Tell Me About This Camera I Got at DVinfo.net

Benjamin Harrison · July 8th, 2003, 11:22 PM

I expect to recieve my spiffy new PDX10 that I ordered from B&H tomorrow afternoon. I have a few questions on the finer points of the camera.

What exactly is the difference between Mini DV and DVCAM? Both are DV25 right? Is DVCAM better or just less efficient with tape space?

One of my biggest points of excitement is with the 16:9 capability. How does this work with the LCD/viewfinder? Is it letterbox, anamorphic, or are these 16:9 aspect ratio displays already?

How long does the battery that it comes with last on one charge? Should I get an extra battery?

Does the lens hood come as a separate part? Does it impair the use of UV/polarized etc. filters or WA adapters?

That's all I can think of right now. :)

Patrick Grealy · July 9th, 2003, 07:16 AM

What exactly is the difference between Mini DV and DVCAM? Both are DV25 right? Is DVCAM better or just less efficient with tape space?

TIMECODE AND ONLY 40 MINE, MORE EXPENSIVE BUT MORE ROBUTS. BIGGER CASES

One of my biggest points of excitement is with the 16:9 capability. How does this work with the LCD/viewfinder? Is it letterbox, anamorphic, or are these 16:9 aspect ratio displays already?

LETTERBOXED ON THE VIEWFINDER. ON PLAYBACK ON A WIDESCREE, EXPANDS NATURALLT OT FILL

How long does the battery that it comes with last on one charge? Should I get an extra battery?

APPROX 90 MINS. AND YES.

Does the lens hood come as a separate part? Does it impair the use of UV/polarized etc. filters or WA adapters?

YES, POLARIZERS YES, WIDE ANGLE LENSES NO.

hAVE FUN

REGARDS P

Boyd Ostroff · July 9th, 2003, 05:19 PM

Patrick pretty much summed things up, but here are a few of my own comments.

The LCD screen is very nice on the PDX-10, much larger, higher res and brighter than the PD-150, so the letterboxed 16:9 looks nice. The significance of the 16:9 mode is that it uses a wide enough area of the CCD to capture a full 720x480 anamorphic image, not 720x360 like most other camcorders. It has a signal imbedded in the video stream which will tell widescreen-aware TV's to display as 16:9, but a normal 4:3 monitor will show "squashed" images.

Haven't ever used the included battery, it looks wimpy. Get a NP-QM91 which is the largest this camera takes. Not quite as beefy as the NPF-960 for the PD-150, but not bad either. Have not yet run mine down so I don't know how long it will go. The meter claims 6 hours at full charge. I think the larger battery also balances the camera a little better also. The viewfinder slides toward the rear to accomodate it, a nice feature.

Two lens hoods are included in the package. The standard has a snap in lens cap. It may be used along with screw-in 37mm filters but not a wide lens. The wide lens hood is rubber, with no provision for a lens cap. It can be used with both filters and wide adaptors. I have a 37mm "Digital Optics" .45x wide adaptor that accepts 49mm filters. It works fine with the wide lens hood installed. Even though this is a pretty wide adaptor there is no vignetting from the hood. But you have to install the hood and then screw the lens in, which can be kind of a tight fit if you have large fingers.

Also, when I bought my camera there was a promotion for a free Petrol LCD hood. Check Sony's broadcast/pro website to see if the offer still exists, the hood is very nice (once you figure out how to assemble it with no instructions ;-)

Let us know how you like the new camera!

Benjamin Harrison · July 9th, 2003, 10:33 PM

Man this thing is nice! I can't wait to take it out and start doing some test shots with it!

Benjamin Harrison · July 10th, 2003, 02:30 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Boyd Ostroff : Also, when I bought my camera there was a promotion for a free Petrol LCD hood. Check Sony's broadcast/pro website to see if the offer still exists, the hood is very nice (once you figure out how to assemble it with no instructions ;-) -->>>

Looked around on their site for that promo, but I didn't find it. Would it be on the PDX10 info page or a separate promotions page?

Boyd Ostroff · July 10th, 2003, 06:35 PM

Looks like the promo is probably over (I got mine back in April I think). It was originally listed right on their homepage at http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Professional/startpage.html. Too bad, but not really a big deal, B&H lists the Petrol LCD hood for under $20.

Viethai Nguyen · July 11th, 2003, 04:50 PM

That promotion is still going on :
"Purchase the DSR-PDX10 DVCAM camcorder between
January 1, 2003 and September 29, 2003, and receive an LCD hood at no additional charge. "

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Professional/markets/production/pdx10hood.html

Claims Must Be Submitted By October 31, 2003!

Take a look at :
http://pbase.com/viethai
Hope it will be of some helps.

Benjamin Harrison · July 12th, 2003, 02:30 AM

Cool, thanks! One question. What is the invoice number? Is that the reference number from the shipping invoice that B&H sent me, or is it something I can find in the paperwork included with the camera?

Viethai Nguyen · July 12th, 2003, 08:30 AM

I think that is the control number.
Had problems fiilling on line, you would have to call the 1800..
You will have to send them the UPC code. ( I photoed mine and e-mailled to them). Once they adjusted, you could fill on line and submitted paper work.

July 8th, 2003, 11:22 PM	#1
Benjamin Harrison Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: New York, NY Posts: 60	Tell Me About This Camera I Got I expect to recieve my spiffy new PDX10 that I ordered from B&H tomorrow afternoon. I have a few questions on the finer points of the camera. What exactly is the difference between Mini DV and DVCAM? Both are DV25 right? Is DVCAM better or just less efficient with tape space? One of my biggest points of excitement is with the 16:9 capability. How does this work with the LCD/viewfinder? Is it letterbox, anamorphic, or are these 16:9 aspect ratio displays already? How long does the battery that it comes with last on one charge? Should I get an extra battery? Does the lens hood come as a separate part? Does it impair the use of UV/polarized etc. filters or WA adapters? That's all I can think of right now. :) __________________ www.badcharacter.com

July 9th, 2003, 07:16 AM	#2
Patrick Grealy Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 90	Re: Tell Me About This Camera I Got What exactly is the difference between Mini DV and DVCAM? Both are DV25 right? Is DVCAM better or just less efficient with tape space? TIMECODE AND ONLY 40 MINE, MORE EXPENSIVE BUT MORE ROBUTS. BIGGER CASES One of my biggest points of excitement is with the 16:9 capability. How does this work with the LCD/viewfinder? Is it letterbox, anamorphic, or are these 16:9 aspect ratio displays already? LETTERBOXED ON THE VIEWFINDER. ON PLAYBACK ON A WIDESCREE, EXPANDS NATURALLT OT FILL How long does the battery that it comes with last on one charge? Should I get an extra battery? APPROX 90 MINS. AND YES. Does the lens hood come as a separate part? Does it impair the use of UV/polarized etc. filters or WA adapters? YES, POLARIZERS YES, WIDE ANGLE LENSES NO. hAVE FUN REGARDS P __________________ Sony PDX10 by 2, DRS-11, Dual G5, FCX, DVDSP and Logic Plat. www.VarsityMusicVideo.com

July 9th, 2003, 10:33 PM	#4
Benjamin Harrison Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: New York, NY Posts: 60	Man this thing is nice! I can't wait to take it out and start doing some test shots with it! __________________ www.badcharacter.com

July 10th, 2003, 02:30 PM	#5
Benjamin Harrison Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: New York, NY Posts: 60	<<<-- Originally posted by Boyd Ostroff : Also, when I bought my camera there was a promotion for a free Petrol LCD hood. Check Sony's broadcast/pro website to see if the offer still exists, the hood is very nice (once you figure out how to assemble it with no instructions ;-) -->>> Looked around on their site for that promo, but I didn't find it. Would it be on the PDX10 info page or a separate promotions page? __________________ www.badcharacter.com

July 12th, 2003, 02:30 AM	#8
Benjamin Harrison Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: New York, NY Posts: 60	Cool, thanks! One question. What is the invoice number? Is that the reference number from the shipping invoice that B&H sent me, or is it something I can find in the paperwork included with the camera? __________________ www.badcharacter.com

July 9th, 2003, 05:19 PM	#3
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	Patrick pretty much summed things up, but here are a few of my own comments. The LCD screen is very nice on the PDX-10, much larger, higher res and brighter than the PD-150, so the letterboxed 16:9 looks nice. The significance of the 16:9 mode is that it uses a wide enough area of the CCD to capture a full 720x480 anamorphic image, not 720x360 like most other camcorders. It has a signal imbedded in the video stream which will tell widescreen-aware TV's to display as 16:9, but a normal 4:3 monitor will show "squashed" images. Haven't ever used the included battery, it looks wimpy. Get a NP-QM91 which is the largest this camera takes. Not quite as beefy as the NPF-960 for the PD-150, but not bad either. Have not yet run mine down so I don't know how long it will go. The meter claims 6 hours at full charge. I think the larger battery also balances the camera a little better also. The viewfinder slides toward the rear to accomodate it, a nice feature. Two lens hoods are included in the package. The standard has a snap in lens cap. It may be used along with screw-in 37mm filters but not a wide lens. The wide lens hood is rubber, with no provision for a lens cap. It can be used with both filters and wide adaptors. I have a 37mm "Digital Optics" .45x wide adaptor that accepts 49mm filters. It works fine with the wide lens hood installed. Even though this is a pretty wide adaptor there is no vignetting from the hood. But you have to install the hood and then screw the lens in, which can be kind of a tight fit if you have large fingers. Also, when I bought my camera there was a promotion for a free Petrol LCD hood. Check Sony's broadcast/pro website to see if the offer still exists, the hood is very nice (once you figure out how to assemble it with no instructions ;-) Let us know how you like the new camera!

July 10th, 2003, 06:35 PM	#6
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	Looks like the promo is probably over (I got mine back in April I think). It was originally listed right on their homepage at http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Professional/startpage.html. Too bad, but not really a big deal, B&H lists the Petrol LCD hood for under $20.

July 11th, 2003, 04:50 PM	#7
Viethai Nguyen New Boot Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 19	That promotion is still going on : "Purchase the DSR-PDX10 DVCAM camcorder between January 1, 2003 and September 29, 2003, and receive an LCD hood at no additional charge. " http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Professional/markets/production/pdx10hood.html Claims Must Be Submitted By October 31, 2003! Take a look at : http://pbase.com/viethai Hope it will be of some helps.

July 12th, 2003, 08:30 AM	#9
Viethai Nguyen New Boot Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 19	I think that is the control number. Had problems fiilling on line, you would have to call the 1800.. You will have to send them the UPC code. ( I photoed mine and e-mailled to them). Once they adjusted, you could fill on line and submitted paper work.