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-   -   Give it up, Allan. (https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/panasonic-dv-mx-gs-series-assistant/12492-give-up-allan.html)

Frank Granovski July 27th, 2003 01:09 AM

Give it up, Allan.
 
You've been around playing with the Japanese toys---some of it doesn't even the North American shelves. So I'm asking, what's your favourite hand-held, or the one you think is best overall? Huh? Come on..., give it up.

Allan Rejoso July 27th, 2003 07:39 AM

Single chippers: I haven't seen anything better than the Optura100 (in terms of video quality).

JVC color is too flat for my taste. Sony is too bluish and/or yellowish for my taste.

HD1 DOESN'T turn me on (no matter what the experts say).

For 3-CCDs, GS100K (the black beauty), XV2 (the black GL2). I do not consider the 2 to be of same level, but I would very much love to have both.

What about you Frank?

Nick Kerpchar July 27th, 2003 08:10 AM

Allan,
So are you saying that in your opinion, the GL2 is a good alternative to the GS100K ?

Nick

Allan Rejoso July 27th, 2003 09:12 AM

Actually, it's the other way around for me.

The GL2 is my dream cam, but may be an overkill for my application. For the most part, I'm just an ordinary home video guy, although I want the best video quality that the wife will give consent to buying.

K. Forman July 27th, 2003 09:19 AM

Allen- The trick is, to get the go ahead on a lower model. Then, go shopping WITHOUT the wife, and buy what you wanted originally. When you get home, tell her they were out of the lower model, but you got THIS for just a bit more...

She'll be miffed, and you'll sleep on the couch for a while. But she will forgive you eventually... sort of. You WILL hear about this, and many other things, for years to come. But, you get what you want!

All of this works really well if you have a very comfy couch. If not, you may want to get that first :)

Allan Rejoso July 27th, 2003 09:31 AM

Great advise Keith. Our sofa bed is very comfortable so I should be ready in case.

But actually, we are a family of shooters, including my soon to be 10-year old daughter (otherwise, I will never be able to appear in our home videos), so I have to consider that as well. Until she grows big enough to handle poker cams weighing more than 1.2 kgs, I think I should stick with more compact and well balanced ones...she has no problem at all with our Optura100, and she handles the GS100 very well. YES, they allow kids to play with cams in Jap stores.

Cheers

Samuel Raj July 27th, 2003 11:26 AM

To sum it up,

GS 100K -S OR B tops overall for an average consumer with affordable budget.

Sam

Frank Granovski July 27th, 2003 03:02 PM

Allan, my 2 favourite 3-chip hand-helds are the GL2 and PV-DV953. But if I could see a GS100, and have it in my hands, I would probably replace the 953 with the GS100. I also prefer black, but neither the GL2 nor the DV953 are black in North America. That's shameful. Canon and Pana should be flogged.

My favourite 1 chip hand-helds are the PV-DV852/MX1000/MX8 (N.A/Jap./PAL) and Optura 100MC. But I found the 852 a bit pokerish and the 100MC difficult to hold. For ergonomics, I like the Optura, Optura PI and JVC DVL9500. But for the most part I think the 100MC and 852 will take their rightful places in the history books. :)

K. Forman July 27th, 2003 03:23 PM

Sofa bed?!? Man I need to get one of those!

Don Berube July 27th, 2003 03:55 PM

I found the GS100K to be pretty noisy looking, especially in the chroma.

For the money and for what you want it for, I would try to get my hands on a new (if possible) or demo or used (and well-maintained with low hours) SONY TRV-900 over that Panny GS100K. You'll get MUCH better looking pix than what those GS100K 1/6" CCD's can output. You will probably pay less too and have some dough left over for a BeachTek and a Wide Angle adaptor. Heck, even a used GL1 would produce sweeter pix and cost you less.

Sheesh, spend a little more than that $1500 and get the SONY PDX-10. An associate of mine owns one and he swears by it. He uses it for all of his documentary work and it does look good. He showed me some footage and also let me look through the lens in a hotel ballroom and you know, I was impressed. 1/4" CCD's - forget about using 1/6" CCD's for your application. 1/6" CCD's are low end. And surprisingly, the PDX-10 even gives you *true* 16:9, not electronically-interpolated 16:9 like all of the other cams in this price range. Built-in XLR too.

Of course, the GL2 is even more affordable than before with Canon's $250 rebate. And you know that the GL2 is one heck-of-a-sweet camcorder with a full 30fps Frame Mode, a 58mm flourite-coated Canon L lens with a full 20X optical zoom (and not just a boring 12X zoom), ClearScan, 1.7mp progressive-scan capture imaging with SD card, image preset control including a fully-sweepable Black Level control, advanced accessory shoe, LANC control and full AVC implementation.

IMHO you are short-changing yourself with the 1/6" CCD's of the GS100K for $1500.

Just my $.02,

- don

Frank Granovski July 27th, 2003 04:10 PM

I don't know, Don. The MX3000 (& 350/PAL) has better playback footage than the TRV900. And the 953/MX5 footage is even cleaner with even higher resolution. The color saturation is richer with these Panas also. I played with the 953 several times now, and I would say it's a better cam than the TRV900---except perhaps in 2 areas: the TRV900 has the lower manual shutter settings and it is better in lower light. If someone walked up to me with these 2 cams and said, "here, Frank, pick one," it would be a no brainer for me. But if you need a cam with better "low light," I'd pick neither and snag a VX2000 instead (no brainer). :)


PS: depending on that time of the month (when I run out of coffee), I might say, "the hell with all of them," and go with a GL2 instead. (Too bad the black mamba GL2 is only available in Japan...like with Red Rose Tea being only available in Canada, or so they say.) On the other hand, if some bum gave me a TRV900, I'd say, "Thank you, sir. You are a gentleman." :)



-----------------------------
It's all Gothic to me.

Allan Rejoso July 27th, 2003 05:46 PM

Don,

The net cost of the GS100 is less than $1,100 (if you live or visit Japan).

Oh yes, the August edition of Video Salon (a Jap magazine) contains a review of the GS100K-K. Screenshot of widemode is pretty nice!

K. Forman July 27th, 2003 05:56 PM

What is the difference between the black GL2, and the regular US model?

Adrian Douglas July 27th, 2003 07:12 PM

The bottm line is the colour and the fact that all controls and menus are in Japanese. Over here it's called the XV2 and uses NTSC J which is as far as I can tell the same as the NTSC used in the States.

Frank Granovski July 27th, 2003 10:13 PM

The Broacast system in Japan is NTSC but ever so slightly different; a NTSC cam is a NTSC cam is a NTSC cam---they're all the same.


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