What do you think of the DVX100A for run & gun?

it does what it says it does :)

It all depends on exactly how run & gun you want to go, and how good you are with the camera.

The DVX is a camera that works really well for me in the field and I consider myself a run & gun type. Reasons include the numbered focus scale for quickly dialing in manual focus, the large LCD for when you don't have the luxury of a monitor, the scene file settings that let you quickly dial in many different types of looks that you saved before-hand (or settings that work better in different situations), the overal feel of the camera, and of course, the overall wonderful quality of the footage and how well it handles potential blowouts, etc.

The down-side is definitely the auto-focus capabilities. I really wish it was faster, but then, I don't use auto-focus in 90% of my shooting.

But if by run & gun you mean as in event-videography, well, those scenarios are much less staged, much less controllable, and often times, much less lit, and I point folks to the PD170 for that type of stuff.

Where is the numbered focus scale? Is it on the lens barrel or does it show up on the LCD?

Michael, you might check out the comments on this subject of well known documentarian, Alan Barker, at his site: http://alanbarker.com/

micheal, its on both :)

There's no focus scale on the lens barrel...

There's a zoom scale, but not focus.