Panasonic HC-VXF1 Camcorder: HD Picture Resolution:

Terfyn

My windmuffs (deadcats) consist of a bit of aquarium filter foam (porous to sound (and water) but provides the still air surrounding the mic) and covered with a bit of faux fur (teddybear fur). Works very well.
I used one of them when I was recording a journey on one of the "Great Little Trains of Wales". The camera and mic were stuck out of the carriage window but picked up no wind noise, I could hear the engine perfectly.
I should say the windmuff was fixed on an external mic, not on the camera mics.

johnkm

Wind Muff: My external mic has one, but it could be better, so will look at aquarium filter foam, thank you.  But I think fitting a wind muff to the internal mic, and not effect performance, may be a little more difficult. This is because the mic housing is slightly raised (the TM700 was basically flush), with some of the grill protruding vertically out of the case.  A strip of Velcro would be needed between the mic and the multi purpose ring, to seal the front of the muff, but this may upset the stereo sound pattern.

Re 'Resolution Issue': I have produced two 720p exports from the TM700 1080 50p file (one via my editor and one via 'Handbrake') and can confirm the nameplate via  the VXF1 1080 50p recording is better than either 720p downscale, being about half way between 720p and the TM700 1080 50p.

I thank everyone for the comments so far, particularly those on the V800 and V750 and can only assume that either I have a duff VXF1, or this is a design problem.  Either way, the product that I have fails two of the 'Sale of Goods' criteria, in that it must be 'as described' and 'fit for purpose'.  So I will go back to Panansonic, point them to this thread and hopefully obtain a better response than 'sorry that the product does not meet your expectations"

So to put the resolution issue into perspective:
The TM700 has two high quality HD modes: HA 1080/50i @ 17Mb/s VBR and 1080 50p @ 28Mb/s VBR (which provides a slight improvement over HA mode).
However, on the VXF1 there are no less than five high bit rate modes that are higher than HA (two at 50Mb/s!!):
AVCHD: 1080 50p (28Mbps VBR), PH 1080 50i (24Mbps VBR).
MP4: 1080 50p (50Mbps  VBR), 1080 50p (28Mbps VBR), 1080 24p (50Mbps VBR).

All of which clearly project an image to the customer to expect even better quality than the TM700 was remotely capable of providing!!
So perhaps Panasonic will be able to explain why, in reality, the TM700’s 1080 50i HA mode (at only 17/Mb/s), provides noticeably better resolution than ALL of the above 'Super HQ' modes on my VXF1?

12harry

One suspects the VX-range has been optimised for 4K and HD is left wanting.
A great shame as most users are likely to be content with HD -just buying into 4K as the latest gismos demand.
If you can get the "ear" of Pana....  suggest they put ND filter(s) into the next upgrade.

BTW I thought the VXF1 max. Stills resolution was shown "User Guide" as 25Mpx 16x9 mode probably. This would be a lot better than my current still camera. Then, with  the convenience of modest zoom, that will outshine most stills cameras by a lot.
johnkm- My Q remains: how big is the top-quality image file?  I realise you are busy trying to resolve the poor HD performance. . . . and another Poster has described pixel-skipping . . . yet it's difficult to imagine Pana would accept such an obvious visual-flaw, since (presumably) the VXF-range HD-mode was included for Buyers that wish to combine their latest camcorder with others who are using HD-only.  They'll not likely rush out and buy something that's worse...Oh no.
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I never understood the need to include a low-res "selfie" camera in some Pana models...esp as it's embedded in the file and can't be removed ( as I read the User-guide). Sony had a couple of "bad" years with their built-in VGA projectors...Ugh!
Terfyn is right about those built-in LED lights - bad idea, unless outside the lens-ring. What stopped them including two LEDs outside? . . . the Mfr obsession with making stuff "small" is rather silly, IMHO,  as our limbs/hands haven't changed in Ages.
A wind-cheating "Fluffy" arrangement is very sensible - far better than silly LF filters seen sometimes.. .. May need some design-effort - even if it straps-on (with elastic), might work. As long as it can't scratch the paintwork. Oh and is made to be captive if ever you are rushing about.

Cheers.

Terfyn

Have you read this post Harry. I thought I made it clear that the 800 definition is excellent, certainly slightly better than the 750.
The range has a 62mm lens mount which leaves little room on the camera case but I understand that the VXF1 has an IR light on the case outside the ring.

johnkm

ND Filter request: I have posted a letter to Panasonic and given them a link to this thread, so they should see all the comments, assuming they read through it.
Stills Files Sizes: I have taken two 16:9 stills of the garden at 25.9 and 14MPx.  The file sizes respectively are: 10Mb (6784x3816) and 6.75Mb (4992x2808).  However, that doesn't tell you if there is any overall quality difference between the two.  On the TM700 I don't use the top 13Mpx mode, as I seem to remember that it wasn't noticeably better than the 8.3Mpx mode.  So I will take more shots when it stops raining again and it may be useful to take the same view I used for the video resolution tests and crop out an enlargement of the nameplate.

Terfyn

I agree with the ND filters but they can easily be added on the outside. The main advantage is that you don't need to carry a bag of filters around.
I bought a set of filters from Neewer, UV for general use and lens protection, a variable polaroid and four magnifying lenses for close up plus a lens cap and lens hood. Neewer also do a set of ND filters and I may avail myself using the many Amazon gift cards I anticipate for Christmas.

johnkm

VXF1 Stills Photo Resolution
I took a number of shots of the same scene used for the video resolution tests and cropped the nameplate  from those images, hopefully roughly at the same crop area. I have also labelled the cropped images to make them easier to follow and included a general 2.1m view of the scene taken on the VXF1.
1. In Photo Modes, the VXF1 provides a sharper image than the TM700 (better optics and/or sensor?).
2. The highest res shot (13m) on the TM70 is only about on par with the VXF1, when the latter is in '4K Photo' mode.
3. There is virtually no difference between the 26.9m and 14m photo modes on the VXF1.

For the record: The uncropped images '1' and '2' file sizes are:12.3MB and 7.35MB.respectively.

Terfyn

I agree with comment 1. Photo 2 is better than photo 6

12harry

ND filters:  Part of the reason for having them "internal" is as you say it avoids having to carry them around, then faf about taking them on-off as each shot demands. This should save some time and avoid damage to the Camcorder's filter-thread - too easy to cross-thread. Also, there is the issue of dirt on the lens and filter... that's three surfaces that need to be checked.
Leaving a "Safety-filter" on the lens is a good-idea IMHO, as this single surface can be replaced if damaged.  Single is only because once-cleaned, the other two aren't touched.

However, the main reason for having "Internal ND" is that it gives the designer the means to optimise the Iris/Gain set-up.  At least one manufacturer of Pro Camcorders ( possibly Sony, but not definite), now boasts their ND filter is done electronically... There is no filter as such, presumably a tweak of the sensor Gain-setting.  This should open the iris and reduce any "sharpening" effects, much loved by consumer camcorders. The effect should be a shallow DoF.

However, I'm never sure how the settings cope with these two situations:
1) Where a shallow DoF is required, dial-in ND to widen the iris.
2) Where the subject is too bright ( e.g. welding sparks, snow-scenes, etc.) and you don't want a shallow DoF.

Pana could steal a march on others of they had separate settings for "Shallow and Deep" -  this could be:  Deep-Deep-OFF-Shallow-Shallow  to cover these situations. There could be an Option to revert to ND-OFF when the camcorder is switched OFF for 5 minutes.

Of course Pro-gear  has this Shallow/Deep Option, by changing the ND AND Gain settings.

Personally, I think Pana is unlikely to follow a "link" - it would be better to Copy-Paste as a adder to the main email.  However, your main effort must be to resolve your purchase. The VXF1 "Stills Info" is reassuring as I wish to replace my Stills camera.
At least two ads for VXF1 say it uses a "New sensor- Jan2018" - maybe they got some that didn't quite make it..... It will be interesting to read Pana's explanation re HD-quality, on your purchase... you may have to return it for assessment, etc.

Terfyn

Harry we are always changing filters and hoods etc. Cross threading is a possibility but not if we take care.
These days there is a heck of a lot stuck inside the camera case and there would not be enough room for mechanical filters inside a Panasonic consumer cam case. Plus we can only expect so much for our dosh.
The filter set I bought includes a UV filter, a polarising filter and a filter to help with fluorescent lighting. These could not be fitted into the camera so, as with ND filters, I shall have to fit them as required.
One of Panasonic's bad features is the lens shutter which closes over the lens when the camera is switched off. It is like an old fashioned leaf shutter so could be affected badly by grit or sand. We live near the sea and flying sand is a hazard so the UV filter covering the shutter and lens.