I'm sure Tommy will be the first to get one, and the first to let everyone know what the cam is all about. However, I'm sure Pana isn't going to shoot their foot in the Japanese market. (That's why Tommy's going with the black one.)

Patricia, if you attach that shoe adapter thingy, it can be easily modified to hold a coffee cup :-))

Out of the topic, has anyone seen that Sony HC1000 in person? That cam is SMALLER than I imagined. Rumor has it that it is not selling as well as expected, hence prices in Japanese discount stores have dropped to as low as JPY114,000. It's not even 1-month old.

That Sony is not out yet in these parts. From the pics, it's an ugly fat thing. It looks like NASA's space shuttle, except that it doesn't fly. Gone is the PDX10's decent viewfinder, by the way. Hey! Allan! What's going on over there in Japan? Has Saki sales increased lately?

You can see the NV-GS400K [black Professional ;-) style] at
http://www.pricejapan.com/PriceJapan_com.htm

Allan, the problem with the shoe adapter thingy is that you have to take it off in order to access the tape compartment. Not good. I would probably spill coffee in the compartment.

The photo of the HC1000 on the camcorderinfor site shows it in what looks like black. Are all the models black? Any feedback on the features other than size and professional color? (Maybe it's too small to be a "professional" size and it's black, so the ladies won't buy it as a purse cam?)

<<<-- Originally posted by Allan Rejoso :
Out of the topic, has anyone seen that Sony HC1000 in person? That cam is SMALLER than I imagined. Rumor has it that it is not selling as well as expected, hence prices in Japanese discount stores have dropped to as low as JPY114,000. It's not even 1-month old. -->>>

Are there any RELIABLE tests comparing the HC1000 to a GS100 or better camera?


Carlos

The HC1000 is available only in black Pat. Feature wise, it is as full featured as the 950 except for the lack of Bluetooth, network functions and holographic AF, having smaller and less resolution VF and LCD, and using Carl Zeiss T* lens. Lens ratings are exactly the same between the 1000 and the 950 although physical size may be different.

Please note that on paper, the HC1000 is an improvement over the 950 in terms of min lux requirements (11 against 15). In the US lux scale, that would probably translate to 5 lux against 7 :-)).

Similar to the 950, the 1000 is kinda front heavy, but not as bad due to its smaller size and lighter weight, not to mention that wonderful rotating grip. Personally, I feel most comfortable when the grip is rotated the full 90 degrees placing your thumb (for pressing the record button) on the top and your pointing fingers (for manipulating the zoom lever) at the front. Also, the HC1000 has a completely flushed battery compartment. The back side is actually the batt compartment cover. So I imagine, the cam's balance would improve further once a battery is inserted (I played with one powered through an adapter). That said, battery may be an issue becaues there is only 1 type of battery that can be used with this cam.

I admit my bias against the Sony color saturation but that's totally subjective of course. On the other hand, I truly like Sony's touch screen menu and that is again very subjective. Widescreen mode should be as good as the GS400 and displays "properly" (widescreen letterboxed) even on the LCD.

I'm not a professional by any standard, but if I am to guess the possible cons this cam may have with the real pros, I'd say the size, the shape, the touchscreen, the small VF, the lack of square hood and that SPECIAL AV connector. Just imagine, you'd have to carry that proprietary Sony AV cable all the time just to be sure that you could watch your footage in your friends or relatives' house. Probably there is an adapter available but I'm not so sure about that. In any case, personally, I do like this cam. For around JPY113,000 and still getting cheaper, this is a Great buy IMO.

I've been trying to figure out how to describe it's body but I agree with Frank that it does look like a black space shuttle :-)). Initially, the body shape reminded me of the Canon and Olympus autofocus film cams in the early 90's.

Carlos, I am still waiting for the next issues of Japanese videocam mags which would most probably compare the HC1000 against the GS400. Reliable review? Well, I expect the publisher to be as neutral as they can be :-))

<<<-- Originally posted by Allan Rejoso :
I'm not a professional by any standard, but if I am to guess the possible cons this cam may have with the real pros, I'd say the size, the shape, the touchscreen, the small VF, the lack of square hood and that SPECIAL AV connector. Just imagine, you'd have to carry that proprietary Sony AV cable all the time just to be sure that you could watch your footage in your friends or relatives' house. Probably there is an adapter available but I'm not so sure about that. -->>>

Thanks, Alan. At least I am sure you will not miss important info on any of these cameras and let us know.

The professional question is really a very hard one to pinpoint, and in the past I had some misunderstandings on what is pro and what is not. It certainly is not the color of the camera or what the manufacturers mention as professional capabilities, which usually do not get there completely. They just use it as one more selling point, and a cheating one.

From the list you mention I would be worried with that special connector, which I don't know what it means. Interfacing with the outside world in a proper way is certainly a very important matter, and is the first item that separates pro from prosumer gear. The other things (size, shape, small screen, square hood) you learn to live with, as long as you can input/output data to/from camera as you need.

One thing that doesn't sound so good on the GS400, as it did on the GS100, is that audio/remote control combo. Why don't they leave audio alone!? Instead of using a multipin connector, locking type, as they should, they put more functions dependant on a very bad connector type as a 1/8" jack is. They do not even advise users to leave such connections always plugged in to avoid future problems that will surely happen!

The Sony camera having a Zeiss lens is far from being just one more thing: is quite likely the most important feature in the HC1000 if the lens is good, as it probably is.


Carlos

For those who want to know, the Japanese version of the GS400 does not have multi-lingual menu. :-(

At least this time we'll have a nice English manual from the N.A. and PAL GS400s.

:)

For Allan: re your earlier remark on the HC1000's price dropping - how about the gs400? I've been checking out the listed price at pricejapan over the past few weeks, and the price keeps going down. Even with consideration given to yen/dollar fluctuations, the trend line has been down per kakaku.com. Any thoughts on whether it's just the normal settling to street price, or something else going on? (Maybe those sites listing it for $1199 in the US know something, after all.)

<<<-- Originally posted by Patricia Kim : For Allan: re your earlier remark on the HC1000's price dropping - how about the gs400? I've been checking out the listed price at pricejapan over the past few weeks, and the price keeps going down. Even with consideration given to yen/dollar fluctuations, the trend line has been down per kakaku.com. Any thoughts on whether it's just the normal settling to street price, or something else going on? (Maybe those sites listing it for $1199 in the US know something, after all.) -->>>

Yes, it's just settling of prices (at a rather steep rate) in discount shops and small dealers (the ones listed in kakaku) whose business strategy is to get their stocks moving out as fast as possible at rock bottom prices (good for us consumers). So unless somebody is in an extremely urgent need of a cam for the summer events, this is definitely not the best period to be grabbing one. Unfortunately, that price drop trend does not apply to huge chain stores where most tourists in Japan visit.

The HC1000 has already broken the JPY105,000 level; that is less than US$1,000 for a richly-featured 3-CCD cam. It's almost unbelievable but it's actually happening. The GS400 could follow the same trend, depending on its performance in the market. Late 2004 should be a golden time to get any of these nice cams :-))

<<<-- Originally posted by Allan Rejoso : The HC1000 has already broken the JPY105,000 level; that is less than US$1,000 for a richly-featured 3-CCD cam. It's almost unbelievable but it's actually happening. The GS400 could follow the same trend, depending on its performance in the market. Late 2004 should be a golden time to get any of these nice cams :-)) -->>>

Hope that the price of GS400K will be dropped to 10000 yen level. In HK the price is around HK$11000 which is about 14000yen.

Allan, are your cheap Japanese discount shops reliable or do you have the same problem as we do in the US with our cheapest shops being scam artists?