Sony - PD100A vs. VX2000 (Owners Shed Some Light?)

[Alex Kamm]

Well if some of you guys remember me from couple months back.. yes I did buy a VX2000 and am some what pleased.

But my friends with a video company are holding PD100A's which really amazed me. It looks like regular camcorder but has the capablitys just like a PD150 right?

I'm thinking about selling my VX for a PD100A becuase of its flexiablity and its weight.

Does anyone have a PD100A here?

Can you tell me some pro's and con's to it? And if you've had a VX2000 maybe shed some comparisions?

Is the PD100A sharing the same 3CCD? Just like the PD150 and the VX2000? Which if it was would mean that the low light capablitys of the PD100A would be somewhat the same?

[John Klein]

dvcam only (40 minutes) but...dvcam!
1/4" chips with a few less pixels
some people meow about the sharpness preset being too high (a bit of digital edge)
pretty good in low light but not as good as the 2000

One thing I like about the pd150 is the ability to add a set amount of gain, ap, ss. On the 100 it's an exposure wheel that you dial up/down. It goes to 1/60th, then to wide open, then adds gain. I prefer to have a few dB of gain and a little better depth of field rather than going wide open, so there I prefer the 150.

I'm assuming that the audio could be worse than the 2000 as the mic is built in to the smaller body. I'm sure it's ok, just not the best. Audio is menu set on the 100, not the handy button on the 150.

There is the wide adapter and xlr adapter stock with the 100.

I use the 100 along with a 150 and xl1s. Not the easiest to match wt. balance but they all look good. I use the canon for tight shots (longer lens) the 100 for a mid shot and the 150 for the wide. Makes for one heck of a cheap / nice setup.

Add cameras, don't trade!

[Margus Kivilaan]

yeah pd100 was'nt the best hit from Sony
i do'nt like pd100 XLR adaptor. First, you will have only one audio in when using adaptor, second, it's mechanically weak. I would suggest pd150 or new px10. Last-but-not-least you will have DV recording as addon.

regards,
Margus

[Henrik Bengtsson]

Well i dunno about "not the best hit". It's worked flawlessly for me. And the XLR adapter has been adequate for the times when i need in-camera sound.

Of course, the PD150 is a better and more powerful machine, and thus more expensive.

So it all comes down to can you afford a PD150 then buy one. If not, the PD100 will give you DVCAM and XLR input and reduced weight compared to the VX2000. Plus i've seen PD100's for as low as $1500 now.

Though if im not entirely mistaken the VX2000 has better grade optics (though if its measurable or actually visible is a matter of debate) than the PD100.

[Margus Kivilaan]

maybe i was too negative about pd100
we ran some tests comparing pd100(w/o wide attachment), pd150 and dsr300 (standard optics) for one our customer. With pd100 we clearly saw most 'digital' artefacts like unnatural colors, and picture was more washed out, like off-focus. But even without wide-angle adaptor pd100 had widest angle, and with adaptor attached there was'nt bad linear distortion of picture. Where wide angle of view is important, it's best from Sony for that price.
But we've had several failures of XLR adaptors, some mechanical (it just breaks off from camera if somebody steps on mic cable), and some electrical.

Margus

[John Klein]

Now that's a good one.

"PD100a offers break-away safety XLR adapter!"

A poor pd150 would be on the ground if somebody stepped on a cable. Color balance is different with all cams. Initially I might agree that it's a little subdued. I find this works pretty well for broadcast as it's easy to go out of spec. I hate ringing colors!

The vx or pd150 is definitely a better cam, but at what price? Is it worth double? Not to everyone.


BTW, you can use the 100's xlr adapter with other sonys with the smart hotshoe, at least it does work with my old D8 cam.

[Margus Kivilaan]

yeah, one (but not only) case of breaking off XLR adapter was when shooting some 'pet clinic' type sequence a dog ran into audio cable. Camera was held by op, and he reacted to cable tension, but it was too late.. In pd100, it was quite a expensive run, 'cause Sony did'nt sell shoe only, it was the whole adaptor. And i've dealed with 2 adaptors, which failed electrically (not sure, but seems it is not good idea to connect mic to working camera when phantom is powered on). But with that 'pet clinic' project, op was very happy to have wide angle of field pd100 offers, he had very limited room for shooting.
That comparison was made in bright daylight, no advantages for other cameras by sensitivity. All cameras in manual settings. No big difference in color balance, pd100 had just less graduations in colors, picture was 'more saturated'. I wish i had some .jpg pictures from that test to explain.
That's a great news that pd100 adaptor fits to other cameras, did'nt know that.

regards, Margus

I'd have to say that if you're considering a pd100 to go along with the vx2000/pd150, you have to consider the TRV950 instead (pdx10 will be it's DVcam b/w VF'd version, out maybe this Fall). The 950's video looks far better than the pd100, extremely close to that of the pd150, with even a little better detail than the pd150 sometimes visible.

The pd100's picture was always a bit edgy-looking for my tastes. By comparison, the 950's look is nearly artifact-free, notably sharper and cleaner, w/better WB, OIS, and the custom presets of the pd150, all in a body that's significantly more compact and unassuming-looking than the pd100 (size specs notwithstanding).

The downside? - The wide end of the lens isn't wide anymore (equiv 49mm), and it's a stop+ slower than pd100 (although 950's Much cleaner and less grainy through it's range)

For XLR: bottom-mount or belt-clip adptr, or turnaround.

For pooch: leash, or remote-control training collar.