PD170 or DSR 390? at DVinfo.net

Richard Lewis · April 26th, 2004, 10:43 AM

Hi,

I've been informed that the DSR 390 doesn’t have that much of a different image to that of the PD 170.

I know that the "shoulder mounted" type camcorder would look more professional, however that doesn’t particularly bother me.

Do you guys and galls think that the 390 would be worth the investment if I were trying to achieve a better image quality?

Shawn Mielke · April 26th, 2004, 11:13 AM

Larger chips and the ability to use truly excellent lenses have GOT to make for a better image. Manual controls must be better too.
(Haven't shot with anything bigger than a PD170).

Alfred Okocha · April 26th, 2004, 01:11 PM

O yes, there is a big difference.

I've seen a 150 and a 370 side by side and compared footage. There's no question about what is what.

Jon McLean · April 26th, 2004, 03:19 PM

I've got a 150 and 390, the biggest difference I can see is the bigger DOF and the ability to handle a larger contrast range before blowing out and or going to black. The image is a bit sharper but not a huge difference(better lens would probably help here).

The adjustments available to tweak the image run rings around the 150/170 - still playing with those!

Alex Ratson · April 26th, 2004, 09:05 PM

It is well worth the added price if you can afford it. I use two Sony DXC327 equipped with a component back and CCU and the added dynamic range and the option of calibrating the color shift in four independent channels alone is worth the added price over the PD170.

Alex

Richard Lewis · April 28th, 2004, 12:07 PM

Hi, I’m now thinking of getting the 390PK1 kit, with the canon 19x lens.

Does this kit come with battery/ charger?

If so, whats the life on it?

Mike Rehmus · April 28th, 2004, 12:28 PM

Nice Kit. If it does not include a case, you will want one. I use a Portabrace for my 300. I had one of the hard cases for a previous camera and found that to be very clumsy but very protective. The Portabrace that I have offers little protection for the camera and I'd probably select one that had some foam in the bag walls the next time. These are more of a squared-off case than the bag form that I now have.

If the kit list does not explicitly state that batteries and charge are included, then it does not.

I have 3 Sony LiOn V-Mounts. The smallest lasts about one hour, the middle size about 2 hours and the large size lasts about 4 hours. The model numbers on those are covered with Velcro tape so I can mount my wireless receiver so I cannot give you that information.

The Model BC-L50 charger handles 2 batteries quite nicely.

Costs:

Charger is about $600. Batteries run from about $250 to $1000 each. I'd go for two of the largest if I were choosing now. Be advised that the largest battery has so much Lithium in it that the airlines have some limits about it. I don't know if you can even take them aboard anymore. But the 4+ hour run-time is very nice.

Richard Lewis · April 28th, 2004, 01:03 PM

Thanks Mike. More additional expense, I’m just about stretching to the 390. lol

I guess I should ring the supplier and see what exactly the kit contains.

Law Tyler · April 28th, 2004, 04:21 PM

They don't sell the Sony Li-on BP-L60 and BP-L90 (the 2-hour and 4-hour) any more. The BP-L90 is said to have so much Li that it cannot be flown on passenger airliner.

On the other hand, I got the BP-M100, the NiMH version, which is even longer-lasting than the BP-L90, it is great! Last a long, long time. Weighs like a brick though.

Mike Rehmus · April 28th, 2004, 06:09 PM

Please weight it and report. The large LiOn weighs 2 Lbs, 14.5 Oz.

Richard, look for a nice B-stock camera. NAB is just over and Sony sells the gear they demo'd at the show for a nice discount. Might have a scratch or two but it sells with a full warranty.

Sometimes you even get gear with significant upgrades at less than the new price for the standard products.

B&H sometimes has these. My local distributor seems to always have some B-Stock of one kind or another.

Law Tyler · April 28th, 2004, 07:44 PM

My BP-M100 weighs 3lbs 7oz. Huge compare to the standard BP-L40. But it helps the front/back balance.

Oh, BTW, the picture B&H has of BP-M100 is wrong. It is the same height as the BP-L60, but nearly twice as thick! The picture B&H posted for BP-M100 must be a BP-M50.

Martin Garrison · April 28th, 2004, 09:29 PM

I was pretty impressed with the weight/watthour/cost ratio of the IDC batteries at NAB. I also spent sometime playing with the Ike dvw7. That cam pimps the gimp. But it is a few grand more than a 390.

Alfred Okocha · April 29th, 2004, 06:32 AM

Also have a look at the IDX series. They are supposed to be very good.

Alfred Okocha · April 29th, 2004, 06:33 AM

I can be wrong here but I think that the Ikegami one competes with the dsr570 and would be another step up.
2/3 chips et.c et.c

Mike Rehmus · April 29th, 2004, 12:11 PM

2/3" cameras are a lot more than a few $. The lens and the camera bodies both cost more. A lot more. You can get an operating DSR390 for the price of the DSR570 body alone.

I've had several Sony reps tell me that if I'm shooting 4:3, the DSR-300 series produces as good a picture as the DSR500WS series. I cannot tell any difference between the two cameras as far as picture quality goes.

April 26th, 2004, 10:43 AM	#1
Richard Lewis Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Manchester and Kent, UK Posts: 256	PD170 or DSR 390? Hi, I've been informed that the DSR 390 doesn’t have that much of a different image to that of the PD 170. I know that the "shoulder mounted" type camcorder would look more professional, however that doesn’t particularly bother me. Do you guys and galls think that the 390 would be worth the investment if I were trying to achieve a better image quality? __________________ Richard Lewis. Steadicam Owner / Operator

April 26th, 2004, 11:13 AM	#2
Shawn Mielke Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Santa Rosa, California Posts: 745	Larger chips and the ability to use truly excellent lenses have GOT to make for a better image. Manual controls must be better too. (Haven't shot with anything bigger than a PD170). __________________ Breakthrough In Grey Room

April 28th, 2004, 12:07 PM	#6
Richard Lewis Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Manchester and Kent, UK Posts: 256	Hi, I’m now thinking of getting the 390PK1 kit, with the canon 19x lens. Does this kit come with battery/ charger? If so, whats the life on it? __________________ Richard Lewis. Steadicam Owner / Operator

April 28th, 2004, 12:28 PM	#7
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Nice Kit. If it does not include a case, you will want one. I use a Portabrace for my 300. I had one of the hard cases for a previous camera and found that to be very clumsy but very protective. The Portabrace that I have offers little protection for the camera and I'd probably select one that had some foam in the bag walls the next time. These are more of a squared-off case than the bag form that I now have. If the kit list does not explicitly state that batteries and charge are included, then it does not. I have 3 Sony LiOn V-Mounts. The smallest lasts about one hour, the middle size about 2 hours and the large size lasts about 4 hours. The model numbers on those are covered with Velcro tape so I can mount my wireless receiver so I cannot give you that information. The Model BC-L50 charger handles 2 batteries quite nicely. Costs: Charger is about $600. Batteries run from about $250 to $1000 each. I'd go for two of the largest if I were choosing now. Be advised that the largest battery has so much Lithium in it that the airlines have some limits about it. I don't know if you can even take them aboard anymore. But the 4+ hour run-time is very nice. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

April 28th, 2004, 01:03 PM	#8
Richard Lewis Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Manchester and Kent, UK Posts: 256	Thanks Mike. More additional expense, I’m just about stretching to the 390. lol I guess I should ring the supplier and see what exactly the kit contains. __________________ Richard Lewis. Steadicam Owner / Operator

April 26th, 2004, 01:11 PM	#3
Alfred Okocha Major Player Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: London Posts: 427	O yes, there is a big difference. I've seen a 150 and a 370 side by side and compared footage. There's no question about what is what.

April 26th, 2004, 03:19 PM	#4
Jon McLean Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Palmerston North New Zealand Posts: 44	I've got a 150 and 390, the biggest difference I can see is the bigger DOF and the ability to handle a larger contrast range before blowing out and or going to black. The image is a bit sharper but not a huge difference(better lens would probably help here). The adjustments available to tweak the image run rings around the 150/170 - still playing with those!

April 26th, 2004, 09:05 PM	#5
Alex Ratson Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Squamish, British Columbia, Canada Posts: 149	It is well worth the added price if you can afford it. I use two Sony DXC327 equipped with a component back and CCU and the added dynamic range and the option of calibrating the color shift in four independent channels alone is worth the added price over the PD170. Alex

April 28th, 2004, 04:21 PM	#9
Law Tyler Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 204	They don't sell the Sony Li-on BP-L60 and BP-L90 (the 2-hour and 4-hour) any more. The BP-L90 is said to have so much Li that it cannot be flown on passenger airliner. On the other hand, I got the BP-M100, the NiMH version, which is even longer-lasting than the BP-L90, it is great! Last a long, long time. Weighs like a brick though.

April 28th, 2004, 06:09 PM	#10
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Please weight it and report. The large LiOn weighs 2 Lbs, 14.5 Oz. Richard, look for a nice B-stock camera. NAB is just over and Sony sells the gear they demo'd at the show for a nice discount. Might have a scratch or two but it sells with a full warranty. Sometimes you even get gear with significant upgrades at less than the new price for the standard products. B&H sometimes has these. My local distributor seems to always have some B-Stock of one kind or another. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

April 28th, 2004, 07:44 PM	#11
Law Tyler Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 204	My BP-M100 weighs 3lbs 7oz. Huge compare to the standard BP-L40. But it helps the front/back balance. Oh, BTW, the picture B&H has of BP-M100 is wrong. It is the same height as the BP-L60, but nearly twice as thick! The picture B&H posted for BP-M100 must be a BP-M50.

April 28th, 2004, 09:29 PM	#12
Martin Garrison Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 173	I was pretty impressed with the weight/watthour/cost ratio of the IDC batteries at NAB. I also spent sometime playing with the Ike dvw7. That cam pimps the gimp. But it is a few grand more than a 390.

April 29th, 2004, 06:32 AM	#13
Alfred Okocha Major Player Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: London Posts: 427	Also have a look at the IDX series. They are supposed to be very good.

April 29th, 2004, 06:33 AM	#14
Alfred Okocha Major Player Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: London Posts: 427	I can be wrong here but I think that the Ikegami one competes with the dsr570 and would be another step up. 2/3 chips et.c et.c

April 29th, 2004, 12:11 PM	#15
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	2/3" cameras are a lot more than a few $. The lens and the camera bodies both cost more. A lot more. You can get an operating DSR390 for the price of the DSR570 body alone. I've had several Sony reps tell me that if I'm shooting 4:3, the DSR-300 series produces as good a picture as the DSR500WS series. I cannot tell any difference between the two cameras as far as picture quality goes. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!