VF & LCD - is it really that bad?
 

I don't want to jump into conclusions, hence the question...

Today I had a chance to try out the HD100U at a dealer here in western Canada and I was quite pleased with the images on an HD monitor. However, the VF and the LCD looked pretty bad, very low rez, aliasing, and mainly the colours were going into a slight brown-green hue. A skin tone that looked great on an HD monitor was dark dirty burgundy on the VF and LCD. I didn't find any colour adjustments for the VF and the LCD, please, let me know if there are any (other than the brightness and contrast). Following that I went to a SONY dealer and took another look at the Z1U. What a difference!

So, the question is: is it just the demo unit they had here or are they all like this? Thanks.

They are NOT like this. Why was the dealer even showing it? Find another dealer.

I don't even use the focus assist. I do it all with the VF, which is very good in my opinion.

The view finder is good enought and the colors are real. I also don't use the focus assist, the peaking is good.

Thanks for the feedback, I will find another unit/dealer to check it out. I couldn't believe that it would be that bad. Good to hear...

Tim, did you do the comparison test of the VF/LCD of the HD100 vs. FX1?
Curious to know the results...

Well, the FX1 LCD seems pretty hi-res and fairly accurate with colour and contrast. It is too bad its 16x9 because all of the information is superimposed over the image. I couldn't figure out how to get the peaking to work at the same time as the zebra, but it seemed pretty easy to focus with it.
However, as a general observation, I wouldn't say that it is much more accurate colour-wise than the LCD on the HD100. Neither LCD could be used as a substitute for a properly calibrated monitor (SD or HD.)

Thanks Tim,
yeah, there is no way of having peaking AND zebra on with the FX1 at the same time, I ran into that with the Z1U too. As for the comparison of the VF/LCD on both cameras, do I understand that you would see them fairly similar? In other words, my experience with the demo HD100 I saw being completely off is likely a case of faulty unit? Asking because I am about to place an order for mine...

Either the camera was defective, or the white point on the HD monitor was set incorrectly and that is why they looked completely different.
Did you find any other demo units to test in Vancouver?

No, I am actually some 400 km from Vancouver and I don't believe that there was (is) any other dealer than Commercial Electronics who carries the camera. I think that I will just take your word for it and make sure that the camera can be returned if there is a problem. I will see if it's okay when I go to pick it up anyway. In the meantime I will try to contact Dave Ferdinand and chat with him...

It's strange but I have the same "brown" o sepia touch on my monitor an viewfinder as well. I tried to correct it but there is no way. What do you think, damaged?

Anyone else? Some units only? Could anyone, please, put the HD100 side-by-side with Sony Z1U and compare the LCDs?

I had a Sony FX-1 too, and the LCD is waaaaaaay better on the Sony. I wish the HD-100 have a same LCD

Laszlo