GS100K questions
hello,
I have a few questions that I have not seen asked in any of the threads about the GS100K. I am trying to decide between the 953 and the GS100k. Is the text in the LCD screen in japanese ? Like date/time hh::mm:ss of tape... What exactly is japanese on the camera ? How does the camera hold up as a point and shoot camera ? I am a novice, but want the best quality video in a small form factor camera. Would this camera be overkill for me seeing as though it is well sought after for its manual control ? Are batteries for the GS100k easily available in the states ? Would the differences in wide mode between the 953 and the GS100k be obvious to me a novice when viewed on a wide mode tv ? Or are they very suddle. Low light capabilites, good wide mode and video quality are important, but is there that much of a difference between the two that warrants putting up with the japanese menus and offshore service ? I downloaded the gs100k doc with the menu conversions and it did not overwhelm like I thought they would. I just am a little unsure to order a camera I never did hands on testing. One thing I did not like about the 953 was the tape loading and unloading, it was loud and slow, thought it would break everytime I ejected it. Thank, John. |
Welcome, John. I can only answer a couple of your questions. Yes, you can buy batteries easily for the GS100 in the USA.
I don't find the PV-DV953's loading mechanism slow and noisy, nor do I think it'll break easily, though the GS100's is improved from what I've read from owners' comments. Both the PV-DV953 and GS100 are good point and shoot cams, very good, I believe. It shouldn't be overkill for anyone. You either shoot in auto or manual; and with manual mode, you can select the manual funtions you want. Quote:
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These are the non-Jap characters that can be displayed on the LCD
date time zoom magnication shutter speed F-stop gain P (progressive photoshot) Z. Mic MEGA (OIS) 12bit, 16bit (sound mode) MF (manual focus) AWB (auto white balance) AE 0 Lux P-ADJ (picture adjustment) Picture MPEG4 Voice Title F, N, E (digital still quality) WEB Symbols for white balance and AE modes, OIS, VTR functions Numbers QXGA, UXGA, SXGA, XGA, SVGA On the body Panasonic Leica Dicomar GS100 3-CCD 3.1 Mega Pixel DV, S2 (S1), AV OPEN Polysilicone TFT MEGA OIS 4ECM SD If Im not mistaken even the phrase Made in Japan is written in Jap. |
Thanks for the info guys.
Allen, when you say "non-Jap characters that CAN be displayed" Are the non jap characters displayed by default, or will I have to hunt through the jap menus in order to have set non-jap as my default. Is there any important information on the LCD that cannot be displayed as non-jap ? Thanks again, John. |
The GS100 is as point and shoot as any cheaper cam.
GS100K batteries are the same as that of GS70K and could be bought cheaper in the US. However, waist-holder type batt (super long life) is available only in Japan. If you have both cameras pointed at the same subject at the same time, you could readily see that GS100 has a slightly wider horizontal angle of view under widescreen mode. On paper, the GS100 has 28% higher vertical resolution than that of MX5K, but if you only have one cam at a time, I doubt if you could detect that much difference. GS100 LCD is clearly better than that of MX5K. In fact, I havent seen any consumer cam with better looking LCD. Again, if you'd have the chance to see them side by side pointed at the same subject, the GS100 video is cleaner than that of MX5k under low-light. A poster in a Jap message board noted that GS100 at 18db gain exhibited less noise than MX5K at 15db. GS100 loading mechanism is a lot faster, smoother and quieter. If you have real big hands, the MX5k may be more comfortable to hold. The GS100 is a lot more compact than it appears in pictures. |
Are the non jap characters displayed by default, or will I have to hunt through the jap menus in order to have set non-jap as my default.
all character displays are factory presets and cannot be changed. I used the word CAN because some non-Jap character displays are activated by navigating through the Jap menus. In case you get annoyed with all the Jap and non-Jap displays on the LCD, you can turn most of them off through menu operation (but the jap terms for Recording and Paused remain - well you've got to be given some indication whether the cam is recording or not). |
Thanks Allen you are being very helpful.
Just a clarification, On a brand new camera, when someone turns it on for the first time and turns date, time and hh:mm:ss of tape on to be displayed on LCD, is it jap or american display ? I hope I am not being a pain, I just want to understand. Thanks, John. |
John, I've included a screenshot from my last Japanese Cam (NV-MX1000) but its very similar to how my GS100 looks.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-...MX1000Menu.jpg In this particular shot starting from top left: Battery gauge Picture - still mode MNL - Manual adjustments MEGA - with Hand is for Mega Optical Image Stabilization Sun - White Balance setting 1/30 - shutter speed Iris - +15dB Eye - Red Eye Reduction Lightning Bolt - Flash P - Progressive Photoshot F-108 - 108 digital stills left 1280 - Resolution for stills is 1280x1024 Picture - saving to SD memory (versus tape) The Japanese menus are an easy obstacle to overcome and the pay-off is well worth the price of admission. I hope to have a lengthy review of the GS100 coming up but ice cold weather and pergnant wife (twin boys) has kept me a busy man. :) |
BTW - I'll try and get you some updated screenshots this evening including one in camcorder mode with the date and time displayed.
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The first time you turn on the cam, youd hear a strong beeping sound and a big warning message in red is displayed at the middle of the screen. Dont panic, it simply means NO TAPE or PLEASE INSERT TAPE.
Dates and time are all displayed in the usual 0,1,2,3..(year, month, day; hr, min, sec in that order) can't say such numbering system is totally non-Jap bec we use 0,1,2,3 in our daily lives here, but there is a way to write them in purely Jap. Note that the default time setting is Japan time. Date and time settings can be changed using menu operation (probably your very first menu operation). |
I can't add anything to the above but to say, I have owned the GS100 for about five months. It's a GREAT camera! The japanese menus are no problem for me at all and the picture quality is so nice.
If you do decide to get one I highly recommend using Allan. Very trust worthy and as you can see know his stuff about cameras |
I've owned the GS100K for 3 or 4 months now and its great. I live in Japan, and I'm trying to learn Japanese so the menus can be figured out if you learn a little Katakana.
I do have one problem I can't seem to figure out and that is the backlight function. Is there one??? The manual claims that there is a backlight indicator, but I don't see a button or menu item anywhere for this function. Does it just happen automatically? Doesn't the 953 have a button for this? |
Under cam mode, the PLAY button functions as Backlight compensation function.
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Wow.. you're right! I can't believe I didn't figure that out on my own. Stupid..stupid ..stupid.
Thanks! |
Well, another black mamba hit the states. I ordered it on Friday 3pm EST. It was at my doorstep Monday 11AM EST.
Thanks for everyones help. John. |
I have a couple of questions I hope someone can answer.
1) How do I get the pictures I have taken off of the SD card. The SD Viewer program that comes with the GS100k is in japanese. Can I use the USB driver from the GS70 or 953 to get the pictures ? I read someone used the english version of SD viewer. Where is this ? 2) In simple terms, what is the difference between shooting in wide mode and Pro Cinema mode. I want the best quality wide shoot. I am shooting for the future. I currently have a 4:3 tv. When watching the videos using a 4:3 tv, I want to see the video play with letter boxed video. When viewed on a 16:9 box I want it to scale to the whole screen. I guess this would be anamorphic widescreen ? Which mode would be better for this ? Thanks, John. |
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I would also recommend a seperate SD (or multi-format) reader that would take the cam completely out of the equation. They are under $15 and up.
Wide mode is the high quality 16:9 mode and Pro Cinema mode is the same wide mode but with frame mode and the cine-like gamma. Record footage of both and see which one you prefer. I most always shoot wide mode and frame mode so Pro Cinema is best for me. If you don't want the look of frame mode then standard wide mode is best for you. |
And you can...
..switch back and forth between the modes easily by simply pressing a button on the camera body.
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I have another question regarding quality. I see a fair amount of jaggied lines in the video. It really is obvious in high light situations like a florescent lighted office area. Is there something I can do to change this ? I am shooting in auto mode.
Thanks, John. |
I think I may have a problem with my gs100k. When I plug in the Svideo cable and connect to my tv the video is black and white.
Is there something I am missing ? Or is this a problem with the camera. Thanks, John. |
Have you tried another S-Video cable and/or another TV to verify with?
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yes I tried both another tv and cable. Still black and white. Funny, I get color from the fire wire and composite outputs.
I am lost. John. |
I heard of someone having a problem like this earlier. It turned out to be a setting in the color saturation. I think was set all the way down. You might want to take a look and see if that is the problem.
(Edit) Now that I think about it, I think it was the LCD that was black and white and not the video on screen. |
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