I have access to a DVX100-a and I am shooting some documentary footage with it Tuesday. I was wondering about the shutter speed on it. What should it normally be set to? Why would you change it? Also if you hit the button a few times it says shutter off- what does this mean?

Hi Noah,

On the DVX100A, "Shutter Off" is basically an auto shutter setting (think of it as "manual shutter is off," in other words, on auto). It normally defaults to 1/60th sec. if you're shooting in the 60i or 30p frame rate. Which shutter speed is right for you depends entirely on what you're shooting, what the lighting conditions are, and the intended effect that you want to create. If you have this camera only for a week or so, then you might want to download a PDF copy of the manual and explore it. You can get a copy at this link:

http://service.us.panasonic.com/operman/findmanual.aspx?model=AGDVX100A

i usually keep it set to "off". all though if you are shooting in low light in 24p i have had decent results bumping it down to 1/24.