Panasonic AG-EZ1 Camcorder - How does the 24p look?
 

I might buy this because I don't have enough for a DVX-100. E-Bay says something about 24p or is it like the XL-1 frame mode? Does it have 24P? Is it worth it?

I might buy this because I don't have enough for a DVX-100. Just need the 24p. Is it worth it?

Hi James,

The Panasonic AG-EZ1 does NOT have 24p. It has something that's only distantly related, called Frame Mode (Canon borrowed this feature for the XL1 and XL1S, so yes it is the same thing as in those cameras). Basically it's a "fake" 30p. You should be aware that the EZ1 is practically an antique in terms of DV camcorders. EZ1's haven't been made for years. I think you're much better off with a Panasonic AG-DVC30 which is still in production, and it has the same Frame Mode 30p feature as well. Hope this helps,

I don't believe that camera has 24p.

James, if this is the Ebay auction you're referring to, it looks pretty sketchy to me:

http://cgi.ebay.com/PANASONIC-AG-EZ1...QQcmdZViewItem

They've lifted some of Barry Green's graphics straight from the DVX User site. Hot-linking the images, in fact. What a shame. Plus, the misleading "24p" right in the title.

No this camcorder does NOT have 24p! No FireWire port, either. I had forgotten about that.

In its day, the EZ1 was a fine camera. But now this thing belongs in a museum, along with the Sony VX700 and the Canon Ultura. Avoid this dinosaur and buy something current!

Yeah, I hate to call someone a liar, but that guy took my DVX DVD marketing page, edited out "DVX" and added-in "EZ1". He's actively deceiving his auction visitors. I wrote to him and told him to remove that picture but he didn't even acknowledge it.

I hope whoever ends up buying that thing knows what they're getting, and that they haven't been successfully deceived.

Barry I would threaten him with a ;lawsuite and damages for using copy written materials. Also copy that to the eBay folks and give him less that 24 hours to comply.

That really upsets me. Back to the EZ1. This camera was designed and delivered in 1996. A little long in the tooth. Take a look for used DVX100s.

Hope that helps,

Jan

I agree with Jan, maybe it's best to write to Ebay, itself, so other people can't be deceived (or less chance to it).

I think this EZ1 auction has ended, but Jan is quite right, Ebay will respond to this sort of thing and pull active auctions when there are copyright violations such as this. They took care of an infringement for me when a con artist tried to pass off photos from my XL1 Watchdog site as a "for sale" item. An attentive DV Info Net reader tipped me off to it, I contacted Ebay and it was yanked within an hour. Here's a copy of it:

http://www.dvinfo.net/articles/buyer...ebayripoff.htm

Photos aren't there anymore, but compare the text to my original Watchdog page:

http://www.dvinfo.net/canon/images/images17.php

I wonder if there's a way to find out who is hot-linking your images? If they'll do it to DVX User, they'll probably do it to us as well.

How bizarre...

Wandering off-topic a bit here, but did you happen to get any footage with that monster? Would be interesting to compare shots taken from the same position with both the standard lens and the 1200mm.

-Bon

Oh, you want to go way, way off-topic, eh? Okay. Yes I did record video that day, but I have never shared it because it is pretty much unusable. The heat radiating from the relatively warm streets of Salt Lake City mixed with the cool winter air and rendered the image fairly blurry from all the heat waves... sort of a desert mirage effect. Plus, that particular tripod mounting plate was fractured so we had to hold the XL1 end by hand, creating an immense amount of jitter even with the lens stabilisation turned on. The only way that lens would be effective is on a rock-solid mount, which we didn't have, with perfect atmospheric conditions, which again we didn't have. But the rig made for some great photos as you saw on that page.

Comparison to the standard video lens would have been interesting, that was over three years ago and I don't recall if I had the same shot with the 16x. Indeed the fields of view were incredibly different. With the video lens zoomed all the way in, you're looking at the top of a mountain. With the 1200mm lens on the XL1, you're looking at a signpost on a street corner all the way up at the top of that very same mountain.

Where in blazes is Kalgoorlie, anyway? Is that a city suburb or out in the bush somewhere? NSW, ACT, WA or... ?

Chris,

Cheers for the info! I'm not surprised image stability was a problem, heh!

Glad you asked. :) Kalgoorlie is in WA, 600 km east of Perth. The population is 30,000. Mining is the main industry, and it's Australia's most prominent source of gold, if I'm not mistaken. If you're keen to know more, kalgoorlie.com is a good starting point.

Having said that, after 20 years there, I've just relocated (in the last week or so) to Perth, so I'd best be updating my profile soon. :)

-Bon

You fellows in Perth and Fremantle are, like, on the exact opposite side of the planet from me.

This internet thing is amazing. I'm still impressed.

I agree- but then, I continue to be amazed even by things like AM radio, vinyl records, black-and-white film, etc. ;)

-Bon