Reaction to the new camera at DVinfo.net

Mike Rehmus · January 21st, 2003, 08:48 PM

Now that I've run 5 hours of tape in a three day period through this new PD150, I think the old one was either bad out-of-the-box or the Sony repair center really fouled it up in the first repari cycle.

This new camera has a color quality that is incredible. Seems much sharper too. And I think the viewfinder is a bit easier to use. Seems to have more resolution for focusing. Of course I focused the camera about 1500 times over the weekend on all sorts of sharp-edged mechanical bits. That might make a difference.

Of course this is all probably in my head.

It does have a couple of quirks. I get a blink in the viewfinder right after it starts recording. Can't see a bit of it in the recorded signal.

If I have the subject distance right at that point where the lens will go out of focus if I zoom a bit more, but it is within the close focus limits and the lens is wide and I then zoom all the way in, the lens goes out of focus and then slips into focus again. I wonder if Sony doesn't make the lens backfocus corrections by a link between the zoom and focus servos. That is, they have a compensation curve stored in the camera and as one zooms, depending on focus settings, bits in the lens shift.

I'll have to check that one out here in the studio when I don't have the pressures of the assignment and can stop to measure the effects.

Mike Rehmus · January 22nd, 2003, 11:09 AM

I think this is written more clearly

If I have the subject distance right at that point where the lens will go out of focus if I zoom a bit more, but it is within the close focus limits for the entire zoom range and the lens is wide and I then rapidly power-zoom all the way in, the lens goes way out of focus and then slips into focus again just as the lens reaches maximum zoom.

I wonder if Sony doesn't make the lens correct backfocus by an electronic link between the zoom and focus servos. That is, they have a compensation curve stored in the camera and as one zooms, depending on focus settings, bits in the lens shift.

Brian Pink · January 22nd, 2003, 11:43 AM

i just got my PD150 last week, and i've noticed that if i have the CO .55x wide angle on, when i zoom rapidly, the camera loses focus completely and takes a second to recover. that being said, the performance of the auto-focus is still *far* superior ( for my needs ) then the canon's that i had been renting up to this point.

and i agree with the picture quality. sharp, accurate colors, amazing low light performance. i can't say i'm disappointed with anything other than the mic that they ship with it. why not just bundle the sennheiser?

Mike Rehmus · January 22nd, 2003, 07:00 PM

When I took the camera to Pennsylvania for the shoot, I pulled the short shotgun off my DSR-300 to use. Much better microphone as you would expect. It costs over 2X the price of the microphone on the PD150.

Still, the PD150 microphone is OK for some purposes. It just isn't a long shotgun like I prefer to use in ENG type applications. I don't like to use a shotgun for weddings or anywhere that I might run into loud noises.

Adi Head · January 29th, 2003, 03:00 PM

i've been out these past two weeks for the first time with my 150 shooting a documentary. noticed two strange things:

1. the audio channel circuitry is crossed over. for example, if i switch channel 1 to manual gain on the menu settings, it actually switches channel 2 to manual gain, etc.

2. this happened a couple of times: i switch on the camera and find that my custom white ballence did not remain as it was when i turned the camera off.

anyone experienced similar problems with their's? would like to know before going back to where i bought it.

Brian Pink · January 29th, 2003, 06:58 PM

i haven't had those sam issues with the audio circuitry. that's weird.

i'll have to check the white balance. you could always set a custom preset i think, although i haven't looked into it much.

i've been pretty bummed on the sensitivity of the mic, maybe i need to tweak the settings more until i save up for the sennheiser. =)

Mike Rehmus · January 29th, 2003, 07:27 PM

Adi,

Try pushing the reset button (little hole with the word reset beside it. Found behind the LCD screen.

Adi Head · January 30th, 2003, 04:54 AM

mike, i already did poke a pencil into the RESET hole and then paged through the menu to make sure that all is set the way i want it. i would go through this precedure before a shoot, every time i wasn't sure how the camera had been set the last time i had used it.

what i'm talking about - the white balance quirk - happens in the middle of a shoot. that's the reason i'm bothered by this. i could be shooting a scene somewhere, figure i'm done and turn the camera off. but then, something unexpected happens, i gun the camera and find that the last white balance preset i had been shooting with no longer exists. i can tell on the LCD screen that the coloring is completely different.

so i set the white balance again - but i'm worried i might miss important unexpected shots or shoot accedently with offset white balance.

i imagine i'll just have to take my camera to have it checked.

Boyd Ostroff · February 1st, 2003, 01:48 PM

On the VX-2000 the white balance button in located right above the audio level button... is it the same on the PD-150? I find this really annoying because I'm prone to accidently hit it while shooting when I really meant to adjust the volume. Why can't they but some dedicated controls on these cameras, like a volume knob? Is it a marketing thing to make the camera less appealing to pro's?

January 21st, 2003, 08:48 PM	#1
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Reaction to the new camera Now that I've run 5 hours of tape in a three day period through this new PD150, I think the old one was either bad out-of-the-box or the Sony repair center really fouled it up in the first repari cycle. This new camera has a color quality that is incredible. Seems much sharper too. And I think the viewfinder is a bit easier to use. Seems to have more resolution for focusing. Of course I focused the camera about 1500 times over the weekend on all sorts of sharp-edged mechanical bits. That might make a difference. Of course this is all probably in my head. It does have a couple of quirks. I get a blink in the viewfinder right after it starts recording. Can't see a bit of it in the recorded signal. If I have the subject distance right at that point where the lens will go out of focus if I zoom a bit more, but it is within the close focus limits and the lens is wide and I then zoom all the way in, the lens goes out of focus and then slips into focus again. I wonder if Sony doesn't make the lens backfocus corrections by a link between the zoom and focus servos. That is, they have a compensation curve stored in the camera and as one zooms, depending on focus settings, bits in the lens shift. I'll have to check that one out here in the studio when I don't have the pressures of the assignment and can stop to measure the effects. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

January 22nd, 2003, 11:09 AM	#2
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	A bit more clarity on the focus shift I think this is written more clearly If I have the subject distance right at that point where the lens will go out of focus if I zoom a bit more, but it is within the close focus limits for the entire zoom range and the lens is wide and I then rapidly power-zoom all the way in, the lens goes way out of focus and then slips into focus again just as the lens reaches maximum zoom. I wonder if Sony doesn't make the lens correct backfocus by an electronic link between the zoom and focus servos. That is, they have a compensation curve stored in the camera and as one zooms, depending on focus settings, bits in the lens shift. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

January 22nd, 2003, 11:43 AM	#3
Brian Pink Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 94	i just got my PD150 last week, and i've noticed that if i have the CO .55x wide angle on, when i zoom rapidly, the camera loses focus completely and takes a second to recover. that being said, the performance of the auto-focus is still far superior ( for my needs ) then the canon's that i had been renting up to this point. and i agree with the picture quality. sharp, accurate colors, amazing low light performance. i can't say i'm disappointed with anything other than the mic that they ship with it. why not just bundle the sennheiser? __________________ This is the way the world ends.

January 22nd, 2003, 07:00 PM	#4
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	When I took the camera to Pennsylvania for the shoot, I pulled the short shotgun off my DSR-300 to use. Much better microphone as you would expect. It costs over 2X the price of the microphone on the PD150. Still, the PD150 microphone is OK for some purposes. It just isn't a long shotgun like I prefer to use in ENG type applications. I don't like to use a shotgun for weddings or anywhere that I might run into loud noises. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

January 29th, 2003, 03:00 PM	#5
Adi Head Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 642	some problems with my pd150 i've been out these past two weeks for the first time with my 150 shooting a documentary. noticed two strange things: 1. the audio channel circuitry is crossed over. for example, if i switch channel 1 to manual gain on the menu settings, it actually switches channel 2 to manual gain, etc. 2. this happened a couple of times: i switch on the camera and find that my custom white ballence did not remain as it was when i turned the camera off. anyone experienced similar problems with their's? would like to know before going back to where i bought it.

January 29th, 2003, 06:58 PM	#6
Brian Pink Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 94	i haven't had those sam issues with the audio circuitry. that's weird. i'll have to check the white balance. you could always set a custom preset i think, although i haven't looked into it much. i've been pretty bummed on the sensitivity of the mic, maybe i need to tweak the settings more until i save up for the sennheiser. =) __________________ This is the way the world ends.

January 29th, 2003, 07:27 PM	#7
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Adi, Try pushing the reset button (little hole with the word reset beside it. Found behind the LCD screen. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

January 30th, 2003, 04:54 AM	#8
Adi Head Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 642	mike, i already did poke a pencil into the RESET hole and then paged through the menu to make sure that all is set the way i want it. i would go through this precedure before a shoot, every time i wasn't sure how the camera had been set the last time i had used it. what i'm talking about - the white balance quirk - happens in the middle of a shoot. that's the reason i'm bothered by this. i could be shooting a scene somewhere, figure i'm done and turn the camera off. but then, something unexpected happens, i gun the camera and find that the last white balance preset i had been shooting with no longer exists. i can tell on the LCD screen that the coloring is completely different. so i set the white balance again - but i'm worried i might miss important unexpected shots or shoot accedently with offset white balance. i imagine i'll just have to take my camera to have it checked.

February 1st, 2003, 01:48 PM	#9
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,797	white balance On the VX-2000 the white balance button in located right above the audio level button... is it the same on the PD-150? I find this really annoying because I'm prone to accidently hit it while shooting when I really meant to adjust the volume. Why can't they but some dedicated controls on these cameras, like a volume knob? Is it a marketing thing to make the camera less appealing to pro's?