Panasonic PV-GS400 Design Flaws
 

Sometimes I use the PC to edit videos, but for short videos, I like to use my DVD-Recorder, therefore I bought the GS400 because it features many in-camera digital effects. Unfortunately, since we are paying for them, they should have been designed with more thought:

1) I use the viewfinder rather than the LCD to keep the camera steady against my face. With the FADE button on the side, I have to open the LCD Door to fade in or out. That surely creates camera shake! Surprisingly, there is no FADE control on the narration mic remote OR the wireless remote!
I use a DVD Recorder to edit, not a PC. There are plenty of effects on this camera for in-camera editing, but what do others do about the FADE issue?

2) The WIPE and MIX effects are very professional looking, but usually, we want to use them between major scenes. For example, if you are at an attraction at Disney, you would set the MIX on the final scene of the attraction, and want the first scene of the next attraction to dissolve from that one. Since the camera times out after 5 mins, and the stored pic is lost, this function seems useless. MIX or FADE within an attraction would get very boring. Note that professional movies dissolve between major scenes, not within a scene! Why didn't Panny store the saved pic on the card, and retrieve it after turning the camera on and off. This is a bug which Panny has kept on their cams for years!

3) There is no mention on the forum about the MULTI-P-N-P and the TITLE function. I tried them both. Not sure what I would use the Multi-Pic one for. Anyone have suggestions? The TITLE one works well when there is contrast on the document used. I used a PDA to write a title and it worked very well! I have no problem with either of these, just looking to see what others think of them.

4) Doesn't it seem odd that MIX and WIPE are on a menu and SOFT SKIN is done by a button? Seems like there are more useful things than those on the buttons.

5) The narration mic should have an on/off slide switch and clip onto the camera so the MIC faces the photographer. You could then use it ... hands-free!

6) We should have the option of viewing the viewfinder and LCD in a letter box format when using the WIDE mode, as Cinema mode does. That would be better than the vertically shrunk view which we get.

I don't use digital effects even on PC, so I don't care. I think Panasonic should remove all digital effects and lower the camera price instead.

Barry, I think a lot of people actually don’t use the onboard effects and simply do them in post. It’s so much easier! I would assume the design flaws you see probably do not matter at all to a majority of users.

I would also prefer to have a 16:9 display on the LCD in Wide mode. Panasonic has already addressed that in their newer cams, like the GS150 and GS250.

Regards,

Francois, does the GS150 and GS250 offer a wider angle of view in 16:9 mode? I thought thy were just letterboxed (non anamorphic squeeze) which would explain why they look proper on the 4:3 LCD. The Sony DSR-PDX10 has a HQ anamorphic widescreen mode that is shown properly on its 4:3 LCD (photo below)

Click here for illustration

Does the GS400 leave the widescreen footage anamorphically squeezed on the LCD/VF?

Tommy,
The GS150/250 both offer anamorphic squeeze. The GS150 offers a wider angle of view. The GS250 is crop and zoom (almost identical to the DV953). Both show a letterboxed 16:9 image on their LCD/EVFs. The GS400's anamorphic image is stretched vertically on its LCD/EVF.