PDX10 question.....

Rachel Oliver · March 8, 2004

Hi;

Can anyone tell me if the Sony PDX10 offers the same quality at 16/9 as it does at 4/3?

Also if any new HD 16/9 cameras are bought out this year any idea when?

I'm caught in the Time/quality whirlwind.....

Thanks

March 8, 2004

basically the same quality; you don't lose any rows of pixels in the wide mode. New HDV cameras are expected to come out this year. Wait for NAB show in April, then for Summer CES. There may also be introductions before Christmas, either in Japan only, or in both Japan and the US. These are the major introduction times you can expect this year for pro and consumer HDV type products.

Phil Rhodes · March 8, 2004

Hi,

Further to earlier answers - the PDX10 basically uses a still camera CCD; it's unlike professional 16:9 cameras in that it doesn't have two 720x576-odd matrices on the same chip; it uses a high-res chip then downsamples.

The only catch is this - yes, you did read correctly, it's a high res chip - one chip, not three. The 16:9 is sharp, but the optics are so-so and the pictures are otherwise not as good as a decent prosumer like the PD series.

Phil

March 8, 2004

it's a high res chip - one chip, not three.

Phil, It's a 3-chip; you must have confused it with another camera. Joe

Phil Rhodes · March 8, 2004

Hi,

Uh, it is? This is the real-widescreen little Sony thing, right?

I was certainly told otherwise, but web searches reveal you're right. The pictures certainly are mediocre, though.

Phil

March 8, 2004

Phil, I think that the main problem with the camera is that the pixels are so small that it blows highlights very easily. It's a nice little camera though. Joe

danny bartle · March 9, 2004

I've noticed that too.. when I'm shooting my PDX10 in the water (like today) it does have problems with bright areas...

Is there anything to avoid this? (filter perhaps)

I mostly use 1/60th-1/150th shutter speed.

March 9, 2004

There is little you can do about it. It's just a CCD that can't handle highlights. The latest 1/2" CCD Sony camera handles highlights quite well.

Mitch Gross · March 9, 2004

There is little you can do about it. It's just a CCD that can't handle highlights. The latest 1/2" CCD Sony camera handles highlights quite well.

...and maybe the Panasonic handles them better. :rolleyes: Sorry, couldn't resist.

In the price range of the little PDX camera, the best highlight handling camera actually is a Panasonic model, the DVX100A. But for increased low light sensitivity, the Sony PD-170 beats it out by a bit. Sorry you can't have everything, but it depends on the type of shooting you're more likely to do.

See, I can note where Sony outperforms Panasonic as well as the reverse.

March 9, 2004

I've been totally humiliated. Sorry, I'm not in Harlem so I could to go to the next street corner and buy a shot of Valium :rolleyes: Sorry, could not resist. I love your posts Mitch. I mean it. But for what you pay for an apartment in Harlem, I can get a house in San Diego. Right now I'm in the Czech Republic; could get a castle for it here.

Phil Rhodes · March 9, 2004

Hi,

And for what you pay for a flat in Harlem, I could probably buy - oh, half a shoe box, one with a leaky roof, in London. Such is life.

Phil

danny bartle · March 10, 2004

ok, but will a ND filter help at all considering i'm using it in bright conditions on the beach? As my PDX10 doesn't have built in ND filter like the PD150.

Please ultra definition, no more responses from you. I've read all your other posts. I dont like your attitude, the way you write. Your a tosser & thrive on negative attention towards you, no offence....

Mitch Gross · March 10, 2004

ok, but will a ND filter help at all considering i'm using it in bright conditions on the beach? As my PDX10 doesn't have built in ND filter like the PD150.

It might help a little on maximum sensor threshholds, but the problem isn't general brightness but relative contrast. Using a low con filter may help reduce the overall contrast range of the light coming into the camera, which will therefore lower the relative brightness of the highlights, reducing the popping effect. But it's only a small change and may alter the image in a way that is unpleasant to you. I don't know the menu options of that camera, but perhaps there are some Master Black and Gamma controls that you can adjust to capture a more pleasing image to your eye. Use a good monitor when trying these adjustments as the LCD or viewfinder is very innaccurate for seeing what they alter.

Phil Rhodes · March 10, 2004

Hi,

It might well be worth trying a polariser to take some of the brightness out of the sky (and I'd certainly do this anyway for sports videos) but I'd have thought the main problem would be clipping detail in the white water on the waves, which would be critical to the shot. I doubt a polariser would touch these.

By the way, I presume you're aware of the options open to you in postproduction. It's usual to shoot video about a stop or even slightly more underexposed, at least I've found it can give good results, then pump it back up in post. You can even do a little creative grading to push your images more to where you want them to be. You can do this on a simple desktop computer, assuming it has a firewire input (a $50 card if it doesn't.)

Phil