004, 10:12 AM

By the way, the OIS is off on those cams when Nancy was shooting me because the cams were on vinten tripod. Vinten tripod is so awesome, so please be alart that the OIS on Panasonic didn't provide these smooth camera work (as far as the panning). My impression on Panasonic's OIS is not as good as Sony's stabilization.

David Jonas · July 25th, 2004, 11:49 AM

Where are the links for these video files?

DJ

Tommy Haupfear · July 25th, 2004, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Where are the links for these video files?

Checkout Kaku's profile for his excellent website.

Kaku, thank you for all your hard work. I have been going back and forth on what cam to get but looks like the GS400 has once again taken the lead.

Patricia Kim · July 25th, 2004, 02:02 PM

Kaku, many, many thanks for all your effort. Even though I'm not in the market for a new cam, this is pretty exciting. Now I get to wait one year (hopefully not more) for Panasonic to fix the not-so-great bits you noted about the gs400 (unless the price keeps dropping so much that I can't resist temptation).

How well do you think the gs400 will sell in Japan?

Guy Bruner · July 25th, 2004, 02:23 PM

Kaku,
Nice work! Just one note: I can't get the GS100 30P clip to play for me. I tried downloading it twice but decided not to do it again.

The forest shots are interesting. It is pretty clear that the DVC30 has more light sensitivity. But, I still like the GS400 shots. Some of the bright contrast areas, like where your bike and leg are in bright light, bloom out on the DVC30 more than the GS400.

I'm looking forward to seeing the widescreen shots.

Mark Kubat · July 25th, 2004, 06:32 PM

Guy, I second your comments re: the forest - man, I can't believe the "feel" of the procinema forest shots - very different from the other footage! Amazing!

Yes, the leg gets blown out - I see this too from the AGDVX100 as well under tricky lighting conditions - I think it's interesting how Panasonic handles "hot spots" by having things go "white hot."

Everyone who can actually burn a DVD from those clips, do it - it's worth testing out. Just the 4:3 60i GS400 clip alone has made me a believer - Kaku, your wife did a fantastic job shooting!

Today I've gone from 95% certain I'm getting the cam to 99% - when you factor price and what you get for the money, I don't think there's a better value. The XL2 may end of shooting noticeably better. But it's way more than noticeably too expensive for my budget.

Way to go Panasonic - you've got a winner here!

My buddy, another videographer, was over today and took the first DVD-RW I made of the footage - now I have to make another one to show someone else!

Kaku, your footage is causing a sensation over here!

Mark

Andreas Winkler · July 25th, 2004, 07:12 PM

Thanks a lot Kaku for spending your whole weekend shooting and preparing the footage!! I know leisure time is rare in Japan!

No comment to the image, everything is said already.

I'm also sure now to buy a GS400, but still struggeling about the PAL/NTSC issue. Hm, really no idea which model would be better for me, as it seems I could get both for the same price here.

Any news about stripped features on PAL or Non-Japan-NTSC version so far?

David Jonas · July 25th, 2004, 07:53 PM

Thanks Tommy, however I am lost in that site. Still cant find the footage. Can someone please place a direct link or at least say where to navigate to? Thanks.

DJ

Tommy Haupfear · July 25th, 2004, 08:13 PM

DJ, look on the right side of the first page under the "Recent Topics" heading. The first one, 7/25/04, has the link for the GS100, GS400, and DVC30 video clips.

July 25th, 2004, 08:42 AM	#18
Mark Kubat Major Player Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 375	amazing comparison - thank you! Kaku, great footage for the comparison - is that you on the bike? Or were you shooting? Will now burn to DVD but already on the computer I see a difference between the DVC30 and the GS400 and honestly, there is just something about the GS400 that grabs me more - it's sharper? Also, I like the colour space a bit more - I am not the only one - I showed the clips to my wife who knows nothing about model no's and she also said there is something about the GS400 clip that makes her like it a bit more... Wow - the GS400 looks to be a great cam! Thanks for your hard work, Kaku! Wow!

July 25th, 2004, 09:28 AM	#19
Kaku Ito Trustee Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Posts: 1,382	Re: amazing comparison - thank you! I spent almost all weekend for this, so I hope these clips are good enough for everyone to see the differences and thank you Mark for your warm comment. I don't get any of these comments in Japan. Doing this kinda thing in Japan makes me an oddball. Japanese don't like to make strong comments in public. They would say things only on bbs like kakaku.com anonymously, so they don't have to be responsible. I mention that before, you should not concern anything written in kakaku.com because of that. That is also the reason why I provide important posts in English only on my blog because not worth to provide in Japanese. So, I really appreciate your comments about my site and effort. That is my drive to do this. Anyway, I would make a post in my blog to explain what I did, but for the interlaced clips, I had my wife Nancy shoot with those cams and Vinten tripod. All cams set at automatic mode, so everyone can see how those cams work under stricktly automatic mode. I even added some clips from Saturday. 30P on those three cams at 16:9 amd cinelike. Those are anamorphic mpeg2 files to so you can burn them on DVD, too. I like the control of DVC30 a lot better than GS400. GS400's ring is way too heavy. When you try to adjust using the ring, the whole cam would shake so it is hard to keep the video stable. DVC30's ring is sooo smooth and light. I was expecting that the ring would be as light as GS100. What a shame. I will sort out my thoughts on my blog, so please check out my blog "SoMuchInLine" time to time. <<<-- Originally posted by Mark Kubat : Kaku, great footage for the comparison - is that you on the bike? Or were you shooting? Will now burn to DVD but already on the computer I see a difference between the DVC30 and the GS400 and honestly, there is just something about the GS400 that grabs me more - it's sharper? Also, I like the colour space a bit more - I am not the only one - I showed the clips to my wife who knows nothing about model no's and she also said there is something about the GS400 clip that makes her like it a bit more... Wow - the GS400 looks to be a great cam! Thanks for your hard work, Kaku! Wow! -->>>

July 25th, 2004, 09:58 AM	#20
Mark Kubat Major Player Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 375	Kaku, it looks great on DVD Kaku, thanks for your hard work - the DVD of the GS400 footage is absolutely amazing!!! Great mpeg compression! Wow, talk about really getting a sense of what the new cam can do - am glad you indicated now that you shot on full auto mode - wow, the autofocus response is incredible - I understand your concerns with the ring but in terms of video quality, the GS400 is incredible for the money! I have old xl1 and I'd say this 1/4.7" cam beats it easily. The colors are rich and the resolution is incredible - how does Panasonic keep pulling off one small miracle after another? I will be visiting your site often to see the other clips - burning to DVD is definitely worth the effort, folks! Wow, talk about quality! Great work Kaku!

July 25th, 2004, 06:32 PM	#27
Mark Kubat Major Player Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 375	procinema is amazing Guy, I second your comments re: the forest - man, I can't believe the "feel" of the procinema forest shots - very different from the other footage! Amazing! Yes, the leg gets blown out - I see this too from the AGDVX100 as well under tricky lighting conditions - I think it's interesting how Panasonic handles "hot spots" by having things go "white hot." Everyone who can actually burn a DVD from those clips, do it - it's worth testing out. Just the 4:3 60i GS400 clip alone has made me a believer - Kaku, your wife did a fantastic job shooting! Today I've gone from 95% certain I'm getting the cam to 99% - when you factor price and what you get for the money, I don't think there's a better value. The XL2 may end of shooting noticeably better. But it's way more than noticeably too expensive for my budget. Way to go Panasonic - you've got a winner here! My buddy, another videographer, was over today and took the first DVD-RW I made of the footage - now I have to make another one to show someone else! Kaku, your footage is causing a sensation over here! Mark

July 25th, 2004, 07:12 PM	#28
Andreas Winkler Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kaohsiung, Taiwan Posts: 125	Thanks! Thanks a lot Kaku for spending your whole weekend shooting and preparing the footage!! I know leisure time is rare in Japan! No comment to the image, everything is said already. I'm also sure now to buy a GS400, but still struggeling about the PAL/NTSC issue. Hm, really no idea which model would be better for me, as it seems I could get both for the same price here. Any news about stripped features on PAL or Non-Japan-NTSC version so far?

July 25th, 2004, 07:33 AM	#16
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	fine with me mate, anything will do right now!

July 25th, 2004, 08:00 AM	#17
Kaku Ito Trustee Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Posts: 1,382	4:3 interlaced QuickTime MPEG2 files are posted now. Each is about 20MB. They are MPEG2, interlaced video files, so the best result, you should burn them on video and watch it on NTSC monitor. Japnaese NTSC standard is 0IR instead of 7.5IR used in U.S., so you might have to do some adjustment in the white level. You can find the link from my website. Please do not provide the direct link to the file sharing page because I can't keep track.

July 25th, 2004, 10:08 AM	#21
Kaku Ito Trustee Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Posts: 1,382	Mark, Thanks. The ones in the woods are interesting, because I shot them at the same time. The focus is auto, but the iris is fixed at what ever it looked good on the built-in LCD monitor. GS100 and GS400 fell in to the same iris (F4.0) and DVC30 was F5.2 or something. I assume DVC30 can take more darkness ( I dont know how to say it correctly). When I play these clips back with my company's Action! Model One 120 inch projector, GS400's 16:9 anamorphic video looked the best, so you can tell it has the best resolution. For regular TV like around 30 inch, they might all look the same. However, these DVcams are not really feasible for larger screen and I'm hoping that the true progressive cams with hi-res 16:9 like XL2 would be good enough for projector playback. I shot many more with GS400, so I will post some more good clips during this week.

July 25th, 2004, 10:12 AM	#22
Kaku Ito Trustee Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Posts: 1,382	By the way, the OIS is off on those cams when Nancy was shooting me because the cams were on vinten tripod. Vinten tripod is so awesome, so please be alart that the OIS on Panasonic didn't provide these smooth camera work (as far as the panning). My impression on Panasonic's OIS is not as good as Sony's stabilization.

July 25th, 2004, 11:49 AM	#23
David Jonas Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Orlando, Fl Posts: 60	Where are the links for these video files? DJ

July 25th, 2004, 02:02 PM	#25
Patricia Kim Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 453	Kaku, many, many thanks for all your effort. Even though I'm not in the market for a new cam, this is pretty exciting. Now I get to wait one year (hopefully not more) for Panasonic to fix the not-so-great bits you noted about the gs400 (unless the price keeps dropping so much that I can't resist temptation). How well do you think the gs400 will sell in Japan?

July 25th, 2004, 02:23 PM	#26
Guy Bruner Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ashford, AL Posts: 937	Kaku, Nice work! Just one note: I can't get the GS100 30P clip to play for me. I tried downloading it twice but decided not to do it again. The forest shots are interesting. It is pretty clear that the DVC30 has more light sensitivity. But, I still like the GS400 shots. Some of the bright contrast areas, like where your bike and leg are in bright light, bloom out on the DVC30 more than the GS400. I'm looking forward to seeing the widescreen shots.

July 25th, 2004, 07:53 PM	#29
David Jonas Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Orlando, Fl Posts: 60	Thanks Tommy, however I am lost in that site. Still cant find the footage. Can someone please place a direct link or at least say where to navigate to? Thanks. DJ

July 25th, 2004, 08:13 PM	#30
Tommy Haupfear Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 1,415	DJ, look on the right side of the first page under the "Recent Topics" heading. The first one, 7/25/04, has the link for the GS100, GS400, and DVC30 video clips.