Has anyone got a 600/650 with updates yet? at DVinfo.net

Rod Pike · January 9th, 2013, 03:34 PM

Hi all,
Thinking about the 600 as an alternative to my Panasonic ac160A. (Long zoom-slow focus). I am very interested to hear about the real life performance of the auto focus , especially the speed at max zoom between near/ far targets. And what difference the firmware updates made to the focussing. JVC state "improved focussing", what in real life was improved for any user?

My Panny has recently had a new lens and servo assembly to correct some vagaries, but it still has a dissapointing slow auto focus. This JVC looks very exciting and I would love to know more. There are no dealers down here in Dunedin, so I can't play with one, so would appreciate any feedback.
Cheers!
Rod

Jody Arnott · January 10th, 2013, 05:35 AM

I got sick of waiting to hear about how this camera actually performs - so I bought one. It should arrive mid next week.. so will let you know my thoughts as soon as possible :)

Glen Vandermolen · January 10th, 2013, 10:46 AM

I can't wait to hear your report, Jody!

Rod Pike · January 10th, 2013, 04:10 PM

Great Jody, full review please!
If you can find the time I would love to see the following test: Using auto focus on max zoom on say 2 high contrast targets (I used a couple of test charts) set targets at 12metres and 3 metres, and have them almost in line so the pan is minimal. This is a challenging test and the panasonic 160 is very slow- Panasonic say this is because of the laws of physics on the large zoom. I am desperate to see whether JVC have got round this apparent problem.

Can't wait to see some feedback on this JVC. Like you, I have been searching for user feedback and it is pretty thin on the ground!
Cheers!
Rod

Michael Warren · January 10th, 2013, 06:22 PM

Rod, just as another data point for you, I used a Canon XH-A1S over Christmas. It's 1/3" with a 20x lens.

Although I used it on full manual most of the time, I did experiment with the AF and found it to be quite slow at the tele end of the zoom. It also sometimes missed the focus on things I felt it should have been able to lock on to. It behaved much better when zoomed out to 12x or less.

From that, I'm really not expecting the 600 or 650 to be all that much different to the 160.

There's a bit of long end focusing on the HM600 in this video:

The thing that worries me more about it is I can see the IOS jumping quite badly. I'm hoping this is a pre-release model and that's been fixed.

Eric Olson · January 10th, 2013, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Warren

From that, I'm really not expecting the 600 or 650 to be all that much different to the 160.

Although I have not personally shot with the AC130/160. From what I understood, the unexpected problem with the auto focus of that camera was its tendency to "get bored" and wander out of focus after a few minutes of shooting a stationary subject from a fixed tripod. Taking a little while to find the focus at high zoom is expected.

Rod Pike · January 10th, 2013, 07:30 PM

Thanks for the feedback Mike, nice to chat again. Yes I suspect you might be right, but wouldn't it be great to see a rapid snap focus on auto.

Eric, the "bored focus" thing seemed to be an affliction of the 1st generation 130 and 160. I suspect that the "A" updates fixed that issue (although it was never acknowledged as an issue by Panasonic), as mine is a 160A and has never deviated once locked on.

I did however have a problem with mine which related to inconsistent lock on and had a replacement lens and servo assembly replaced under warranty. However it is still quite slow on auto focus and this may well be a characteric of such long lenses.

January 9th, 2013, 03:34 PM	#1
Rod Pike Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: new zealand Posts: 52	Has anyone got a 600/650 with updates yet? Hi all, Thinking about the 600 as an alternative to my Panasonic ac160A. (Long zoom-slow focus). I am very interested to hear about the real life performance of the auto focus , especially the speed at max zoom between near/ far targets. And what difference the firmware updates made to the focussing. JVC state "improved focussing", what in real life was improved for any user? My Panny has recently had a new lens and servo assembly to correct some vagaries, but it still has a dissapointing slow auto focus. This JVC looks very exciting and I would love to know more. There are no dealers down here in Dunedin, so I can't play with one, so would appreciate any feedback. Cheers! Rod

January 10th, 2013, 05:35 AM	#2
Jody Arnott Major Player Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Hamilton, New Zealand Posts: 747	Re: Has anyone got a 600/650 with updates yet? I got sick of waiting to hear about how this camera actually performs - so I bought one. It should arrive mid next week.. so will let you know my thoughts as soon as possible :)

January 10th, 2013, 10:46 AM	#3
Glen Vandermolen Space Hipster Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,596	Re: Has anyone got a 600/650 with updates yet? I can't wait to hear your report, Jody!

January 10th, 2013, 04:10 PM	#4
Rod Pike Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: new zealand Posts: 52	Re: Has anyone got a 600/650 with updates yet? Great Jody, full review please! If you can find the time I would love to see the following test: Using auto focus on max zoom on say 2 high contrast targets (I used a couple of test charts) set targets at 12metres and 3 metres, and have them almost in line so the pan is minimal. This is a challenging test and the panasonic 160 is very slow- Panasonic say this is because of the laws of physics on the large zoom. I am desperate to see whether JVC have got round this apparent problem. Can't wait to see some feedback on this JVC. Like you, I have been searching for user feedback and it is pretty thin on the ground! Cheers! Rod

January 10th, 2013, 06:22 PM	#5
Michael Warren Major Player Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Cairns, Australia Posts: 215	Re: Has anyone got a 600/650 with updates yet? Rod, just as another data point for you, I used a Canon XH-A1S over Christmas. It's 1/3" with a 20x lens. Although I used it on full manual most of the time, I did experiment with the AF and found it to be quite slow at the tele end of the zoom. It also sometimes missed the focus on things I felt it should have been able to lock on to. It behaved much better when zoomed out to 12x or less. From that, I'm really not expecting the 600 or 650 to be all that much different to the 160. There's a bit of long end focusing on the HM600 in this video: JVC GY-HM600 TEST HDTV.mp4 - YouTube The thing that worries me more about it is I can see the IOS jumping quite badly. I'm hoping this is a pre-release model and that's been fixed. __________________ -Mike http://mike-warren.net

January 10th, 2013, 07:30 PM	#7
Rod Pike Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: new zealand Posts: 52	Re: Has anyone got a 600/650 with updates yet? Thanks for the feedback Mike, nice to chat again. Yes I suspect you might be right, but wouldn't it be great to see a rapid snap focus on auto. Eric, the "bored focus" thing seemed to be an affliction of the 1st generation 130 and 160. I suspect that the "A" updates fixed that issue (although it was never acknowledged as an issue by Panasonic), as mine is a 160A and has never deviated once locked on. I did however have a problem with mine which related to inconsistent lock on and had a replacement lens and servo assembly replaced under warranty. However it is still quite slow on auto focus and this may well be a characteric of such long lenses.