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Panasonic SD1

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So, spent half the day testing the new Panasonic SD1 for a magazine. Nice little camera, but a scary disappointment for skydiving. I haven't jumped the Sony CX7, but if it's anything like the Panny...it's bleak. Very bleak.
The SD1 shut off the second it hit the hill on every jump except one. We were baffled as to why, other than wondering if something in the camera was being affected by relative wind. After wrapping the camera in neoprene and trying again...no go.
The *only* time the camera stayed on was when I belly-mounted it and jumped towards the tail of the aircraft so no wind hit, and so it was always "protected" more or less.
So...aside from no LANC (Panny has never licensed LANC) and aside from no eyepiece, it still seemed like a sweet cheapo alternative for the extreme sports videographer.
We were wrong.
Picture quality is fairly good, considering AVCHD's challenges, transfer time for a 5 minute tandem video is nil, but it can't be used for freefall purposes.
This week, we jump the CX7. I'll say that for rockclimbing and mountain biking, the CX7 has shown to be a killer cam. Now if it will only work in the sky....

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Maybe I missed it but I didn't see specs for a LANC port on the CX7.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&productId=8198552921665089063&langId=-1

It does look like a very cool camera though. Looking forward to hearing the results of your tests with it.

I was thinking the same thing... I guess we'll all just have to revert back to playing with photo diodes on the record light... or alternatively attach a small mirror to your altimeter... :)
for what its worth there's also no firewire... I imagine transfering the footage will entail merely copying a file from the memory stick to the computer... which is actually kind of cool to be honest... B|

I do hope that the CX7 turns out to be sutable for skydiving as copying/moving files from one medium to another would be much easier then what we do now... even if that means no LANC port.
Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

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too bad € 1200,- is considered cheap... B| (CX6, but as I understand it's equal to the cx7 except for the stick wich is included...) Can't wait for you findings on the cx7, since it's the only affordable cam on my short list (after which the HDCAM EX, which is not affordable... ;) )

The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

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Just read a dutch review about the cx6, which even meantioned it should be on every skydivers helmet... ! So very curious about your findings. The reviewer complimented on the image quality and the slow-motion and fades. The later isn't avaible on HDV cames (at least the HC1/A1 i've been told).
The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

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Just read a dutch review about the cx6, which even meantioned it should be on every skydivers helmet... ! So very curious about your findings. The reviewer complimented on the image quality and the slow-motion and fades. The later isn't avaible on HDV cames (at least the HC1/A1 i've been told).



If the reviewer liked the slow motion, all I can say is that he/she either didn't look at the camera for real, or is a total idiot. I'm confident they didn't jump the CX6. The slow motion on ALL these smaller cams is greatly reduced resolution (512 x 240) that looks pretty bad in SD, let alone HD. Ifyou have an HC3/5/7, test it out. Put it on an HD screen and watch the macroblocking.
Further, the slow motion isn't accessible in skydiving. 3 sec/6 sec/12 seconds doesn't provide much during freefall. Fades are on the CX, I find them of no use. You'll want to Xfer the data from the card to the computer, which means editing anyway. I guess you can use the RGB output to input to an analog mixer, however.

[edited to add: Panasonic is sending me a new SD1 to work with.]

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Yes, I do not have a link, I only have a hardcopy. I could scan it, but it's only in dutch. I'll try to sumorise:

------------------------------------------------------------
Sony CX6 is sony's first HD-camcorder which records on a memory card. Although sizes of memory cards are limited, they are getting bigger fast. A 4 GB card is affordable and hold about 40 minutes. An advantage of the cards is that they can easily be swaped. Another advantage is the lack of mechanical parts, which makes it virtually imune to shock, you would have to say every skydiver's helmet should ben fitted with one.

The camcorder is extremly small, but has good ergonomics. To keep the camcorder level, you should place your thumb underneath the camera. The serious operator will hold the lcd screen with his left hand, so the right thumb can operate the start/stop button. Zoom can be operated with right index finger (lever) or left thumb on the LCD touch screen. In the later case the zoom's speed is fixed, the lever makes variable speed possible, but can be sensitive so it takes some practise.

Althought manual operation can be done through the lcd touch pad, the cx6 works fully automatic. A press on the easy button let's the camcorder take full control of it's own operation. Lighting is controllable through the diafragma, and manual focus is also possible. With manual focus Sony has the unique ability to select a point on which to focus on the touch screen. Lighting will adjust to this point also.

The camcorder lacks a viewfinder, but the image on the LCD screen van be used easily even with full sunlight on it. This makes the camcorder well operatable. The HDR-CX6 is fitted with lot's of extra's. You can add different effects and different transitions are possible. The docking stations has a button to burn AVCHD movies directly to DVD. The dockingstation also has connections for power, AV-out, Component-out and USB. The camera has connections for AV out and mini-HDMI.

Sound is recorded in surround, but this can not be compared to your home DVD surround, still qualtiy is good, also because the camera itself doesn't make any noise. There is no input for a microphone, but it can be attached though the AIS. The camcorder also lacks a headphone jack. This indicates the HDR-CX6 is mainly designed for point and shoot operation. Sound can't be manually controlled either. The camcorder does have a zebra function however.

Off course the cx6 can also be used for pictures. It takes 6 megapixel picture, but does so from a 3 megapixel sensor, so the remaining 3 megapixel are interpolareted.

Conclusion:
The Sony HDR-CX6 is a remarkble camcorder. It's small, but has good ergonomics. It has a high light sensitivity and a very good image quality. But most of all, because of it's recodring media. This not only explaines the small size, but also renders it insenstive for shocks and is ideal for e.g. on the back of a motor cycle. The CX6 is designed for ease of use, but can be manually controled through it's touch screen. The supplied docking station makes a quick connection possible with power and the tv.
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BTW i found the simple manual of the cx7 here:
http://www.docs.sony.com/release/filedownload.asp?Sub=&file=HDRCX7.pdf

The full manual here:
http://www.docs.sony.com/release/HDRCX7_handbook.pdf
The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

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Well, the magazine is a video magazine, not a skydivers magazine, so I'm pretty sure they didn't jump it either... :D lol.... Now I scanned the manual I see the slow motion they are talking about is indeed a seperate recording function not suitable for skydiving (max 12 seconds of recording).

Fades are very usefull on tandem video's over here in which we edit/record in real time (during recording). The RGB output is therefore also a great addition. (Although in time we'll probably switch to NLE since it's possible with this cam quickly enough).

Also hoping the SD1 will do beter, also great to have a choice. Not that it would make any difference I think, but why no SD3?
The trouble with skydiving; If you stink at it and continue to jump, you'll die. If you're good at it and continue to jump, you'll see a lot of friends die...

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Also hoping the SD1 will do beter, also great to have a choice. Not that it would make any difference I think, but why no SD3?



Because Panasonic didn't send me an SD3, although I'd asked for one.

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