damion75 0 #1 January 29, 2004 Looking to buy my first camera since I am in a position to get tax-free at the moment and I can't pass THAT up!! Pretty sure I want a PC-105 but having looked around on the net, they are about half the price on the US sites than on the UK sites... given that most videos / TVs etc are all dual format these days (PAL / NTSC) does it matter which country I buy from? Or do I once again have to pay the price of being British...!!*************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #2 January 29, 2004 Quotegiven that most videos / TVs etc are all dual format these days (PAL / NTSC) does it matter which country I buy from? Not in the States.---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #3 January 29, 2004 Quote . . . given that most videos / TVs etc are all dual format these days (PAL / NTSC) does it matter which country I buy from? First, I think your basic assumption that most equipment is dual format is simply wrong. I believe it may be the case in the UK beacause they deal with the two different formats depends on where they get their entertainment from, but for the vast majority of the planet a single format VCR and monitor is the norm. Second point, I guess it all depends on what you want to do with the footage. If you're ONLY going to be viewing it yourself, at your home and on your equipment and especially if your equipment is already dual format, then you're absolutely correct . . . it doesn't matter at all. If you think that at some point in the near future that you'll be flying camera for a team or school, then you really need to see what is being used by them.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teamhypoxia 0 #4 January 29, 2004 in addition... if you're going to be doing any video work at a world meet, at least at the present time, PAL is required Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gus 1 #5 January 29, 2004 If you want to swap footage between a PAL and an NTSC camcorder I believe it's crap at best and doesn't work at worst. GusOutpatientsOnline.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #6 January 29, 2004 Quote in addition... if you're going to be doing any video work at a world meet, at least at the present time, PAL is required Unfortunately, with all my skills and good looks I probably won't be going to the World Meet and my guess is that for the majority of camera flyers, this is also true. I'm not sure I'd base my camera buying decisions on that. However, if I were going to the World Meet, I'd gladly buy a new camera just for that. quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
damion75 0 #7 January 30, 2004 QuoteQuote in addition... if you're going to be doing any video work at a world meet, at least at the present time, PAL is required Unfortunately, with all my skills and good looks I probably won't be going to the World Meet and my guess is that for the majority of camera flyers, this is also true. I'm not sure I'd base my camera buying decisions on that. However, if I were going to the World Meet, I'd gladly buy a new camera just for that. Surely! I would have to be some kind of skygod to be worrying about that with my 200 jumps!! PAL is the European format isnt it? and NTSC the US version?*************** Not one shred of evidence supports the theory that life is serious - look at the platypus. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nacmacfeegle 0 #8 January 30, 2004 "PAL is the European format isnt it? and NTSC the US version? " More or less, there are funky variants used in France, but PAL is predominantly the choice in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia. The primary difference is PAL is 25 frames per second. NTSC is 'about' 30- frames per second. NTSC has historic issues with colour resolution, but I think that is largely a thing of the past Long story short, buy a PAL model if you intend jumping in the UK.-------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,146 #9 January 30, 2004 Quote"PAL is the European format isnt it? and NTSC the US version? " More or less, there are funky variants used in France, but PAL is predominantly the choice in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia. The primary difference is PAL is 25 frames per second. NTSC is 'about' 30- frames per second. NTSC has historic issues with colour resolution, but I think that is largely a thing of the past Long story short, buy a PAL model if you intend jumping in the UK. Back in the good ole days, NTSC was said to stand for "never the same color". PAL is indeed superior in encoding the chrominance information.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeflir29 0 #10 January 30, 2004 Quotethere are funky variants used in France Imagine that......... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #11 January 30, 2004 "secam" - it worked on all the PAL stuff I used to sell when I ran an electrical department. I think the two are prety universally compatable or at least all manufacturers ensure their equipment works wiht both. It has 625 lines and 25 frames per second. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
garywainwright 0 #12 January 30, 2004 NTSC = never the same colour PAL = picture allways lousy take your pic!http://www.garywainwright.co.uk Instagram gary_wainwright_uk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GeorgeKat 0 #13 January 30, 2004 If the majority of your jumping will happen in the UK and you live there, buy PAL. You can get multi-format TV's but they tend to be more expensive. The main issue for most people is portability of your footage. In other words, if you want to share your footage with friends, or show it to them on the dz TV, it's much easier if you all use the same system. If you end up doing Tandem video or filming for a team, then you must have the same system as your customers. Using a PAL camera in the US is a little restrictive. You can only be sure of multi-format VCR's at the big dz's, and you won't be able to fire-wire with US cameras. A Sony PAL camera will play NTSC Mini-DV tapes, so if you're getting coach video or paying someone to film you, they may be persuaded to use a tape you give them. Then you can play it back from your own camera. Using an NTSC camera in the UK is the same deal, except I've seen far less multi-format equipment there, so possibly worse. I have both. A PAL PC100, and an NTSC TRV-50. I also have an Aiwa converting VCR, which I use to convert between the two. There is an analogue step when I do this, so I lose some quality, but it works better than anything else I've seen. Last thing to consider, does the UK version have DV-IN? I've been out of the country for 2 years and I don't know the 105, but this feature (or the lack of it) was a big issue for UK camera flyers when I was there. Hope this helps your decision Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #14 February 2, 2004 Unlike in the US, virtually all TV's and VCR's in the UK are multi format. These don't truly convert the footage though, they merely output analogue PAL so you can see it on a PAL TV. The PC105e has DV in - its sister model the PC103e is identical but for this feature and the memory stick. Get PAL if you're in the UK. Get DV in unless you live with/always jump with someone who has DV in. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
