eddybaby
July 31st, 2002, 01:54 AM
Saw a working model of the Ag-DVX100 at the LA Dv show today. As one of many eagerly awaiting the availability of this ground-breaking camera, I was excited to finally get a chance to see images from the camera and actually get my hands on it to test its various functions.
No, not every control was yet functional (e.g., gain up and auto-focus were not operational), but the manual zoom was smooth as silk (manual and servo functions are toggled by a switch on the front of the camera), and similar in function to a pro lens. The manual zoom allows, at long last a true manual zoom (it certainly felt like one, perfectly responsive at any speed) on a fixed lens dv cam, unlike those awful, awkward, hard-to- modulate ones on the sony mini dv's.
The servo zoom was a little sticky, but the product manager assured me these and many other things would be tweaked in production models.
Focus ring is the spinner type, but Panasonic's spinner lenses (as on the EZ-30), IMHO, have always been superior to Sony's in that the turning of the ring is much more precise and allows for easier and repeatable focus pulling, as opposed to Sony's (like on the TRV900 and most others), which require numerous turns to do big focus changes and are difficult to control precisely.
In short, though not a true manual focus lens with distance markings, the DVX100's focus ring works well, especially compared to the focus mechanisms of other cameras in this price range.
Now, on to the camera's most important feature: the 24P. It works. The camera was hooked into an NTSC monitor, allowing viewing of the 24p images with the 3:2 pulldown. Though the camera has various adjustable presets to allow quick switching of frame rates, gamma, and other variables, it was ultimately hard to judge the camera's output on the monitor, given the dull lighting and lack of anything other than a crowded expo hall to focus on. Still, it looked good.
Did it look like film? No. But it's a lot closer to film than shooting 60i. And because 24p image capture is a huge component of the film look, with the proper lighting, filtration, and gamma set-up, this camera will likely come close (not to mention it facilitates transfer to film, if one wishes to do so).
PAL might offer more resolution, but what if you want or need to shoot 60i? You'd need two cameras. Part of the beauty of the DVX100 is its versatility, which Panasonic is wisely extolling in its literature; you can use it to shoot 60i for broadcast and video output, then flip a switch and shoot 24p for transfer to film or a film look on video. You can do it all with one camera.
Unfortunately, the few minutes of exterior footage shot with the camera (by the Panasonic people) that was being played back on a monitor was comprised mostly of static shots, undynamic, unfiltered, clearly shot just to so they'd have something to show. I expect Panasonic will soon assemble a more impressive, professional reel to highlight the camera's cinema-style capabilities and image quality and exhibit it at other trade shows.
Bottom line for me is, though the camera's not shipping yet, though this wasn't a 100% functional model, it impressed me; in features, in construction, in ergonomics, it excels in all the areas that its competitors do not. Sony may have touched off the DV revolution, but I've never been thrilled by their mini-dv offerings, which always fell short of their promise (instead, I use
a JVC GY-DV500).
Panasonic's AG-DVX100 is clearly the product of a company that knows what customers want, and is committed to producing a great camera for those of us who can't afford HD or DVC Pro. While I'm skeptical about them being able to meet the supposed ship date of late Sept./early Oct. (the rep said only 500 units in the initial shipment), while I'd like to see a fully functional model and more footage from the camera, and though I know better than to be one of the first buyers of a new electronic product, I nonetheless have my pre-order in and will probably unload my JVC Gy-DV500 to pay for the Panasonic.
One final issue: the price. After announcing at NAB the camera would carry an SRP of $3495 (a price that's still up at the Panasonic website), Panasonic seems to have upped the price to $3795, perhaps after realizing how big and lucrative the market for it will be (my guess is Panasonic will finally give Sony a run for their money in the mini-dv market, and it's about time; Sony needs the competition to spur them to innovate in their lower-end product line instead of saving it all for the expensive stuff and giving mini-dv users wonderful features like audio hiss).
The $300 price hike isn't particularly welcome, but the camera seems leagues above its similarly-priced competitors, and I for one, can't wait to get one.
No, not every control was yet functional (e.g., gain up and auto-focus were not operational), but the manual zoom was smooth as silk (manual and servo functions are toggled by a switch on the front of the camera), and similar in function to a pro lens. The manual zoom allows, at long last a true manual zoom (it certainly felt like one, perfectly responsive at any speed) on a fixed lens dv cam, unlike those awful, awkward, hard-to- modulate ones on the sony mini dv's.
The servo zoom was a little sticky, but the product manager assured me these and many other things would be tweaked in production models.
Focus ring is the spinner type, but Panasonic's spinner lenses (as on the EZ-30), IMHO, have always been superior to Sony's in that the turning of the ring is much more precise and allows for easier and repeatable focus pulling, as opposed to Sony's (like on the TRV900 and most others), which require numerous turns to do big focus changes and are difficult to control precisely.
In short, though not a true manual focus lens with distance markings, the DVX100's focus ring works well, especially compared to the focus mechanisms of other cameras in this price range.
Now, on to the camera's most important feature: the 24P. It works. The camera was hooked into an NTSC monitor, allowing viewing of the 24p images with the 3:2 pulldown. Though the camera has various adjustable presets to allow quick switching of frame rates, gamma, and other variables, it was ultimately hard to judge the camera's output on the monitor, given the dull lighting and lack of anything other than a crowded expo hall to focus on. Still, it looked good.
Did it look like film? No. But it's a lot closer to film than shooting 60i. And because 24p image capture is a huge component of the film look, with the proper lighting, filtration, and gamma set-up, this camera will likely come close (not to mention it facilitates transfer to film, if one wishes to do so).
PAL might offer more resolution, but what if you want or need to shoot 60i? You'd need two cameras. Part of the beauty of the DVX100 is its versatility, which Panasonic is wisely extolling in its literature; you can use it to shoot 60i for broadcast and video output, then flip a switch and shoot 24p for transfer to film or a film look on video. You can do it all with one camera.
Unfortunately, the few minutes of exterior footage shot with the camera (by the Panasonic people) that was being played back on a monitor was comprised mostly of static shots, undynamic, unfiltered, clearly shot just to so they'd have something to show. I expect Panasonic will soon assemble a more impressive, professional reel to highlight the camera's cinema-style capabilities and image quality and exhibit it at other trade shows.
Bottom line for me is, though the camera's not shipping yet, though this wasn't a 100% functional model, it impressed me; in features, in construction, in ergonomics, it excels in all the areas that its competitors do not. Sony may have touched off the DV revolution, but I've never been thrilled by their mini-dv offerings, which always fell short of their promise (instead, I use
a JVC GY-DV500).
Panasonic's AG-DVX100 is clearly the product of a company that knows what customers want, and is committed to producing a great camera for those of us who can't afford HD or DVC Pro. While I'm skeptical about them being able to meet the supposed ship date of late Sept./early Oct. (the rep said only 500 units in the initial shipment), while I'd like to see a fully functional model and more footage from the camera, and though I know better than to be one of the first buyers of a new electronic product, I nonetheless have my pre-order in and will probably unload my JVC Gy-DV500 to pay for the Panasonic.
One final issue: the price. After announcing at NAB the camera would carry an SRP of $3495 (a price that's still up at the Panasonic website), Panasonic seems to have upped the price to $3795, perhaps after realizing how big and lucrative the market for it will be (my guess is Panasonic will finally give Sony a run for their money in the mini-dv market, and it's about time; Sony needs the competition to spur them to innovate in their lower-end product line instead of saving it all for the expensive stuff and giving mini-dv users wonderful features like audio hiss).
The $300 price hike isn't particularly welcome, but the camera seems leagues above its similarly-priced competitors, and I for one, can't wait to get one.