will optura 500 have letterboxed lcd for 16x9 ?
 

so Chris does the 500 have the same monitor as the 40 ? or does it do the squish-job ?

Kurth, the LCD display shows a properly letterboxed 16:9. This is a long-awaited "development" for Canon. Canon models which have this display feature include the Optura 500 / 400 / 40 / 30, Elura 70 / 65, and XL2. Hope this helps,

thanks Chris

This is sort of an interesting gotcha I think. I agree that it helps to compose and view things on the little LCD screens, and my Sony cameras do this. But there is also a downside. Those little screens don't have a lot of pixels on them to start out, typical is around 220 lines. So when you letterbox you are throwing away 25% of the available lines by putting black bars on them. On my PDX-10, which does letterbox on its 3.5" LCD, I've realized it would be nice to have letterboxing as a menu selectable option instead of all the time. It can be pretty hard to focus through the viewfinder and LCD screen for starters, and at least for focus judgement it would be nice to use the whole surface of the screen.

well, if I have the choice of only one of the options , I'll take the full 16x9 image . the one thing that's turning me off about the gs400 is it compresses the image , which for me makes it almost impossible to compose. I'm still keeping my options open ( the PDX10 is still in the running ) and waiting for more info on the panasonic but these little canons are sooo cool, especially with the reports on the optura 300 being so good. Of course I'd love a new XL2 but it's a minimum investment of $7 K ( the 3x is a necessity ! ) and the 500 will probably come in for less than $800 which makes holding off for a new HDV more feasible- thanks

I can't wait until these LCD camcorder displays actually are 16:9 in shape. No more letterboxing! Except there will have to be side mattes for 4:3, I guess.

well Chris, I think we'll have to wait for HDV for that but have ya'll seen the Lilliput 7 inch wide screen monitors. They sell on ebay for about $250. They're 12 volts so you'd probably need a battery belt but they have 480 lines and s video in. I've thought about trying to rig those on cameras like the Xi or gs400. Another solution could be the olympus wide screen eyetreks. Very expensive but sooo cool.

Well little 16:9 color LCD screens do exist, my StreetPilot 2620 GPS has one! Resolution is pretty low however...

Boyd - look at www.lilliputweb.net - model # 619GL-70NP - 800x480x3 pixels - ntsc & pal - vga thru usb or s video . These are going on ebay for about $220 plus shipping from Hong Kong . I discovered these thru www.diyaudio.com . People are using these to make homemade lcd projectors. they can also be used for small computer monitors or lcd screens for car entertainment systems. Kurth

That is pretty cool - they look like a "real" version of the QuickTime player :-) Too bad you have deal with the import and eBay stuff. 480 lines is higher res than I've seen on most of these small monitors.

You can buy them in the US too , they're just more expensive. they also make a 4:3- 8 " vga model that's around $325. Concerning ebay , living in mexico , it's a great way to buy . I've made about 75 purchases and never had a problem. In fact the lilliput is on my list- maybe in a couple of months. I'll let you know how it does for a camera display. glad you enjoyed- Kurth

Is the Optura 500 like the 300 in image quality? Same CCD's?

Exact same 2mp CCD in the Optura 500 / 400 / 300, Optura Xi, and Optura 40 / 30. Hope this helps,

Regarding 16:9 displays, I'm still looking for a very small one, like a 4" model or even a bit smaller.

Chris- check out www.china-tft.com -maybe there's something there - I've seen alot of smaller lcds' but they're 4:3 - maybe 5.6 " is the smallest 16:9. Kurth

Related question about 400/500 LCD
 

The Canon site lists the 500 with a higher resolution LCD than the 400; 211,000 vs 123,00 pixels. Does anyone know if this is true, or is it just a typo?

I'm in the process of helping my mother find a camcorder, and the Optura 400/500 is a top condender at the moment. Of the two I have been leaning towards the 400 since the added features of the 500 wouldn't be of much use to her. However, if the 500 really has a higher resolution LCD, that could make all the difference! As someone mentioned, it can be hard getting good focus with these little LCD's, especially when in 16:9 mode.

Thanks

Jeff - do you think your Mom will be manually focusing ? If in autofocus mode , then she will only need the lcd for composition. The 400 is cheaper .

Kurth,

No, she probably won't use the manual focus or most of the other manual features for that matter. So you make a good point - maybe she won't really need the extra detail. But I'm still concerned about the LCD. My point of reference is my Optura 100MC which I always felt had marginal LCD resolution. The 400's LCD pixel count is a lot less than mine (while the 500 is a bit more). And when shooting in 16:9 mode, the situation would be even worse (she does plan on shooting 16:9).

I'll have to think about this one a bit more. The other features of the 500 over the 400 are of no real value to her, so I was originally thinking that the less expensive version would be more appropriate for her. Until I thought of the LCD question that is!

One more LCD question while I'm at it: How viewable can I expect the LCD display to be in sunlit conditions? And would the 400 or 500 likely be better? I ask because my 100MC is rather bad. I'm not sure if its always been that way or it has gotten worse. But its a real pain.

Thanks

Jeff- I've got a sony dvcam ( pd100a ) and the lcd in sunlight is almost impossible to use and also my sony hi8s' lcd is the same. I think it's a universal problem. Seems I've read that some brands lcd's are better than others but I couldn't say which. In sunlight I use the viewfinder- simple. good luck - I think your Mom will be more than happy with either. Kurth

LCD's are getting better, brighter and have higher contrast. My PDX-10 screen is much brighter and easier to view in full light than my VX-2000 screen for example. Of course you can also add an LCD hood which is an inexpensive way to make it usable in the bright sun. Probably not something that "Mom" will want however! ;-)

<< The Canon site lists the 500 with a higher resolution LCD than the 400; 211,000 vs 123,00 pixels. Does anyone know if this is true, or is it just a typo? >>

It's not a typo. The difference in the LCD display pixel counts is one of the upsale features of the 500 over the 400.

Chris,
Are you absolutely sure that the Elura 70 letterboxes the 16x9 on the LCD? I have read several users who claim it does not and that is a benefit of getting a newer elura 80-85-90 so that you have this feature. Your Optura vs Elura review states that it letterboxes it also. I am about to buy the Elura 70 but this is a make or break feature for me.

Help!
thanks

Can anyone verify that the Elura 70 does indeed letterbox the 16x9 on the LCD? I am getting varying reports where several users complain about the lack of this feature. However Chris says in his comparison that it does properly letterbox the image. Everyone makes a mistake from time to time and I want to confirm this before buying a camera that I cannot use.

Thanks All,
Marty

Marty, the Elura 70 has been discontinued and is no longer current. Are you sure that's the camcorder you want? I'm sure it has a letterboxed display but since it's no longer available, I have no way to check it.

Chris,
Because it is discontinued it is very affordable. The newer Elura 80 does not have microphone in or a hot shoe and comes with a smaller battery. The Elura 70 comes with a much bigger battery, a wide angle adapter and has the hotshoe and mic inputs. IT will cost about the same as the elura 80. The theory is that the actual CCD design has not changed in the newer models so the image should be just as good on the 70. The only question I have is if the LCD letterboxes the footage. If you have tried one first hand and actually seen it then I believe you. I just was making sure that you weren't confusing it with the Optura you reviewed.

I have read over on the ELura forum at camcorderinfo.com and several owners claim that the one thing they don't like about the 70 is the stretched LCD image in 16x9 (which contradicts what you are saying) and that is the one big benefit of the newest ELuras 80/85/90.

LEt me know if you are sure. IF you have any good reason that I should not get the 70 let me know also.

THanks,
Marty

I've used both the 70 and 65 at the store (they were on my potential purchase list at the time) and they do indeed letterbox the 16:9 image.

Philip Williams
www.philipwilliams.com

Hi Marty,

When it's me vs. some other site on the web... believe me.

When it's me vs. another DV Info Net member... believe the other DV Info Net member.

Hope this helps,

As a rule that works! Just wanted to be sure.