Who here own a GS100?
MX5 or PV-DV953?
MX350?
MX300/0?
Or other Pana hand-held?

I'll start it off with the MX300.

(Let's see all those Pana, non-DVX owners. Be proud! Be counted!)

PS: :)

Frank,
For GS 100 , have a look at GS100 owners association thread!

I keep updating !

I've been doing that...with envy. :)

I'm a MX5000 user; my cam supports Bluetooth and has the Skin-Tone feature. :)

I'm currently attempting to save up money for a DV953, does that count? :D

Other then that, I own a el cheapo DV52 ($350), and I should stop talking cr_p about it before it completely dies on me, the LCD already went dead. :)

Sure that counts. If it's a Pana hand-held, you're in the cult---er, club. :)

Hey Frank:

I just received the DV953 yesterday. I'm sure you've read that I had been interested in the GS100 but didn't want to deal with the Japanese menus. I also had an order in for the SONY PDX-10, but when the dealers started playing with me and didn't deliver, I said to myself, self.... "why spend that kind of money if you don't need to". I work in television and like good looking video. I easily could have had one of the guys I work with get me to the PDX-10, but it was still would have been about 1850.00 dollars. The DV953 came in at 1200.00.

My decision was quite simple, price point, english menus and duel usage with the 3MP stills. I also had to figure in family members using the camera. Since this is my first camcorder I am willing to deal with a "little" less quality over the PDX-10 and the GS100. This is still an outstanding camera and for the price you can't beat it. I truly would have prefered the GS100, but the only issue for me was the menus.

By the way... I had the camera out tonight at sunset here in Florida. It handled water and the setting sun very nicely. No vertical smear. I can assure you all that the "Gain Up" mode works very well in low light situations. I was in a VERY dark room yesterday where the sun only peaked through the closed blinds.... there was very little light behind me as I entered the room and went around a little nook. The camera handled the lower light very nicely in this mode which also takes you into manual focus automatically.

All in all I think I made the right decision based upon my needs and the usage I'm expecting.

$1200 US? Who'd you get it from? That's cheap!

For what's it's worth, I still think the DV953 is the best bang for the buck as far as 3-chip hand-helds go...unless you live in Japan. ;)

Here in Canada, they are over-priced, when you compare with what you can get them for in the US and Japan. It's a nice cam. The chuckmeister was right. Enjoy your new cam.

Thanks Frank..... I too believe it is the best bang for the buck. I really gave a lot of thought and wanted Allen to get me GS100, but it was the language thing that held me back. I can see that I was right because I'm using the menus a lot right now. I'm sure as I begin to memorize the menu locations it will become second nature, but I first had to learn it and think about other people using the camera.

I got the PV953 from Willoughby's Konica in New York for 1199.00.... they played games with me a little with regards to the shipping, but they did deliver what they said they had and they delivered it overnight on their dime. The order I had in for the PDX-10 was for about 1760.00 US and the dealer Central Video said they had it too.... but it never came and then they said it was backordered. I don't do business like that and I will not do business with people like that. As I mentioned, I could have gotten it from a colleague, but rethought the whole thing after these experiences and also reading about the PDX-10 vertical smearing which I didn't see anything about that with the Panasonics. I'm very happy with this decision and believe this will meet my every expectation.

Thanks for the good wishes.

$60 cheaper than mine. I ordered mine last year at pricejapan.com. Sure I could've bought it for $1230 if I had paid through Paypal, but I ended up paying about $1260 including Japanese tax and international shipping (since I chose bank wire transfering).

Hi Rick,

I'm happy you made your mind finally. I've met you on other forum too so I know your storry. Congratulations on the purchase.

The GS100 for example doesn't have the great Gain Up digital effect which appears to be hidden shutter speed control. From other user I learned it gives you 25 fps - something you can't achieve with GS100 despite it's improved low light capabilities.

Second main point for me is the dedicated mic input and mini system control (you can buy Pana tripod with remote on the handle). I think the last is not valid for the 953.

Because of family shared use I was almost going for GS70 but could convince my wife for the better - GS100 is a little bit bigger. MX5000 was a bit cheaper but already too big. If I work and need 2 point of views I would go not with second GS100 but with MX5000 because the size wouldn't matter.

Cheers, Bogie

I purchased my DV953 for $1,249.95US online at B&H Photo , NY. I used my American Express card with the "Best Value Guarantee" to price match at a lower price($1,099US) at a other store within 60 days. American Express refunded the difference up to $250US.
My final price was $!099US. I have done this before on other equipment.

This is my first camcorder. I was planning on buying a Sony 950(I wanted to start with the best procomsumer camcorder at reasonable price) and was researching thru Google and found your site(via Chuckmeister) among others. I started reading the forums and found your DVi community to be theee best. Finally after a few months I focused on the MX5000 but was unsure due to the Japanese menus. I was going to buy the MX5000 due to your postive comments but then the DV953 was released.

I continue to read this forum and have learned alot.

Thanks very much for the active support of all the members and to you Frank for your hard work to ensure that this forum survives.

Thanks Joel

and to you Frank for your hard work to ensure that this forum survives.

The only thing I do here is tell jokes. The members do the rest. :)

Hi Bogdan & Joel:

Just got back into town from a trip to Kansas City so I'm a little late in replying to you.

YES Bogdan thanks.... I'm glad I finally made the decision for the 953. Bogdan I also think I know which forum your speaking about. I only use 2 of them and really like this one more. There is one guy who seems to know his stuff on the other forum and he too was pretty helpful when making comparsions. The Gain Up mode is very nice and it works very well. I also read about it being 25fps on that forum which is a nice thing if you think about it. The size of the camera is a little bigger than I really wanted, but I feel it offers so much more than the GS70. It's all subjective and it's all what your looking for. I too compared size of the GS70 & DV953, but felt the difference wasn't too much. I know the GS100 is slightly smaller than the DV953... I guess Pansanic figured they could trim some unused space from the MX5000. That is one of the things I also like about the GS100.

Joel, I'm interested to know a little more about your AMEX deal. I only use AMEX and that is how I purchased my camera, but I'm so busy sometimes I never look into these deals. I wonder if I can do the same? Congratuations on your camera..... I think you'll be very happy with it. The quaility of this little guy is amazing expecially for the price. Now stop sucking up to Frank (SMILE) - it's bad enough we have to see his jokes here!!!! yuck yuck yuck.

By the way Joel.... I know Northridge very well. I have a good friend who lives there and I too used to live and work in LA. Except I worked on the lot at FOX and lived in Westwood. I miss LA and do get out there every so often with my work. Last time I was there was this past May and I was in Northridge for a little bit. Small world sometimes - or maybe I travel way too much.

Keep the posts coming ... we ALL learn from them and see some jokes once in a while too!

Cheers,

Rick.

Roll call???
Present!! LOL

yeah been a pana boy for afew years now.... started off with a funky old DS-88 single chipper which we bought in lieu of hiring a videographer for filming of our own wedding.
Incredible little monster at 800k with MP shots and this ws from about 2 and a half years ago...
I keep it as it has a better low light performance than MX500... albeit a litltle noisier , but 12gb gain up has no noise and is equivalent to the MX's 18+ with a slight loss in colouration.
We use this cam for cam for dancing as its fited with a raynox wide angled adapter.. really REALLY nice shots from a cam so old.. also doubles as the capture and backup deck.

We bought 2 of the MX's for wedings and even videography when we opened the business (I come from a strong post production background and it was quite easy getting into video from audio.. felt more like a natural progression)
MX500's were great... small, great colours, audio is incredible and is great for Dolby Digital work (were standardised froma whiile back so continuing that was important), especially with the VMS2e switchable mics... may be small, but obsolutely incredible for a trully discreet job.... and set properly more importantly, it didnt look like home video.

Incredible still picture output regardless of waht people say, interlaced or not, the pictures are GREAT. This comes in handy for wedding as we create slideshows from images taken on the day.

We sold one MX and imported our own DVX100e as prices here in Oz were too high too justify local purchase... I saved 4000 AUS by doing it this way

now for this camera, i can go on and on and on... and i can see how the GS100 has afew features which are only available to it (or the DVX) which will make me consider it when its released in Oz... then I'll prolly sell the MX for teh GS...
The DVX is the main cam, but during Ceremonies and speaches, its hooked up to the DS88 and the DS works as teh additional recorder for backups and tape interchanges. You can set the DVX to trigger recording on an external unit as your tape nears its end.. this is probably one of the most useful features i have ever had the pleasure of working with.. totally seemless.

I stuck with pana as theyre great cams... above all, theyre a good reliable company who constantly work to provide a product which excels in its promisess...

I cant say that about any other company (ie yamaha music *cack*)

oh and all batteries from each cam are interchangable... :)

"Gain Up digital effect which appears to be hidden shutter speed control. From other user I learned it gives you 25 fps - something you can't achieve with GS100 despite it's improved low light capabilities. "

Here in PAL land you can either use the gain up effect (manual focus) or the "Colour Night Shot" which runs at about 1/8 shutter (i think) at about 8 to 15 frames a second depending on lighting ...
Now some people say this is useless.. but at night, point it at a lit up bridge full zoom and whip it back out to macro and you get that beautifully distorted timelapsed look with flares of light... in post, you can just slow it down... great for scenery fills and special effects :)

"Second main point for me is the dedicated mic input and mini system control (you can buy Pana tripod with remote on the handle). I think the last is not valid for the 953."

Yes this is one of the best things about the MX... i can monitor a radio mic with no trouble.. with the GS, this is NOT audibly possible. the mic input also accepts stereo mics... but not inputs from an audio only source (RCA and MIC dont accept RCA line in while video is being recorded... ) which is a shame when wanting to connect to a mixing desk... i mean you can connect a radio mic form a desk to the mic input, but its mono..

Peter, thanks for all that great information, along with the story.We sold one MX and imported our own DVX100e as prices here in Oz were too high too justify local purchase... I saved 4000 AUS by doing it this wayYou saved $4000 Australian? Ouch! The DVX100 is THAT expensive Down-Under? Wow!

I've seen the DS88. It's a nice cam. There's a dealer here in Vancouver that only sells PAL electronics. He brings in Sonys and Panasonics. The Panas he sells come with an international warranty. I think 1 year. The Sonys, 3 months.

were lucky down here that our warrantys are 12 month as opposed to 3 months, however we are paying for it in other ways such as media, batteries and other accessories...

a Pana wideangled adapter for example is a little over $300 (still thinkin about purchase) but the VMS2e set me back $220 a piece.

I purchased the DVX from a trader on ebay.. i contacted his store directly and bypassed the auction, i did some homework on his business practices and in teh end, turned out to be one (if not THE) best customer service reps on the planet.
Here in Oz teh DVX retials for $8800 on its own with 12 month warranty (about $5,786.87 US according to currency converter on a good trading day)
Now to include 2 yrs awarranty ($350AUD) as wel as the shotgun XLR mic ($450) , your looking at an extra $800...

I payed $5600AUD including taxes, GST and import duties (bout $3600US) and i got 2 years extended warranty, as well as Pana shotgun mic in the package.

when you look at this, the money i have saved allows me to purchase another camera or even another workstation...
They wonder why people import theyre own goods, but there is NO jsutification for these prices...

With regard to technology and equipment, Roland and Yamaha for example use the "market demand" excuse, basically stating that for every 10 units sold in the US, only one is sold in Oz. So this in turn justifies a price rise inOz to make up $$ for that market loss (ie not many people buying them)...
Pana for example seem to be doing the same thing. And so does every other manufacturer... that and the fact that our import taxes are charged twice (during import as well as when they hit the shelves)

An XL1s is sold for 8000AUD here, and the PD150 about 7700AUD
GL2 is about 6 and the VX2000 approx the same..

Our tapes <DVM60> average about 10AUD (6US) MQ's are almost non existant and if your lucky enough you can find them retailing for approx $20AUD.

You wont find a battery les than $100 and retailers have NO idea what your talking about when you ask them to get some stock in for you (even WITH a model number)

There are afew suppliers who offer things cheap, then charge exhuberant prices on acessories... i once paid $660AUD for an 800w lowel tota lighting kit with fluro, 13ft manfrotto stand and brella... saw the same unit on a US website for about 320AUD which really REALLY annoyed me...

---->And finally, the worse thing about these prices is that here in Oz, videography isnt seen as an essential aspect of a wedding and our prices are usually less than half of what our US counterparts are charging...
I have seen US Videographers charge $3000US for a "standard" job, which here in Oz would equate to about $5500... we cant charge that here as its not viable for our market... as its been saturated with Photographers and everything else.. then theres the "industry awards watchdog", which in fact is a paid service by a business to this "awards watchdog" to list their names on a database of "reputable" business'... turns out most my work (re-editing, correction and re-mastering) comes from these guys... turns out theyre not as good as they claim they are..

Moving on...
For a full package, the average here is usually about $2500 to $3000AUD, this includes multiple DVD's, Stills on CDRom as well as mini movie/interviews etc etc... so its a big job for peanuts...
Im lucky though as i hav other advantages to most of the other videographers, however we still havent started advertising... and that too is a bit of a joke...

damn i ramble...

One day our Bridal industry will catch up I guess...

sorry to veer off topic...
okies, whos next!! LOL

<<<-- Originally posted by Rick Tugman :

Joel, I'm interested to know a little more about your AMEX deal...

By the way Joel.... I know Northridge very well...
-->>>

Rick

I would be glad to help you but I do not think I can respond here, since it doesn't relate to the forum subject. If you allow me to email you directly I can tell you specfic details I learned. You can see my profile to email directly.

Northridge is nice. I live near NE of Devonshire/Tampa.

The camera is of hi quality and has many professional features. I am having fun.
I still have to buy some accessories using suggestions discussed in this forum.

It is a small world.

Thanks Joel

Rick, I probably live less than ten mintues from you (just north and east of Parkland off of SW 18th).

I just emailed Yow Cheoh to get the ball rolling on ordering the MX500 with english menus.
I may want to get the 953 also since this is one of the rare times I can actually afford both and I should buy before something else comes up to take away the money.
If interested, we should hook up sometime.

I currently own a dv351 and it works great for a 1 chipper. So I guess I qualify for membership in the 'cult'.

Hi Joe,

So you haven't bought your new cam yet? I recall you'd rather not learn Japanese. But an the English MX500 side by side with a GS100 should make things a LOT easier!

Cheers
Allan

Hi Joe:

YES I know about where you are and your right it's not far from me. I just live a little further west near Heron Bay.

I took my DV953 out to the ballpark today and did a little testing during batting practice. All I can say is I am truly happy with the camera and it's performance. I viewed the tape on my SONY Wega (27 inch screen) and was quite impressed with the vivid colors which were very accurate. I think next time I'm working locally I'll bring the camera and put it on a scope and get some real playback information. I'm learing more and more about the camera and have been fooling with the Gain Up feature as I wrote about. I still want to work a little more in lower lighting but I am impressed with this camera from what I have seen so far.

If you would like to get together sometime I have no problem with that. Please feel free to e-mail me (no spam please :-) ) and let me know what might work for you.

If Yow Cheoh can't help you Allan might be able to assist you as well with your purchase. He is also very knowledgeable and has been very very helpful to many people here.

Talk with you soon.

Best,

Rick.

Joe, you can download the English MX500 manual here:

http://www.dvfreak.com/pana_mx5.htm

Rick, your email option is turned off in your profile, so here is
mine.....
tuffcom@adelphia.net
let me know...
Could you post the web site where you got such a great deal on yours? The local CC is charging full price.

Yow hasn't answered my email yet, and I don't think Allan can get the MX500 in Japan. I actually want the PAL version for a variety of reasons.
And with a good price, I can get the dv953 also.

Is the gs100 really that much better than the mx5K/dv953? Enough to take the trouble to learn a little Nippon?

the reason I hadn't bought yet was the sudden/unexpected need to put a new engine in my truck a few months ago.

Joe,
Ofcourse GS100 is many times better than MX5 or 953

see this

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10677&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

Sorry Joe.... don't know why my e-mail address is shut off here. I have written admin to see if it can be changed.

Anyway e-mail on the way to you about your questions.

Rick.

Joe,

Actually, I can get the PAL MX500 even in Tokyo but it's TOOOOOOOO expensive. Remember Warranty is valid international, EXCEPT in the U.S.A. and all NTSC world.

The GS100 is better than the MX5K but not SOOOOOOOOO much really. Depends on the user for the most part, IMO. If you already own the MX5K or 953, I don't think there is any need to upgrade to the GS100. If you're looking for a new cam and can live with the Japanese, I don't see anything better than the GS100 at the moment.

However, you are contemplating on getting a 953 also to go with the MX500, so I thought it'd better for you to get the black GS100 instead. If you operate them together, it should be relatively easier (to deal with the Japanese language) compared to just handling the GS100 exclusively...not to mention that the BLACK mamba is truly gorgeous...I can't sell the silver even with added discount (LOL)...

Regards

I am a fan of the silver model. NOT the black one.

It depends on the taste! My idea is for a smaller cam, silver goes better and it portrays that it is a camcorder!

For me black looks like something not suitable for that size camera!

May be BIG cameras should be black, not the smaller ones.

IT is my VIEW!!

A black one, a silver one---even a pink one, would be just fine, thank you.

Thanks Raj,
One guy to make me feel better I didn't put my hands on the black one.
Phew... I'm fine with the silver without discount.
Still dreaming in black though...

...don't mean to hurt anybody guys...yeah, it's just a matter of preference

...if the wife sees a pink one, she'll definitely get one...but for now, she dreams of the black as well...(a convert..she initially preferred the silver until I brought home a black for testing.)

The whiff and I went to look at that JVC consumer 1-chip MPEG2 HD cam today. It's looks and feels like a VX2000---almost. While I was looking 'er over, the whiff picked up this big analog beast and said, "Look! This one's nice, and only $349 Canadian---I want one!" I didn't answer her right away and instead said, "Look ma, 1 hand." (While I was holding the MPEG2 consumer HD cam in one hand with 3 hungry salesmen waiting for the kill.) Finally I answered: "Forget it. That's garbage." She quickly put it down like it was going to bite her with a concerned, "OHhhh...." (And I was sure that she had the light bulb turned on then.)


:)

Peter Jefferson wrote: "MX500's were great... small, great colours, audio is incredible and is great for Dolby Digital work (were standardised froma whiile back so continuing that was important), especially with the VMS2e switchable mics... may be small, but obsolutely incredible for a trully discreet job.... and set properly more importantly, it didnt look like home video."

Peter, I've seen quite many of your posts on many treads - all knowledgeable and well educated – thanks!

I wonder if you can put some more light on the audio issues using this small cams (MX500, GS100).

How do you feel about Panasonic VW-VMS2 mic? It’s quite cheaper compared to more pro options like Audio Technica AT822 for example. Is it suitable for straight on camera mounting? What's your set up for them? Do you do Dolby Digital in Vagas?

Well sorry for so many questions and looking forward for any answer.
Bogdan