Sony’s PD150 camcorder is an acknowledged favourite among DV filmmakers. Stylish, well featured and ruggedly built, it was always suited to video journalism and event videography, but it has also become more and more acceptable for use in broadcast programming and independent filmmaking. Now the company has launched its successor, the upgraded PD170.
Those familiar with the PD150 will instantly recognise the new family member. Sony has kept the look and many of the features of the PD150, but has improved several of the features. So how significant are these improvements? And how does the new camera fare against recent launches from competitors, such as the 24P-touting Panasonic DVX100 and the consumer HD JVC HD10?
Improved lowlight recording
First enhancement is improved lowlight recording. Sony has advanced the minimum illumination from 2 lux (PD150) to 1 lux (PD170) due to improved noise
reduction and enhanced signal processing. Improving the lowlight capabilities for the PD170 is indeed a good thing, and considering the PD150’s unrivalled performance in low light anyway (compared to say the Canon XL1), this has raised the bar to an even greater level. There is a noticeable improvement (comparable to perhaps just under a quarter of a stop on the iris), but not an Earth-shattering difference. Still, if you’re shooting in a nightclub, say, it is always preferable to keep your images as defined as possible, without adding shed-loads of gain (which can result in a nasty grainy image – more noticeable on DV than any other higher-end format). The other option of course is to learn to light a scene properly or invest in a decent lightweight on-board video light.Better iris adjustment
Improved iris adjustment from 12 to 24 stops gives smoother iris control. As the PD150 has gradually become a staple ‘one-man band’ camera on factual/entertainment programmes and fly-on-the-wall documentaries, this often means the operator has to move around in changeable levels of brightness (both indoor and outdoor). The ability to manually adjust the iris dial ‘on the fly’, with a less visible trademark jump between f-stop numbers, is a welcome new feature.
Screen and viewfinder
On the PD150 it was only possible to view the LCD screen and the viewfinder image independently. On the upgraded PD170 it is possible (via a setting on the camera menu) to use both the LCD and the viewfinder at the same time – good for quick monitoring of both focus (in the b/w viewfinder) and as quick reference for checking white balance and composition of shot when on the move (colour LCD screen). From the tests I conducted it appears that the LCD screen for the PD170 has been improved in terms of colour saturation (probably the result of the new LCD’s increased resolution). The PD150’s LCD screen tends to give a slightly over-saturated colour representation (mainly with reds and greens), whereas the PD170’s LCD screen gives a truer representation of what you are actually committing to tape (always useful).
Wideangle conversion lens
A wideangle conversion lens (x0.7) is included with the PD170 as standard. I have rarely used the PD150 without a wideangle lens, simply because I prefer the look and appreciate the benefits of having more options in a frame when shooting; without the wideangle lens, the PD150 image can appear flat and uninteresting, even on its widest setting. Though wider lenses are available for this camera, the 0.7x bundled with this kit (usually retailing around £200) gives about 30 per cent more field of vision, which is ample for this kind of camera.
The wide lens sits in its own hood when attached to the PD170. This protects the glass lens surface as well as preventing lens flare, which was always a problem using a wide conversion lens on the PD150 (when not using a matte-box). The lens hood/housing is plastic and lightweight; however, the camera still feels slightly front-heavy when the wideangle is attached.
Audio quality
Audio quality in manual mode is improved by 6db (s/n ratio) due to enhancements to the audio processing circuit. Though I did test the audio quality on the camera (using both the on-board mic and radio mics), I was unable to detect any significant improvement on the PD170’s audio quality (tested against a PD150). It is possible that with longer time to review the camera the audio improvements would have demonstrated themselves but, on the plus side, there was none of the audio hiss that delayed production of the PD170 when it was first announced (which was reported to happen only when the flip-out LCD screen was in use). This potential problem has now been fixed by the company.
Larger eyecup
The large rubber eyecup that comes as standard on the camera is a nice feature for when shooting in bright daylight and when you want to concentrate on the image in your viewfinder. It’s a bit of an oversight that there wasn’t a standard small eyepiece (as on the PD150) also included in the bundle, as a large rubber eyepiece can become uncomfortable when using for long periods of time (in which case you can easily fit on a standard protective chamois eyepiece over the rubber one). Following on from this, the new hybrid LCD screen has been modified (it is now both transmissive – meaning the LCD can be monitored safely in dark conditions – and reflective, meaning it is also fairly reliable in bright conditions), so monitoring the LCD while in bright sunlight means you can actually see a more true-to-tape image than you would on the PD150 LCD, when sun reflection and shadows made it hard to judge. The flip-open lens cap (fitted on the standard hood) is another nice feature – I have lost quite a few lens caps in the past.
PD170 vs PD150 Overall image quality is the same as the PD150 – the same 3 1/3” CCD imaging device remains (except for its improved low-light capabilities). It’s interesting that Sony has kept the cost of the PD170 the same as the PD150 (and added the wide adaptor for the price), but saying that, most of the developments are primarily ergonomic or operational. What Sony has done is improve a camera that has already made its name as a standard piece of kit in many areas of video production and broadcast.
articles from : Matt Ford[Sony PD 170 The New Generation From Sony PD 150]
