vx2100, pd170 users, some questions

[Chris Barcellos]

I've shot some real estate video with the VX2000. You will need a Wide angle adapter on most any camera, to do justice to a room. Unless you have a real expensive wide angle adapter, you will likely be dealing with barrel distortion, but it is acceptable in most situations. As far as use for internet video, there is no issue with respect to using VX or PD cameras. Given the low light capabilities, you can shoot night shots in the home to convey that feel too.

[J. Stephen McDonald]

Originally Posted by Don Bloom

???? Noise Reduction for video? I'm sorry but in over 7 years of using PD150s and 170s as well as DSR250s and other cameras I've not ever seen a video noise reduction setting on those cameras. NOR have I ever heard of or seen a video noise reduction setting for the VX series.

Both the VX series and the PD series (PD150-VX2000 and PD 170-VX2100) use the same electronics,chips and glass-there is no difference in the inards of those cameras.

Perhaps you could clarify this as I've used the PDs and DSR at as much as 15db gain and had pretty clean footage but if there IS a video noise reduction setting (again I've never seen it but...) I would love to know about it.

Don

I don't know of a user-adjustable setting for the noise-reduction on either model, but all modern camcorders have an NR system as part of their fundamental signal processing. The VX2100 was given a different NR feature and this has been debated and substantiated by users on this forum in the past. There's been a couple of contributors who owned both that model and a PD170 and reported a distinct edge in video quality in extreme low-light situations for the VX2100. I've never used a PD170, so maybe those people will reappear and describe this again. I never cease to be amazed at what my VX2100 will do at sunset and even afterward.

Here's a link to a thread where I posted a J-PEG shot with my VX2100, taken 8 minutes after sunset. Video footage tends to be even better in dim light, as the mechanical shutter used for J-PEG stills tends to limit the exposure more. This was shot with a Raynox 2.2X telex for a total of 950mm. Although the auto gain obviously was working at a high level, it didn't cause the white heads and bodies of the Buffleheads to bloom, as I'd expect from many camcorders.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=87327

[Don Bloom]

Built in I get but I read the post as a user adjustable. As for the 2100 being better in low light than the 170 again, everything inside is the same. Absolutely the same so maybe it's wishful thinking or the way LCD was set (bad way to judge color or exposure but when it's all you got...) and frankly in the years I've been on this forum I have never read a post about the 2100 being better in low light than the 170 OR the 2000 better than the 150. They are the same cameras inside. Chips, glass and electronics. As I'm sure you are aware the biggest difference between the 2000 and 2100 and the 150 - 170 was the DSP to lower the lux to 1 from 2. There were of course other differences of course but this was the one everyone got all excited about.

I have shot work with a friend of mine who uses a 2100 and there has been zero difference in footage. Good light, bad light whatever light the quality of the footage has been identical.

I've shot alot of sports and news at night without additional lighting and frankly it no longer surprises me at the quality the 170 provides in adverse lighting conditions-I take it for granted.
Don

[Ray Bell]

According to some folks reporting that the new low light king is no longer
the PD170... they claim that the EX1 is better.... but it should be at those
prices and hardware...