panasonic dv953 or MX350 at DVinfo.net

Luke Gates · April 26th, 2003, 11:07 AM

I have settled on buying the 3 chip panasonic over the sony trv80 and now after reading all this talk about the panasonic I have a new question. Or set of questions.
There is much talk that the Japan version cameras are much better. I being in the military can get things shipped from the states or buy any Japan spec cam right here in good ol Seoul, South Korea. Having this option...what is a better cam?

the panasonic MX350 which has THREE 1/4 inch CCD's at 570k

panasonic DV 953 has THREE 1/6 inch CCD's at 800k

So I ask the question...which one should I get? Low light is important to me cause I film skateboarding which is often done at night and besides that I want the all around better cam.

Last question...what is difference between PAL and NTSC, for american Laptop which one do I need, and how can I tell the difference when buying cam?

I will actually have to pay a bit more for the older 350 because Seoul has high prices on cameras. I think it will be about 200-250 dollars more than the 953. Is it worth the difference in price?
thanks again...u guys on this forum are great about answering my "newbie" questions!

Andris Andrejuks · April 26th, 2003, 12:47 PM

why have you decided to buy Panasonic? Now I have MX500 and I'm very dissapointed:( Check a short problem overview on http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8789. Now I'm thinking of selling MX500 and buying SONY TRV60 (it has bigger CCD and better lux rating, yes 1CCD, but in some situatins it even better:o). So my advice is to be very careful when buying a camcorder, try to test them as much as you can:-)

Luke Gates · April 26th, 2003, 02:31 PM

How much u asking for your MX500? maybe we can make a deal?

Frank Granovski · April 26th, 2003, 02:49 PM

North America, Japan and Korea uses NTSC. The MX500 is PAL. The MX5000 and PV-DV953 are NTSC. The PV-DV953 is the North American English version of the MX5000.

I played with a PV-DV953 the other day. I think it's a fantastic cam. Yes, fantastic. But if it's low light shooting you want, I suggest going with a cam that has large CCDs, such as Sony's DSR570.

Luke Gates · April 26th, 2003, 03:02 PM

frank,
thank you for the reply to my question but my thread was in concerns to the MX350. It has 1/4 inch CCD where as the 953 has 1/6. I am looking to find out what kind of a difference that will make? plus through these forums many are sayin the older 350 is better than the 500/5000. sorry to ask so many questions

Frank Granovski · April 26th, 2003, 03:04 PM

Re: what is a better cam?
* the panasonic MX350 which has THREE 1/4 inch CCD's at 570k panasonic
* DV 953 has THREE 1/6 inch CCD's at 800k

I think the PV-DV953 is the better cam, but the MX350 would perform a bit better in lower light. However, there is no NTSC model for the MX350. It's a PAL model only. Go with NTSC, and an NTSC cam with English menus (PV-DV953)---or can you read Japanese?

Yow Cheong Hoe · April 27th, 2003, 12:54 AM

If I remember correctly, and Frank corrected me once on this, the MX350's NTSC brother is the DV952, which, instead of 1/4" CCDs uses 1/6" CCDs. That'll mean that teh higher pixel count of the DV952 actually be better. Not better in lights alone, but probably in how noise is handled.

As for the low light difference between the MX350 and MX500 (comparing PAL models), it was enough for me to decide on the 350 instead of the 500. Another close friend of mine, having used the 350 for 8 months and deciding to sell it for the newer 500, changed his mind and stuck to the 350 after checking out the 500. Sure, the features are better, especially top loading, but the video quality just doesn't measure up.

But for Luke in Korea, stick to NTSC, or you'll have problems playing at your firends' place or mixing footage from diffrent cams.

April 26th, 2003, 11:07 AM	#1
Luke Gates Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: new jersey Posts: 151	panasonic dv953 or MX350 I have settled on buying the 3 chip panasonic over the sony trv80 and now after reading all this talk about the panasonic I have a new question. Or set of questions. There is much talk that the Japan version cameras are much better. I being in the military can get things shipped from the states or buy any Japan spec cam right here in good ol Seoul, South Korea. Having this option...what is a better cam? the panasonic MX350 which has THREE 1/4 inch CCD's at 570k panasonic DV 953 has THREE 1/6 inch CCD's at 800k So I ask the question...which one should I get? Low light is important to me cause I film skateboarding which is often done at night and besides that I want the all around better cam. Last question...what is difference between PAL and NTSC, for american Laptop which one do I need, and how can I tell the difference when buying cam? I will actually have to pay a bit more for the older 350 because Seoul has high prices on cameras. I think it will be about 200-250 dollars more than the 953. Is it worth the difference in price? thanks again...u guys on this forum are great about answering my "newbie" questions!

April 26th, 2003, 12:47 PM	#2
Andris Andrejuks New Boot Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Riga, Latvia Posts: 9	why have you decided to buy Panasonic? Now I have MX500 and I'm very dissapointed:( Check a short problem overview on http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8789. Now I'm thinking of selling MX500 and buying SONY TRV60 (it has bigger CCD and better lux rating, yes 1CCD, but in some situatins it even better:o). So my advice is to be very careful when buying a camcorder, try to test them as much as you can:-) __________________ Andris Andrejuks

April 26th, 2003, 02:31 PM	#3
Luke Gates Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: new jersey Posts: 151	How much u asking for your MX500? maybe we can make a deal?

April 26th, 2003, 02:49 PM	#4
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	North America, Japan and Korea uses NTSC. The MX500 is PAL. The MX5000 and PV-DV953 are NTSC. The PV-DV953 is the North American English version of the MX5000. I played with a PV-DV953 the other day. I think it's a fantastic cam. Yes, fantastic. But if it's low light shooting you want, I suggest going with a cam that has large CCDs, such as Sony's DSR570.

April 26th, 2003, 03:02 PM	#5
Luke Gates Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: new jersey Posts: 151	frank, thank you for the reply to my question but my thread was in concerns to the MX350. It has 1/4 inch CCD where as the 953 has 1/6. I am looking to find out what kind of a difference that will make? plus through these forums many are sayin the older 350 is better than the 500/5000. sorry to ask so many questions

April 26th, 2003, 03:04 PM	#6
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Re: what is a better cam? * the panasonic MX350 which has THREE 1/4 inch CCD's at 570k panasonic * DV 953 has THREE 1/6 inch CCD's at 800k I think the PV-DV953 is the better cam, but the MX350 would perform a bit better in lower light. However, there is no NTSC model for the MX350. It's a PAL model only. Go with NTSC, and an NTSC cam with English menus (PV-DV953)---or can you read Japanese?

April 27th, 2003, 12:54 AM	#7
Yow Cheong Hoe Major Player Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Singapore, Passport: Malaysia Posts: 407	If I remember correctly, and Frank corrected me once on this, the MX350's NTSC brother is the DV952, which, instead of 1/4" CCDs uses 1/6" CCDs. That'll mean that teh higher pixel count of the DV952 actually be better. Not better in lights alone, but probably in how noise is handled. As for the low light difference between the MX350 and MX500 (comparing PAL models), it was enough for me to decide on the 350 instead of the 500. Another close friend of mine, having used the 350 for 8 months and deciding to sell it for the newer 500, changed his mind and stuck to the 350 after checking out the 500. Sure, the features are better, especially top loading, but the video quality just doesn't measure up. But for Luke in Korea, stick to NTSC, or you'll have problems playing at your firends' place or mixing footage from diffrent cams.