VX2100 sample footage? at DVinfo.net

Jeff Bromberger · July 19th, 2004, 09:58 AM

I'm unable to find a VX2100 in any local stores so I cannot see firsthand how good the video looks. Right now I have a 4 year old Sony single CCD DV cam (TRV730)... I'm just wanting to know how much better video from a 3 CCD camera, in particular the VX2100, will look... seems like this should be easy to come by, but unlike digital cameras where there are tons of actual photos available for download, I can't find any sample clips. I know how huge DV is, so I'm just looking for something small... say, 200MB or less would be fine... call me crazy, but I'd like to see something before I mail order $3000 worth of equipment!!

thanks a bunch,

Jeff

Mike Rehmus · July 19th, 2004, 01:40 PM

Probably you can get some sample footage sent to you but if you have a specific application in mind, it would make it easier to select a scene.

The reason the footage isn't just hanging around, as you surmised, is that it takes a lot of expensive space and most people compress it and downsize the frame so It is downloadable in a reasonable amount of time. Then it isn't a representative sample of the camera quality.

So if you ask for someone to send you a clip or make it available on their web site, they may do so.

Jeff Bromberger · July 19th, 2004, 01:46 PM

Hi Mike,

I'd like to see how well it handles bright outdoors shots (with heavy contract too, like a black car on a sunny day) as well as night shots...

Here's a video that I recently made that shows the types of footage I'll be taking... this one is crunched down to mpeg2 (video cd quality) so it doesn't look too hot, but you can at least see the types of scenes I'm after...

http://inductionweb.com/up2.mpg

thanks!

George Ellis · July 19th, 2004, 06:01 PM

I did a quick elemental stream (m2v). Try this

http://versatilemediasolutions.com/Files/2100sample.m2v

Jeff Bromberger · July 19th, 2004, 06:10 PM

George, I couldn't ask for a better collage of different types of shooting, thanks so much!

i'm not that familiar with the .m2v file format, is the video that I saw the raw DV footage or has it been compressed/modified in any way image-wise?

thanks again!
Jeff

Mike Rehmus · July 19th, 2004, 06:30 PM

M2V is a mpeg2 file. You could change it to mpg and it would still play.

George Ellis · July 19th, 2004, 06:35 PM

Sorry about the quick post. I was cooking. As Mike says, Mpeg. The AVI would have been 80MB. I will leave it up there for a day or so and then delete it.

Jeff Bromberger · July 19th, 2004, 09:34 PM

so just to beat this into my dense skull, the actual DV would be even better quality than what was shown in that clip, right?

Steve McDonald · July 20th, 2004, 02:28 AM

Jeff, I commend you for having good judgement in selecting video equipment. I have both the Sony TRV730 and the VX2100. I spent a few months carefully selecting each of them, from all that were available.

I regard the 730 as the best lower-cost camcorder ever made, for its price. And I give the same evaluation to the 2100, in the mid-price range.

On a new and very good 24-inch monitor, my best footage from the 2100 looks very sharp and several neighbors thought they were viewing HDTV when they first saw it.
I can seamlessly fit short bits from the 730 into edited projects that have the 2100 as the main camera. This doesn't
downgrade my regard for the 2100, but just points out how good the MegaPixel 730 is, for a single-CCD model.

The VX2100 has just the right size and balance for good shooting, although I usually have it on a shoulder-mount. It's a slightly modified version of the mount I have for the TRV730. The VX2100
has numerous manual controls that are well positioned and allow for quick adjustment. Its low-light abilities are the best I've seen.

If you see camera jocks, professionals included, running around in action zones, where a light, handy, but topgrade model is essential, they often have a PD150/170
or a VX2000/2100. I think this family of camcorders has an all-around edge over the Panasonic DVX and Canon XL models in both "shoot-and-run", as well as general videomaking situations. I evaluated both those types before I selected the VX2100. Believe me, the way a camera feels and handles is a very important factor in its performance and the VX2100 suits me much better in this way, than any other I tried. Do I have a stong prejudice in favor of this Model? Yes I do and that's why I bought it for myself.

You'll have to stop by my place some day, to see how good its results look. Nothing sent over the Web will reproduce its quality adequately. If you can take your own blank cassette into a dealership where they will let you record with a VX2100, you could find out many things about it, firsthand.

Steve McDonald

Steve McDonald · July 20th, 2004, 02:42 AM

Jeff, I didn't note that you hadn't been able to find a local dealer with a VX2100, before I replied earlier. It's hard to imagine that a place as large as Omaha wouldn't have a few of them on display. Have you checked availability in Lincoln or Des Moines? They're close enough that a quick trip to one of those cities, to be able to use one, would be a good investment of time. You might try using the dealer-finder on the Sony website or calling their information number to locate a place that carries it.

Steve McDonald

Jeff Bromberger · July 20th, 2004, 07:12 AM

Steve, thanks for the great reply! I would have never thought I'd find somebody with the 730 and the 2100, that makes you the perfect opinion for me.

i've had a really hard time finding the vx2100... i've even looked in st. louis at some high end camera/video places... they can all order it, but nobody has had one sitting in stock... if anybody is reading this and knows of a place that has a 2100 in omaha, des moines, lincoln, KC or st. louis, i'd love to hear about it!

Nathen Dickey · July 20th, 2004, 11:20 AM

Jeff i know how you feel i live in council bluffs and had the same problem. sunday i just took the leap and bought one and hopefully fedex will be at my door any min now! i saw a ritz camera in the phone book it was supposed to be by oakview... but i couldnt find it and there number didnt work so i assume they closed. i dont understand why we dont have any stores that carry this stuff, you would think nfm would or that there would be at least be one nice camera shop. aahh what can ya do...

Ray Echevers · July 20th, 2004, 02:12 PM

I got a VX-2100 too and i love it. Don't got any clips on me but anyways, the ones posted are pretty good.
One thing that's great about the camera too are the custom presets.
Given, that the camera by default shoots a "cold" picture, the presets let you adjust many different settings, including the White Balance Shift. I've found that if you put it a stop before going all the way to the right, you get a nice picture.
Of course, you can set it anyway you want, or just manually adjust the white balance every time you use the cam or every shot, but it's one of the many nice features it has.
BTW, nice turbo Stang in the vid.
Gotta love boost.

Glen Elliott · July 21st, 2004, 12:30 PM

Jeff- I've shot with GL-1's, DVX100's, XL-1's, DVC-80's, PD-170's, and VX2100's. You'll be very VERY happy with either a VX2100 or PD-170. I'd only go PD-170 if for some reason you need better audio.

If your main concern is shooting 1/4 runs (great site btw) you might even want to consider a GL-2 due to it's 20x optical zoom. You'll be able to get a really close shot of the pass. I personally do mostly wedding videography but plan on shooting some shows and street night at my local track. My PD-170/VX2100 will make short work of the difficult lighting conditions after dusk at the track. The impecable low-light performance was one of the motivating factors for purchasing these cams.

Anyway (OT) I absolutly love Supras, almost bought a '94 but didn't due to the astronomical insurance rates here in NJ. I'm over 25 now and am looking to buy an STi within the next 3 years...that, or if I'm a bit short on finances, a SRT-4 w/ Stage 2 Mopar kit....either one should be able to pull mid to low 13's. That's good enough for me- better than my current 04 Mazda Protege 5. lol

Jeff Bromberger · July 21st, 2004, 01:31 PM

Who would have thought that I'd find a bunch of car guys over here?!

Glen - get the supra, you'll never regret it!! you can make 450hp with these things easier than you can get out of bed... 700hp is only a turbo, fuel system and computer away...

the other cars you mention are nice, but you will spend more money in the long run to bring them up to this power level and you'll never have the reliability or the OEM smoothness...

back on topic - that's a good point about the 20x lens on the canon... i had moved away from the GL2 because i had read that the image quality is superior on the Sony due to the larger CCD's and the low-light performance was WAY better... plus the Canon has issues with motor noise on the built-in mic? but it seems that the sony vs. canon debate is about as religious as the SLR canon vs. nikon debate...

also, since i've got a few car guys here - what kind of external mic would I be looking at to really capture the rumble and dynamics of car racing? many times, especially during dyno sessions, the stock mic just seems to clip and distort... I'm not looking to spend a grand on a mic, but i'm guessing there has to be a significant upgrade for a few hundred bucks??

July 19th, 2004, 09:58 AM	#1
Jeff Bromberger New Boot Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 12	VX2100 sample footage? I'm unable to find a VX2100 in any local stores so I cannot see firsthand how good the video looks. Right now I have a 4 year old Sony single CCD DV cam (TRV730)... I'm just wanting to know how much better video from a 3 CCD camera, in particular the VX2100, will look... seems like this should be easy to come by, but unlike digital cameras where there are tons of actual photos available for download, I can't find any sample clips. I know how huge DV is, so I'm just looking for something small... say, 200MB or less would be fine... call me crazy, but I'd like to see something before I mail order $3000 worth of equipment!! thanks a bunch, Jeff

July 19th, 2004, 01:40 PM	#2
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Probably you can get some sample footage sent to you but if you have a specific application in mind, it would make it easier to select a scene. The reason the footage isn't just hanging around, as you surmised, is that it takes a lot of expensive space and most people compress it and downsize the frame so It is downloadable in a reasonable amount of time. Then it isn't a representative sample of the camera quality. So if you ask for someone to send you a clip or make it available on their web site, they may do so. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

July 19th, 2004, 06:30 PM	#6
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	M2V is a mpeg2 file. You could change it to mpg and it would still play. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

July 20th, 2004, 02:42 AM	#10
Steve McDonald Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Eugene, Oregon Posts: 366	Second Reply Jeff, I didn't note that you hadn't been able to find a local dealer with a VX2100, before I replied earlier. It's hard to imagine that a place as large as Omaha wouldn't have a few of them on display. Have you checked availability in Lincoln or Des Moines? They're close enough that a quick trip to one of those cities, to be able to use one, would be a good investment of time. You might try using the dealer-finder on the Sony website or calling their information number to locate a place that carries it. Steve McDonald

July 20th, 2004, 02:12 PM	#13
Ray Echevers Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: Somerville, MA Posts: 148	I got a VX-2100 too and i love it. Don't got any clips on me but anyways, the ones posted are pretty good. One thing that's great about the camera too are the custom presets. Given, that the camera by default shoots a "cold" picture, the presets let you adjust many different settings, including the White Balance Shift. I've found that if you put it a stop before going all the way to the right, you get a nice picture. Of course, you can set it anyway you want, or just manually adjust the white balance every time you use the cam or every shot, but it's one of the many nice features it has. BTW, nice turbo Stang in the vid. Gotta love boost. __________________ Sony VX-1000 G5 1.8 dual 91 Turbo MR2

July 19th, 2004, 01:46 PM	#3
Jeff Bromberger New Boot Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 12	Hi Mike, I'd like to see how well it handles bright outdoors shots (with heavy contract too, like a black car on a sunny day) as well as night shots... Here's a video that I recently made that shows the types of footage I'll be taking... this one is crunched down to mpeg2 (video cd quality) so it doesn't look too hot, but you can at least see the types of scenes I'm after... http://inductionweb.com/up2.mpg thanks!

July 19th, 2004, 06:01 PM	#4
George Ellis Trustee Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Suwanee, GA Posts: 1,241	I did a quick elemental stream (m2v). Try this http://versatilemediasolutions.com/Files/2100sample.m2v

July 19th, 2004, 06:10 PM	#5
Jeff Bromberger New Boot Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 12	George, I couldn't ask for a better collage of different types of shooting, thanks so much! i'm not that familiar with the .m2v file format, is the video that I saw the raw DV footage or has it been compressed/modified in any way image-wise? thanks again! Jeff

July 19th, 2004, 06:35 PM	#7
George Ellis Trustee Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Suwanee, GA Posts: 1,241	Sorry about the quick post. I was cooking. As Mike says, Mpeg. The AVI would have been 80MB. I will leave it up there for a day or so and then delete it.

July 19th, 2004, 09:34 PM	#8
Jeff Bromberger New Boot Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 12	so just to beat this into my dense skull, the actual DV would be even better quality than what was shown in that clip, right?

July 20th, 2004, 02:28 AM	#9
Steve McDonald Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Eugene, Oregon Posts: 366	Jeff, I commend you for having good judgement in selecting video equipment. I have both the Sony TRV730 and the VX2100. I spent a few months carefully selecting each of them, from all that were available. I regard the 730 as the best lower-cost camcorder ever made, for its price. And I give the same evaluation to the 2100, in the mid-price range. On a new and very good 24-inch monitor, my best footage from the 2100 looks very sharp and several neighbors thought they were viewing HDTV when they first saw it. I can seamlessly fit short bits from the 730 into edited projects that have the 2100 as the main camera. This doesn't downgrade my regard for the 2100, but just points out how good the MegaPixel 730 is, for a single-CCD model. The VX2100 has just the right size and balance for good shooting, although I usually have it on a shoulder-mount. It's a slightly modified version of the mount I have for the TRV730. The VX2100 has numerous manual controls that are well positioned and allow for quick adjustment. Its low-light abilities are the best I've seen. If you see camera jocks, professionals included, running around in action zones, where a light, handy, but topgrade model is essential, they often have a PD150/170 or a VX2000/2100. I think this family of camcorders has an all-around edge over the Panasonic DVX and Canon XL models in both "shoot-and-run", as well as general videomaking situations. I evaluated both those types before I selected the VX2100. Believe me, the way a camera feels and handles is a very important factor in its performance and the VX2100 suits me much better in this way, than any other I tried. Do I have a stong prejudice in favor of this Model? Yes I do and that's why I bought it for myself. You'll have to stop by my place some day, to see how good its results look. Nothing sent over the Web will reproduce its quality adequately. If you can take your own blank cassette into a dealership where they will let you record with a VX2100, you could find out many things about it, firsthand. Steve McDonald

July 20th, 2004, 07:12 AM	#11
Jeff Bromberger New Boot Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 12	Steve, thanks for the great reply! I would have never thought I'd find somebody with the 730 and the 2100, that makes you the perfect opinion for me. i've had a really hard time finding the vx2100... i've even looked in st. louis at some high end camera/video places... they can all order it, but nobody has had one sitting in stock... if anybody is reading this and knows of a place that has a 2100 in omaha, des moines, lincoln, KC or st. louis, i'd love to hear about it!

July 20th, 2004, 11:20 AM	#12
Nathen Dickey New Boot Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7	Jeff i know how you feel i live in council bluffs and had the same problem. sunday i just took the leap and bought one and hopefully fedex will be at my door any min now! i saw a ritz camera in the phone book it was supposed to be by oakview... but i couldnt find it and there number didnt work so i assume they closed. i dont understand why we dont have any stores that carry this stuff, you would think nfm would or that there would be at least be one nice camera shop. aahh what can ya do...

July 21st, 2004, 12:30 PM	#14
Glen Elliott Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,898	Jeff- I've shot with GL-1's, DVX100's, XL-1's, DVC-80's, PD-170's, and VX2100's. You'll be very VERY happy with either a VX2100 or PD-170. I'd only go PD-170 if for some reason you need better audio. If your main concern is shooting 1/4 runs (great site btw) you might even want to consider a GL-2 due to it's 20x optical zoom. You'll be able to get a really close shot of the pass. I personally do mostly wedding videography but plan on shooting some shows and street night at my local track. My PD-170/VX2100 will make short work of the difficult lighting conditions after dusk at the track. The impecable low-light performance was one of the motivating factors for purchasing these cams. Anyway (OT) I absolutly love Supras, almost bought a '94 but didn't due to the astronomical insurance rates here in NJ. I'm over 25 now and am looking to buy an STi within the next 3 years...that, or if I'm a bit short on finances, a SRT-4 w/ Stage 2 Mopar kit....either one should be able to pull mid to low 13's. That's good enough for me- better than my current 04 Mazda Protege 5. lol

July 21st, 2004, 01:31 PM	#15
Jeff Bromberger New Boot Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 12	Who would have thought that I'd find a bunch of car guys over here?! Glen - get the supra, you'll never regret it!! you can make 450hp with these things easier than you can get out of bed... 700hp is only a turbo, fuel system and computer away... the other cars you mention are nice, but you will spend more money in the long run to bring them up to this power level and you'll never have the reliability or the OEM smoothness... back on topic - that's a good point about the 20x lens on the canon... i had moved away from the GL2 because i had read that the image quality is superior on the Sony due to the larger CCD's and the low-light performance was WAY better... plus the Canon has issues with motor noise on the built-in mic? but it seems that the sony vs. canon debate is about as religious as the SLR canon vs. nikon debate... also, since i've got a few car guys here - what kind of external mic would I be looking at to really capture the rumble and dynamics of car racing? many times, especially during dyno sessions, the stock mic just seems to clip and distort... I'm not looking to spend a grand on a mic, but i'm guessing there has to be a significant upgrade for a few hundred bucks??