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Old February 19th, 2004, 12:14 PM   #1
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GS100 In my Hands...Now what please?

Just got my GS100K through the wonder-services of pricejapan.com. Thank you please.

Now, i have a question about the modes for shooting.

It seems the best quality for doing video is Pro Cinema Mode with FRAME.

But what are the disadvantages?

Why would anyone every not use FRAME or not use Pro Cinema and choose regular Wide mode?
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Old February 19th, 2004, 01:48 PM   #2
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But what are the disadvantages?
This is mainly a frame mode (non-interlaced) verses interlaced question. Interlaced looks smoother with motion, especially with fast motion.
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Old February 19th, 2004, 02:34 PM   #3
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If you prefer the "film look" on DV, then this is the mode for you. The basic criticism of frame mode is that there is a loss of resolution from normal mode. However, this resolution loss is not a lot, about 40 lines, and is often indiscernable from normal mode.

The criticism of DV widescreen (anamorphic squeeze) is the same, that there is a loss of resolution. One most often hears this from those folks who are using DV cameras that actually lose resolution in widescreen mode...GL2, XL1S, VX2000, etc. In fact, the gurus out there will tell you emphatically widescreen on cameras like the DV953, PDX10, Optura Xi and GS100 is worse than crop and stretch without ever having investigated the quality of this mode on these cameras. To them, it is a fact simply because their cameras lose resolution, they use the "best" cameras, ergo, all anamorphic squeeze modes are bad.

Actually, I don't want to hammer the above folks too much. Often, they are shooting for distribution in both 4:3 and 16:9. In order to do that most efficiently, they shoot in 4:3 and crop for 16:9. It is a lot easier to do that than try to turn a 16:9 into a good looking 4:3. Plus, most of their customers prefer 4:3 because it matches their displays.
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Old February 19th, 2004, 08:56 PM   #4
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From a strictly amateur point of view: you can't use the "smoothing" function of the 100k while in pro cinema mode. If you try, it automatically switches to wide mode. Just something to keep in mind should you decide you want to use pro cinema all the time and suddenly find yourself in a situation where you want to use "smoothing." You'll have to remember to switch back later. (If I remember correctly, invoking "smoothing" also kicks off frame mode, and that you can't return to by just pressing a button. You have to go into the menu. Could be annoying if you want to use frame mode all the time.)

Oops. Take that back. It will kick back to frame mode automatically when you re-invoke pro-cinema mode.

Enjoy.
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Old February 19th, 2004, 09:28 PM   #5
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What do you mean by "smoothing" Pat?

I personally prefer interlaced wide mode.
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Old February 20th, 2004, 01:07 PM   #6
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Allan, "smoothing" is just the word I use for "nameraka," the enhanced mode for low-light shooting. I use it all the time (grain and all) because of shooting family events. Because it won't work in pro-cinema mode, I end up never using pro-cinema. Not enough of a tekkie to want to grapple with matching up footage when I edit.
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Old February 21st, 2004, 09:35 AM   #7
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Pat, I just re-viewed some of the footages I shot using smooth color night mode and I must say that I really like that feature. If you can manage to keep your hand steady enough, or use a tripod, medium to low light video is better than OK, IMO (my TV is a 32 inch Wega widescreen), not to mention that you achieve quasi film-look (jerky motion).

If you have seen how totally useless the color night mode of the MX5K/953 is, you'd appreciate the improvement that Pany has made on this particular feature.
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Old February 21st, 2004, 02:51 PM   #8
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where do i find the smooth color night mode??? is it the same as the imagic button? (night view button)?
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Old February 21st, 2004, 05:33 PM   #9
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It's the button on the left side of the STOP/FADE button.

I don't know what imagic does, but only the GS100 has the SMOOTH night mode.
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Old February 22nd, 2004, 02:06 AM   #10
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Bottom line: the gs100k is a great cam. Went to a family wedding today. Held outdoors, very bright (and hot) sunlight. There was a team doing video (two videographers, one shooting handheld on a small Sony of some kind and the other definitely using a vx2000 on a tripod, and a still photographer). They worked quickly and did a fast edit of the actual wedding ceremony footage and showed it at the end of the reception (no actual voices, though, too tough to edit quickly, I think, given the wind, the cutting, etc.). I shot footage too (yes, I was careful to keep out of the way of the pros) and just looked at it. I don't know if it's because of the editing (they used final cut pro 4) or the cams, but I think it's probably the cams: the footage from the 100k just blew away the other stuff - which was definitely professional, but in a lot of instances the colors looked like flat paint had been used. (When my footage looks wrong colorwise, I know it's me. But what's the reason when you're a pro? Should be the cam, right?)

I'd be interested in seeing their reception footage, too, because that was held indoors. No extra lighting on cam for the vx2000, from what I could see. Well, the footage from the 100k, when I finally decided to stop fiddling with trying to use just the regular setting and went to "smoothing" mode, is very nice indeed - even without the tripod. I'm especially pleased with what I got of the cake cutting ceremony and the first dance.

Haven't regretted yet jumping on the bandwagon after seeing your review last year, Allan. Please don't tell me about some great successor cam, though. I can't afford it.
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Old February 22nd, 2004, 10:39 AM   #11
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quote
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Actually, I don't want to hammer the above folks too much. Often, they are shooting for distribution in both 4:3 and 16:9. In order to do that most efficiently, they shoot in 4:3 and crop for 16:9. It is a lot easier to do that than try to turn a 16:9 into a good looking 4:3. Plus, most of their customers prefer 4:3 because it matches their displays
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Guy,

Do you know a way to make 16:9 to 4:3 ?
I don't have a 16:9 television yet, and a lot of people I know don't. But, they and we will have one in the near future of course. So I would like to start shooting in 16:9 with my mx500 -Thanks folks, it was this forum that led me to this camera!- but then put it on dvd with a choice between 16:9 or 4:3 but without the black bars in the top. Reading and searching for some weeks now, but it almost seems impossible.
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Old February 22nd, 2004, 04:15 PM   #12
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Ritro,
Sure, it's pretty easy if you don't mind letterbox. Just leave your footage in 16:9 and author your DVD making sure to have your authoring program create it in DV widescreen. All the DVD players will letterbox the video on 4:3 displays just like a commercial DVD movie (because it is made the same way). When you show it on 16:9, you will get the full screen. This way, it is compatible with 4:3 and 16:9, just with black bars above and below on 4:3.

If this won't work, then you will have to do pan and crop on the 16:9 picture in your editing program. I suggest just cutting off the right and left edges of the picture. In other words, make a 4:3 frame that is at the full height of and centered on your 16:9 frame. This is basically what motion picture companies do to convert widescreen pictures for 4:3 network television. The problem with this is that it will be displayed "pillar boxed" (black bars on the sides) on 16:9 TVs unless you later go back and reauthor your original footage.
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Old February 23rd, 2004, 04:27 AM   #13
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Thanks Guy,

It is not so easy as I thought, but I think I am in the wrong thread with this.
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