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REVIEW
HEAD
NIFTY-FIFTY
INTRO
Panasonic are back on track with their latest VHS-C palmcorder, the R50,
the first camcorder to have a quarter-inch CCD image sensor
COPY
That's more like it! With the launch of the NV-R50 Panasonic are well on
the way to redeeming themselves for the CS1 debacle. The R50 is the sort
of camcorder Panasonic do best; it's
small, light, packed with useful features and picture performance is well above
average. The R50's slim shape and layout is vaguely similar to the CS1 but
that's as far as it goes, unless you count the fact that both machines use
VHS-C tapes and have colour viewfinders....
The R50's LCD colour screen is a little more technologically advanced
than the optical viewfinder on the CS1, though it has to be said LCDs have a
long way to go before they can match the clarity and resolution of monochrome,
let alone optical viewfinders, but that's about the only feature on the R50 we
would bother to question. The R50's most revolutionary feature, though, is the
new quarter-inch CCD imaging chip; it will go completely unnoticed by the
majority of users, which is a shame because the optics on this machine are a
masterpiece of miniaturisation. The smaller CCD has enabled Panasonic to build
a 10x zoom lens that's considerably smaller than the 6x zooms of three or four
years ago. The one and only practical
drawback we could find is a slightly reduced low-light sensitivity, from the
current norm of around 2 or 3 lux, to 10 lux, though Panasonic have sought to
offset this with two effective low-light shooting modes.
It's not so easy to ignore the R50's most impressive assortment of
exposure, effects and editing facilities, that should appeal to both beginners
and more experienced video movie-makers alike. The programmed auto-exposure
system has three shooting modes, selected by a rotary switch on the side of the
machine. In addition to manual and automatic modes, it has:
* sports, automatically varies
shutter speed between 1/50 and 1/500th of a second, for optimum slow and still
frame VCR replay recordings of fast-moving subjects.
* portrait, the iris is set to give a narrow depth of field, so the
subject stands out against a blurred background
* low-light, increases the gain of the video circuitry to increase low-light
sensitivity from 10 lux to 5 lux, at the expense of an increase in picture
noise.
The R50's six digital effects are selected from a twin dial arrangement
on the front of the machine, with the inner ring controlling manual focus. The
options are:
* digital gain up, effectively a slow-speed shutter which increases the exposure time, with a
distinctive image lag effect that has some creative possibilities.
* strobe, recreating the characteristic jerky pop video effect
* wipe, where a previously recorded still image is wiped to or from the
recorded picture
* mix, a still image dissolves to or from the recorded picture
* digital zoom, which electronically magnifies the optical zoom by a
factor of 1.5x, giving a maximum zoom of 15x,
* digital stabiliser, an electronic method of eliminating small amounts
of camera shake.,
There's also a still recording mode, which records a digitally
frozen picture for five seconds, every
time the 'snapshot' button (next to the zoom switch) is pressed.
All of the R50's digital effects incur a small reduction in picture
quality, and increase in granularity. As a matter of interest, when the R50 was
first announced it had a 45x electronic zoom, the specification for the British
model was changed fairly late in the day on the advice of Panasonic's UK
engineers who felt that such extreme magnification, and consequent quality
losses were unacceptable. Good decision!
Two other features rate a mention, they are the microphone socket just
behind the microphone, and the RMC edit socket, which allows this machine to be
used with an edit controller, including Panasonic's own splendid little WV-EC1,
which is ideal for knocking home video movies into shape.
LAYOUT AND HANDLING
We're very pleased to see the combined power/record switch on the R50,
this ingenious arrangement first appeared on the S20, though we repeat our
earlier warning that the switch can be accidentally caught in the user's
clothing, when the machine is slung from its shoulder strap. We were not expecting
to like the manual control for the inner-focus lens, the small dial on the
front of the machine looks as though it's going to be tricky to use but it
turned out to be quite the opposite. Obviously it is not as responsive as a
control ring on the lens barrel, but in this instance, its the next best thing.
The only fly in this particular ointment is the LCD viewfinder, to be fair it's
better than most, but it is still difficult to make accurate manual focus
adjustments in very bright, or low-light conditions.
We have just a couple of minor ergonomic niggles, the hinged cover for
the transport controls on the top of the machine is far too flimsy and we
suspect won't last very long. It's a nuisance to have to pull out the eyepiece
on the viewfinder, it only extends by a centimetre or so, why bother? It's not
as though it can be used as a sportsfinder, for example, and the space saving
is minimal.
Plus points include the sideways zoom switch; after some initial scepticism
we grew to quite like it. The two-speed zooming feature (controlled by
pressure on the switch) is a bonus. Another pleasant surprise was the tiny
battery pack -- four fifths the size of a normal NP-style nicad pack. That's
because it has four cells instead of five, giving a 4.8 volt output, instead of
6 volts. This has been made possible by the use of new, lower voltage
microchips in the R50's control and processing circuits; we can expect more of
the same in the future. Although smaller and lighter the battery has a similar
capacity rating to larger packs and we managed to get almost 35 minutes
recording time per charge, with the usual amount of stopping, starting and
zooming.
PERFORMANCE
In spite of the fact that the R50's image sensor is nearly ten percent
smaller than most other camcorder CCDs, it has the same number of
light-sensitive picture elements or pixels. In this case, and on our sample
that translates to a resolving power --
the ability to discern fine detail -- of almost 250-lines. That's good
for any palmcorder, irrespective of CCD
size! Colour rendition was very good, and there was no detectable colour
spillage, even on highly saturated colours. The only difference between this,
and machines with larger image sensors and lenses are slightly elevated noise
levels, especially in low-light conditions, outdoors in good daylight it holds
its own with the best of them.
The digital effects, especially wipe and mix are old friends and used
judiciously give recordings a really professional look. Strobe and snapshot are
gimmicks, fun to use once or twice but they can become tiresome when overused.
The digital zoom is no substitute for a proper teleconverter, though we accept
that it could have occasional uses, when it is not possible to get close to the
subject, or there's no time screw on a converter lens. Digital gain-up is
interesting, it works really well, though any movement will be blurred, but
this can be used to advantage, as an eye-catching effect when zooming or
panning. We've never been terribly impressed by electronic image stabilisers,
and the one on the R50 does nothing to change that; if anything it's not as
good as previous systems, and it produces an annoying jerk when panning at a
particular speed. The three AE modes are definitely worth having, and Panasonic
have wisely included a backlight control as well, for difficult shots where the
AE cannot cope.
The upward facing microphone produced mixed results, forward sensitivity
is not very good, but it is better at picking up incidental sounds, from the sides
and back, including the user's voice, so it can be used for narration. That
also means it'll pick up every wheeze and grunt and in quiet surroundings that
can sound like something out of a bad horror movie...
VERDICT
Camcorder lore says that any machine with its fair share of the three
'p's -- performance, price and proportion --
has to be a winner. The R50 scores three out of three, though the price, at just under £900 is borderline;
you can get some quite decent stereo machines for that sort of money. Picture
quality is very good, and we would rate this as one of the best VHS-C machines we've seen in a while. The shape
and layout are pure Panasonic, designed by people who know a thing or two about
camcorders. The only quibble we have concerns the LCD viewfinder. If it were
possible -- and we suspect it's not -- we would prefer to pay £100 less for one
with a monochrome viewfinder. Nevertheless, we can't ignore the fact that
camcorder buyers are voting with their wallets and they're becoming very
popular. The R50 is another much-needed boost for the VHS-C format and
confirmation, if it were needed, that Panasonic haven't forgotten how to make
and market camcorders.
BOX 1 -- WHAT ELSE IS THERE?
Comparable palmcorders with colour viewfinders include the Mitsubishi
CX6, Canon UC16 (another slim machine)
and the quirky Sharp MX7 'Twin Cam', but if you're prepared to trade in
the LCD display and/or the ultra-compact shape there's several other machines
well worth considering at or around the £900 price mark, they include the Sony
FX500 and TR305, Akai's MS8 and Panasonic's S6.
SPECIFICATIONS
Make/model
PANASONIC NV-R50
Recording format VHS-C
Guide price
£899
OPTICS
Lens f1.8
Zoom
10x optical, 15x digital
Filter diameter
37mm
Pick-up device
0.25in CCD (320k pixels)
Min. illum. (lux) 10
(5 lux low-light mode, 1 lux digital gain-up)
VIDEO DECK
Long Play (LP)? yes
Max. rec. time 90 (LP mode)
IR remote control ? no
Edit terminal? yes
(RMC/5-pin)
MAIN FACILITIES
Auto Focus? yes Manual focus? yes
Auto exposure? yes Programmed
AE? yes
Auto white balance yes Manual
white balance? yes
Power zoom yes Manual zoom? no
Backlight compensation yes Insert edit? no
Character generator? no Digital Superimposer? no
Image stabiliser? yes Video
light? no
Battery refresh? yes Accessory shoe? no
Record review yes Fader? yes/black
Digital effects yes Digital zoom yes
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
time/date recording, backlight compensation, record review, digital
effects (strobe, snapshot, still, wipe, mix, gain-up)
VIEWFINDER
Viewfinder
0.7in colour LCD
Viewfinder info.
deck mode and status, low battery, tape count, AE mode, fader, focus
mode, tape end, time/date, stabiliser, digital effect, index marker, snapshot
mode, zoom, head clog, dew
AUDIO
Stereo? yes
Audio dub? no
Wind noise filter? no
Mic socket? yes
Headphone socket? yes
Microphone single-point stereo
GENERAL
Sockets video and audio out
(phono), DC in, RMC edit control
Size (mm) 76
x 118 x 233
Weight
0.9kg (inc. tape and battery)
STANDARD ACCESSORIES
Batteries, (nicad and lithium), straps, AC charger/power supply,
AV lead
video light? no remote control? no
cassette adaptor? yes RF Converter? no
SCART adaptor? yes
PERFORMANCE
Resolution
>240-lines
Colour fidelity very
good
Picture stability very
good
Colour bleed none
White balance good
Exposure
good
Autofocus
good
Audio performance average
Insert edit
N/A (manual inserts clean)
Playback thru adaptor good
VC RATINGS
Value for money 8
Ease of use 9
Performance 9
Features 9
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(c) R Maybury 1993 2906
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