Short first impression from GS200
 

Hi all,
I just thought to share my impression from the GS200. For long I didn't even step in a electronic shop but yesterday I did and my attention was drawn by the new models.

What I liked:
+ New mode dial seaprate from the power key. I wished this for long. Now you can set up the mode, then power up not passing through the recording mode each time and waiting for the the tape and WB to adjust.
+ very nice higher resolution, sharp and vivid viewfinder - lovely!!!
+ I have the impression it has slightly better EIS than the GS70
+ sleek even slightly smaller body than GS70

Disliked:
- the menu and menu dial are now behind the LCD - you have to open it to be able to use the menu options (Sony like???)
- no swith for entering manual mode on the outer body. GS70 had it in inconvinient place (under your palm) but still it had it. Now you have to enter the menu to switch modes I guess.

Anybody correct me if I'm wrong - I really haven't delved deeply to find more.

See this thread for Allan's excellent review (in 2 parts):

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=22550

OK, as this thread is geting some more hits I decided to review my info as it is WRONG in my last Dislike point.

I wanted to edit the message but had to contact the admin so decide to save time and post the edit separately.

So actaully I've been very unconcentrated last time.
Reading Allan's exelent preview in the thread pointed from Frank is recomended for overview of any of the upcoming new models I think. Even the new GS400 would cary these characteristics of the new operation layout (with some extras).

So on the point - the cam has auto/manual/manual focus switch on exactly the place I wrote it's missing.

What I couldn't find out for the short time holding the cam was how to change the shutter, iris, etc. once you enter the manual mode?

There's no need to edit your post. They were your first impressions. Perhaps Allan can answer your other questions:

Under manual mode, pressing the middle button on the cross-arranged buttons one at a time will display WB, shutter speed, iris and gain in that order. You can manually change the settings by pressing on the left or right arrow keys. Notice that you only need to press those buttons one at a time to change setting of WB and shutter speed while 2 presses (of the same button) are required to change the values of iris and gain.

Frank, thanks for the words!

Allan, my attention was to my kid running somewhere in the shop so I just pressed Menu button which presented me with the menu of coarse.

I really like the new mode dial and easier menu scrolling and layout.

My complain though stays - You can't do any manual adjustment now if you use only the viewfinder. What's worse is that now this device is sharper and better than before and you can't explore it fully. I asume even the not released yet GS400 will have similar layout whit all the pluses and minuses coming with that.

On the positive side is the new function for the LCD display for outdoors. As I set up my display without the AI and normal brightnes it's practically unusable for outside. This new models make it easy to brighten up temporary for such bright light situations (instead of using the viewfinder as I do).

Quick question,
I've been reading the posts on the gs200 and could not find any info on the release date. Does anyone know when we can expect this in the US? I already see some web sites advertising the product but no date on when it will be in stock. Thanks.

Also a second question. If you were to choose between the gs200 and the sony hc85, what would you do?

If you're willing to pay for the price of the HC85, you'd better consider the 953.

Hi,
I'm new here, so at first greetings to all. Fantastic board, with really good information you have made here.

I've seen a NV-GS120 today at a german store (998,-¤).
And i have to say, the new EIS (now so called SIS) made a quite good job. I know that this will be worse if the contrast in the picture fades, but I could zoom 10x and had still a stable view without any shaking.
And I have to add that with my NV-MX300 i could not do this at 12x zoom (firmware update already made).

In a german paper ("video aktiv digital"04/2004) I saw also a comparison of the low light quality of the GS200 and GS70 at 20 Lux. Result: The GS70 made really a bad dark and colorless picture, the GS200 made a much better job. Picture was still colorfull and had good contrast.
They also tested the whole performance and gave really good comments about the video quality also.

So because I like the small formfactor of that cam, i thing about buying a GS200.

Next week I'm in Kuala Lumpur at a job. Tha's why I want to know if the NV-GS200 is already available in Malaysia or Singapore and if yes, what is the actual market price there?
And if somebody knows, where in Kuala Lumpur i can buy it then.
(I'm from germany and don't know KL, I never was there before)

Can anybody help?

It has only been released in Japan so far. In other parts of the world, soon (meaning, shortly). :-))

Ok, in Japan and Germany :-)
I really could get it here right now!

So, then I have to buy it in Germany i guess

Thanks

Welcome to dvinfo, Meinolf! And another MX300 owner to boot! So the German version has German menus? I wish I would have kept up my German.

Hi Meinolf,

I would go for the PAL cam you would get in Germany. Not sure what was the system in Malaysia.

My inpression from long time ago when I was in to it is that generally the EIS is slightly better working than the OIS on the Pany cams. This is if you are just looking for stability.
I explain this with the small lens and technical difficulties for the OIS using such small lens. It's less stable at 10x than the EIS in my opinion, and it bounces at the smallest hand shake.

On the other hand if you look closer on the picture with EIS you can find some color imperfections as well as other defects when panning or moving quicker the cam (color bleeding, etc.) Also the EIS gets disabled at lower light levels and when the gain hits 9dB or more. It's not working while zooming too (Sony's are better in that respect).

Pictures of the GS200 are available here.

German menu language? No, that piece i had in hand was in english (i guess, because words like "display", "zoom", "LCD", ... are the same in a german version anyway. So it wouldn't be very helpfull to keep up your german:-)).
But probably you can switch somewhere the language, i don't know.