A painful subject, as the ol' faithful Sony DCR-TRV11E has seen good service and I have a bunch of matching accessories. However it is showing persistent and niggling audio problems which have not responded to servicing- may be time to upgrade.
I am looking at the Panasonic NV-GS400. How do folk here find it, and does it work well with VS (9)?
All comments gratefully received.
New camera choice
Moderator: Ken Berry
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heinz-oz
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duffgnr
Dont go for a JVC!!!!
I have a GR DV500, the picture is great but the audio is terrible!!!
Even with an external mic the sound is tinny and quiet, the onboard mic picks up unbelievable motor noise!
Go for a sony! if you can stretch the money go for the dcr10, its a step above consumer level, prosumer is the buzzword! it has XLR sound inputs (via a supplied adapter) and is very robust!
duffgnr
I have a GR DV500, the picture is great but the audio is terrible!!!
Even with an external mic the sound is tinny and quiet, the onboard mic picks up unbelievable motor noise!
Go for a sony! if you can stretch the money go for the dcr10, its a step above consumer level, prosumer is the buzzword! it has XLR sound inputs (via a supplied adapter) and is very robust!
duffgnr
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jchunter
Ron,
I have the PV-GS400 (the NTSC version). I think it is probably the best DV camcorder on the market. It has the right blend of automatic and manual controls, the right size LCD screen (big), top loading tape, great picture quality, etc. I assume you have found the user forum at http://www.pana3ccduser.com/ for other opinions.
That said, if I had to buy a camcorder today, it would be the high definition Sony HD-HC1, which is about the same size and form factor as the GS400 but shoots HDV and the picture quality is (of course) much better. I'm hoping that Panasonic will come forth with a high definition version of the GS400 and when it does, I will get one.
John
I have the PV-GS400 (the NTSC version). I think it is probably the best DV camcorder on the market. It has the right blend of automatic and manual controls, the right size LCD screen (big), top loading tape, great picture quality, etc. I assume you have found the user forum at http://www.pana3ccduser.com/ for other opinions.
That said, if I had to buy a camcorder today, it would be the high definition Sony HD-HC1, which is about the same size and form factor as the GS400 but shoots HDV and the picture quality is (of course) much better. I'm hoping that Panasonic will come forth with a high definition version of the GS400 and when it does, I will get one.
John
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rwindeyer
Thanks guys, and especially John, for the useful info. Yes I had found the forum and it was quite useful.
I had given the Sony HD-HC1 serious consideration, but I'm not quite ready to make the jump to HD yet and the features of the GS400 seem to be more what I want.
Guess I'm off to spend some money!!
I had given the Sony HD-HC1 serious consideration, but I'm not quite ready to make the jump to HD yet and the features of the GS400 seem to be more what I want.
Guess I'm off to spend some money!!
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jchunter
Good for you, Ron. Keep the economy rolling!!! Let me know how you like the GS400. BTW, Torsten has one also.
BTW, I modified mine slightly so that I could place the UV filter behind the lens hood. Makes a world of difference on keeping the filter unsmudged and unscratched. See thread http://www.pana3ccduser.com/showthread. ... stock+hood
John
BTW, If you are still wavering on the Sony, check out http://www.sonyhdvinfo.com/forumdisplay ... 81a88&f=24
BTW, I modified mine slightly so that I could place the UV filter behind the lens hood. Makes a world of difference on keeping the filter unsmudged and unscratched. See thread http://www.pana3ccduser.com/showthread. ... stock+hood
John
BTW, If you are still wavering on the Sony, check out http://www.sonyhdvinfo.com/forumdisplay ... 81a88&f=24
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rwindeyer
Well the deed is done - after playing with the camera for an hour or two I can only say - WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS EARLIER????? The colours are sharper and crisper and brighter, and the audio is MUCH quieter.
Not only that, but the o.. ...y had developed a nasty audio bug - a
p......c "dropout" - about every four seconds or so ..... would be a short quiet bit on the sou......k. I thought it was the external zoom m......... I was using (after lots of trial and e....), so I threw that away. It even d.......d to occur randomly in normal use. A service call was no benefit, so time for change.
If you thought that par.....h was annoying to read, you know what I was putting up with!
I have to say that the GS400 looks like an absolute winner - I'll think about the UV filter.
All I need now is a tele conversion lens. I had one for the Sony - it had optical zoom to 10X, and digital zoom could be set at 20 (effectively a power of 2 - the image was still tolerable). A 2X tele lens gave me 40X zoom with acceptable image - just the thing for a boat trip through the wetlands of Kakadu (Northern Territory, Aus) where we saw a jabiru (translation - black-necked stork) sitting on its nest waaaayy off in the distance. Everyone ooohhed and aahed, but all the still cameras didn't even try - with the lens I had I got some good footage, and after the worst shaking stuff was cut out the antishake filter (fizick) made the rest watchable.
Not only that, but the o.. ...y had developed a nasty audio bug - a
p......c "dropout" - about every four seconds or so ..... would be a short quiet bit on the sou......k. I thought it was the external zoom m......... I was using (after lots of trial and e....), so I threw that away. It even d.......d to occur randomly in normal use. A service call was no benefit, so time for change.
If you thought that par.....h was annoying to read, you know what I was putting up with!
I have to say that the GS400 looks like an absolute winner - I'll think about the UV filter.
All I need now is a tele conversion lens. I had one for the Sony - it had optical zoom to 10X, and digital zoom could be set at 20 (effectively a power of 2 - the image was still tolerable). A 2X tele lens gave me 40X zoom with acceptable image - just the thing for a boat trip through the wetlands of Kakadu (Northern Territory, Aus) where we saw a jabiru (translation - black-necked stork) sitting on its nest waaaayy off in the distance. Everyone ooohhed and aahed, but all the still cameras didn't even try - with the lens I had I got some good footage, and after the worst shaking stuff was cut out the antishake filter (fizick) made the rest watchable.