Sony PD170 or Panasonic DVX100

Mike Rehmus · March 13th, 2004, 01:21 PM

Low light and no camera lights permitted makes the 170 the only choice for me for a wedding.

Dave Hagan · March 14th, 2004, 05:00 PM

...and don't forget the DVX 100's short lens too!

Tom Hardwick · March 15th, 2004, 10:51 AM

Very short lens. Top whack it's 45mm at f2.8, and the differential focus obtainable with this combo is nothing like the Sony's 72mm @ f2.4. Important for wedding portraiture. Nice side-screen on the Panasonic though.

tom.

Glen Elliott · March 15th, 2004, 09:57 PM

The DVX lcd is large but very useless outdoors in sunlight. I've heard the new PD-170 and VX2100's LCDs have been improved to allow shooting even in bright daylight.

Lou Bruno · March 16th, 2004, 06:46 PM

AND also the VX/PD batteries last for hours.

<<<-- Originally posted by Dave Hagan : ...and don't forget the DVX 100's short lens too! -->>>

Glen Elliott · March 18th, 2004, 08:59 AM

Marius, I just got my PD170 yesterday. After fiddling with it for a few hours I'd have to say, based on my first impression, I made a good decision switching from the DVX100 to the PD170. If your doing wedding videography and less "controlled" shooting it's a no brainer.

Scott Plowman · March 18th, 2004, 09:50 AM

Isnt it funny.. Go over to the DVX page and theyll tell you all the reasons that the DVX100a is the better choice.. Heres the major argument the lense and low light.. Ok the sound and the VTR assembly..
People crank about the head drop out in the Panny. People crank about the audio issues in the Sony.
Why isnt a 10 or 12x Leica lense good for a wedding?? Wow I have done beautiful work with my DVC 80..
People compare the Panny and Sony low light on the forums all the time.. The end result is .. Not a deciding factor one way or the other.. The Sony low light edge isnt signifigant enough to make it an issue.. So the reports go.. Doesnt seem to be an issue for me with low light hindering me where a light isnt PC...
All im trying to say is shop both camps thoroughly before your decision.. Panny DVX guys are moreso of a cult following for a reason.. I have saved my cash and in the next few days I will be purchasing a new Panny DVX100A for too many reasons...

Glen Elliott · March 18th, 2004, 10:07 AM

Scott, I just posted my first impressions of the PD-170 both good and bad. I'm trying to offer a non bias opinion as I've owned and shot with the DVX100 for a year. It's best to hear from people who have extensive experience with *both*. Of course you'll hear bias opinion for the PD-170 on the PD-170 board, and DVX100 on the DVX100 board. People have to get the elistist nature out of their system to offer a good objective comparison.

Here's my non-bias opinion of the build quality and feature set comparison between the DVX and PD-170:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=23123

For you, however, Scott the DVX will definitly be a better choice for a 2nd cam. The DVC80 and DVX footage will match very easily. Same reason I'm selling my GL-1 for a VX2100.

Scott Plowman · March 18th, 2004, 10:18 AM

I have used the PD 150 before.. I just didnt have them both at the same time to give a fair comparison.. I think alot of the complaints of the DVX as it isnt perfect have been corrected in the new DVX100a.. In all fairness I did feel the PD150 felt maybe more sturdy than the DVX but thats just memory and speculation.. That is not to say that in anyway the Panny feels cheap.. I didnt mean to be condensending.. Just wanted to muddy the water... I want to do film work so thats why I choose the Panny..

Glen Elliott · March 18th, 2004, 10:25 AM

Thus I replied the the other member, "If your doing wedding videography and less "controlled" shooting it's a no brainer.

If your doing shorts and/or transfers to film the DVX is an excellent choice. No amount of tweaking in post replaces the look of native 24p.

My comparison, thus so far, has only been on the build quality and features. The true test will be in visual and audio quality 60i vs 60i.

Scott Plowman · March 18th, 2004, 10:27 AM

duh no bwainer part means dat onwy the wetaded would use a panny for webbings.. it seems to work well though..

Mike Rehmus · March 18th, 2004, 04:28 PM

Let's keep the conversation well mannered folks.

Marius Boruh · March 18th, 2004, 04:33 PM

I started this thread. Thans for all of your inputs. For me (as a mainly wedding videographer) lolux capabilities will be the most important.

Frederic Segard · March 24th, 2004, 12:27 PM

Hi Marius,

I've been debating over which camera to buy for the longest time. Rather then looking at the specs, I've rented the both cams, several times and on different occasions. OK! I know not everyone can spend the money renting just for testing, but in my case, paying gigs helped to cover most of the costs.

In any event, both the PD170 and the DVX100A are very good cameras. No doubt about it. So much so that I was going to buy the DVX100A after my last shoot, a company Christmas party with less then adequate lighting. After reviewing the footage the next day, I firmly decided I would go with the PD170. This is the cam I have now, and I don’t regret it.

Having previously compared both cams in low light prior to that last event, I had determined that low light should not be a determining factor... or so I fooled myself into thinking. It's in actuality THE most determining factor for me. I shoot mainly events, so I practically have no control over lighting; and adding on-board lighting in certain situations may seem too intrusive for your clients and their guests at the moment of shooting.

In the end the choice is yours, but if low light is your main concern like me, then I urge you not to take our advice, and beg-borrow-or-steal both cams, and try it out in typical low light situations you’ll be faced with. The results will speak for themselves. Hey! It may turn out you like the DVX low light (hum hum)… this way you’ll have 24p at the flick of a switch whenever you’ll feel like switching.

Fred

Glen Elliott · March 24th, 2004, 12:55 PM

Fredrick, how did you feel about the build quality of the PD-170 vs the DVX100?

March 13th, 2004, 01:21 PM	#16
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Low light and no camera lights permitted makes the 170 the only choice for me for a wedding. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

March 16th, 2004, 06:46 PM	#20
Lou Bruno Go Cycle Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Huntington, NY Posts: 815	AND also the VX/PD batteries last for hours. <<<-- Originally posted by Dave Hagan : ...and don't forget the DVX 100's short lens too! -->>> __________________ Lou Bruno

March 18th, 2004, 04:28 PM	#27
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Let's keep the conversation well mannered folks. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

March 18th, 2004, 04:33 PM	#28
Marius Boruh Tourist Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 4	I guess I will go with Sony I started this thread. Thans for all of your inputs. For me (as a mainly wedding videographer) lolux capabilities will be the most important.

March 14th, 2004, 05:00 PM	#17
Dave Hagan New Boot Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: United States Posts: 7	...and don't forget the DVX 100's short lens too!

March 15th, 2004, 10:51 AM	#18
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	Very short lens. Top whack it's 45mm at f2.8, and the differential focus obtainable with this combo is nothing like the Sony's 72mm @ f2.4. Important for wedding portraiture. Nice side-screen on the Panasonic though. tom.

March 15th, 2004, 09:57 PM	#19
Glen Elliott Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,898	The DVX lcd is large but very useless outdoors in sunlight. I've heard the new PD-170 and VX2100's LCDs have been improved to allow shooting even in bright daylight.

March 18th, 2004, 08:59 AM	#21
Glen Elliott Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,898	Marius, I just got my PD170 yesterday. After fiddling with it for a few hours I'd have to say, based on my first impression, I made a good decision switching from the DVX100 to the PD170. If your doing wedding videography and less "controlled" shooting it's a no brainer.

March 18th, 2004, 09:50 AM	#22
Scott Plowman Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Kansas City, Kansas, USA Posts: 85	Isnt it funny.. Go over to the DVX page and theyll tell you all the reasons that the DVX100a is the better choice.. Heres the major argument the lense and low light.. Ok the sound and the VTR assembly.. People crank about the head drop out in the Panny. People crank about the audio issues in the Sony. Why isnt a 10 or 12x Leica lense good for a wedding?? Wow I have done beautiful work with my DVC 80.. People compare the Panny and Sony low light on the forums all the time.. The end result is .. Not a deciding factor one way or the other.. The Sony low light edge isnt signifigant enough to make it an issue.. So the reports go.. Doesnt seem to be an issue for me with low light hindering me where a light isnt PC... All im trying to say is shop both camps thoroughly before your decision.. Panny DVX guys are moreso of a cult following for a reason.. I have saved my cash and in the next few days I will be purchasing a new Panny DVX100A for too many reasons...

March 18th, 2004, 10:07 AM	#23
Glen Elliott Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,898	Scott, I just posted my first impressions of the PD-170 both good and bad. I'm trying to offer a non bias opinion as I've owned and shot with the DVX100 for a year. It's best to hear from people who have extensive experience with both. Of course you'll hear bias opinion for the PD-170 on the PD-170 board, and DVX100 on the DVX100 board. People have to get the elistist nature out of their system to offer a good objective comparison. Here's my non-bias opinion of the build quality and feature set comparison between the DVX and PD-170: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=23123 For you, however, Scott the DVX will definitly be a better choice for a 2nd cam. The DVC80 and DVX footage will match very easily. Same reason I'm selling my GL-1 for a VX2100.

March 18th, 2004, 10:18 AM	#24
Scott Plowman Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Kansas City, Kansas, USA Posts: 85	I have used the PD 150 before.. I just didnt have them both at the same time to give a fair comparison.. I think alot of the complaints of the DVX as it isnt perfect have been corrected in the new DVX100a.. In all fairness I did feel the PD150 felt maybe more sturdy than the DVX but thats just memory and speculation.. That is not to say that in anyway the Panny feels cheap.. I didnt mean to be condensending.. Just wanted to muddy the water... I want to do film work so thats why I choose the Panny..

March 18th, 2004, 10:25 AM	#25
Glen Elliott Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,898	Thus I replied the the other member, "If your doing wedding videography and less "controlled" shooting it's a no brainer. If your doing shorts and/or transfers to film the DVX is an excellent choice. No amount of tweaking in post replaces the look of native 24p. My comparison, thus so far, has only been on the build quality and features. The true test will be in visual and audio quality 60i vs 60i.

March 18th, 2004, 10:27 AM	#26
Scott Plowman Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Kansas City, Kansas, USA Posts: 85	duh no bwainer part means dat onwy the wetaded would use a panny for webbings.. it seems to work well though..

March 24th, 2004, 12:27 PM	#29
Frederic Segard Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 209	Hi Marius, I've been debating over which camera to buy for the longest time. Rather then looking at the specs, I've rented the both cams, several times and on different occasions. OK! I know not everyone can spend the money renting just for testing, but in my case, paying gigs helped to cover most of the costs. In any event, both the PD170 and the DVX100A are very good cameras. No doubt about it. So much so that I was going to buy the DVX100A after my last shoot, a company Christmas party with less then adequate lighting. After reviewing the footage the next day, I firmly decided I would go with the PD170. This is the cam I have now, and I don’t regret it. Having previously compared both cams in low light prior to that last event, I had determined that low light should not be a determining factor... or so I fooled myself into thinking. It's in actuality THE most determining factor for me. I shoot mainly events, so I practically have no control over lighting; and adding on-board lighting in certain situations may seem too intrusive for your clients and their guests at the moment of shooting. In the end the choice is yours, but if low light is your main concern like me, then I urge you not to take our advice, and beg-borrow-or-steal both cams, and try it out in typical low light situations you’ll be faced with. The results will speak for themselves. Hey! It may turn out you like the DVX low light (hum hum)… this way you’ll have 24p at the flick of a switch whenever you’ll feel like switching. Fred

March 24th, 2004, 12:55 PM	#30
Glen Elliott Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,898	Fredrick, how did you feel about the build quality of the PD-170 vs the DVX100?