Seems B&H is trying to capitilize on a great camera no longer being in production by upping the price. They used to selll it for $2,199 when it was still being made and I got mine for less than $2,000 from BuyDig.

Yes, I had to endure the high pressure sales tactics they use to try and get me to purchase more equipment but when I threatened to cancel the sale if he didn't trust my judgement he backed off and sold it for the web advertised price of $1,899 with full US Warranty.

It is a great camera, it's just a shame B&H seems to be stooping to price gouging.

BuyDig is Not an authorized Panasonic dealer -- U.S. customers will lose your warranty going through that high-pressure outfit. There's a big thread on dvxuser about this; Jan C. from Panasonic has verified who is or is not an authorized U.S. dealer.

B&H charges a fair price, plus they're a DV Info Net sponsor. Buy from them and you're helping this community to continue being the great free resource that it is. Thanks,

Dear Chris;

Sorry to get you so upset and I hope I did not send people to the wrong source. It was my mistake. I DID NOT purchase my DVC-80 from Buy Dig. It was in fact ProFeel for the above mentioned price. I got them confused as I had called so many places trying to find a good price.

And I do appreciate B&H being a sponsor for this site but I don't think that should excuse them to jack up prices beyond what they originally listed the item for new.

But Aaron, as I stated above, I paid approx. $2400 for a DVC80 from B&H over a year ago -- at the time, that was the "reasonable" street price (yes, some online retailers had it for less, as always; and list price was around $2900, I believe) and it was still around $1000 less than the DVX100.

It maintained this price for a bit even after my purchase. Yes, the price dropped before the camera was discontinued, but it somewhat misleading to say that B&H has "jack[ed] up prices beyond what they originally listed the item for new." I'd say that they are selling the camera at a median price that it not only *originally sold for*, but which is also just about right between the original list price and the very final price it sold for before discontinuation. Considering that a new DVC80 is now a rare thing, I'd call that a reasonable price

Sorry to mislead anyone. I just thought I remembered it being cheaper ($2,200?) than the first guy said. I could be wrong, I do remember not purchasing it through B&H because the price was higher than I was seeing it from other reputable dealers.

So, sorry if my memory's a little fuzzy. Frankly cost was an issue for me so I checked into a lot of places before purchase but I just don't remember it being that high. That said, you are right, it's a great camera and around the same price I remember it as so I don't mean to paint B&H in a negative light.

Sorry:(

I bough mine from them maybe 3 weeks ago they had 2 only..I got one ....

Bought mine in Feb for $2100 from B&H with a $100.00 gift certificate.

DJ

I understand that the DVC80 does not do progressive, and also does not have CineSwitch, but does it have CineGamma (like the DVC30)? I thought it did, but can't find anything saying anything either way.

Also, they say that the DVC80 is the exact same camera as the DVC100, but minus the progressive, CineSwitch, & maybe CineGamma. IS that exactly true? IOW do they both use the same CCDs? If so, that would mean that the DVC80 would be theoretically progressive capable, but the firmware just cripples that feature.

Thanks,

Alex F

The DVC80 does not have CineGamma (as well as the other things you mentioned it not having). It also does not have some of the nicities of the DVX100, like the focal meter and the user-controllable audio gain control.

I believe the rest of the hardware is the same -- lens, CCDs, and whatnot. I don't think that means that making it progressive would be very easy (or even possible). I honestly think that if it was possible, someone would have done it by now (and someone would have posted the instructions here at dvinfo.net).

As I've said before, the DVC80 is a great camera as it is. It's somewhere between the VX2000 and the PD150 (and some think that it's the equal of the PD150). If you want progressive, get a progressive cam; but the DVC80 is a great cam regardless.

(and, as always, you can see the DVC80 in action on my site at http://www.karatemedia.com/video and http://www.karatemedia.com/video/nonsense.html -- not the best stuff in the world, but I love pimpin' myself...)

How then, does the 80 compare to the dvc30? I kn ow that the 30 has smaller CCDs, and that it does have CineGamma (how well does that even work?). But what are the other differences between the two?

Thanks,

Alex F

CineGamma is like topping on ice cream..

basicallyu its a way the camera renders the gamma or luminance which are picked up by the CCD. What it then does is decipher a line of processing to offer you a series of different lighting, contrast, flush, crush and blow out configurations depending on your style.
I find fiixed cinegama (& CineMatrix) settings to be useless (as found in the DVC30 and GS400) you NEED to be able to configure these settings and control it properly (like within the DVX100) to be able to get the most out of it.

Think of it as another effect.. but its an actaul "feel" to what your doing.. hard to explain it in real world terms, but worked properly, the image quality is impeccable.

THe dvc30 (in good light) is prolly the only cam to come close to the DVX100 (first release)... but the 100a is nigh on perfect.

again it all comes to educaiton... its one thing to have cinegama, its another thing to know how ot use it effectively without blowing out your shots (which can actaully be a good thing sometimes if u wnat that look.. :) )

OK I know that the 80 does not do CineGamma and the 30 does.

The 30 does frame mode where the 80 does not

I know that the 30 has 1/4" CCDs and the 80 has 1/3" CCDs

The 80 has XLR, whereas the 30 does not

I believe that the 80 can switch between color & B&W in the viewfinder, and the 30 cannot.

What are the other differences? The 80 can only do 60i. In my notes I have written down that the 30 can do 30p. Is that correct, or did I get that information wrong?

The 80 has SMTPE timecode... does the 30?

Thanks,

AlexF

Unless I've overlooked something on my camera, the DVC80 viewfinder does not switch from color to B&W -- it is color only.

The DVC30 does in fact add XLR inputs easily as an optional accessory. For all practical purposes, XLR is "built-in" on the DVC30 if you want it.

The DVC30 does not offer manual audio level adjustment on the camera body (only via internal menu).

The DVC30 viewfinder can be switched to b&w

Hi,

I have problems doing playbacks of tapes videotaped by other cams (i.e. canon gl2 and sony vx2000) I dunno why when those tapes play on my dvc80, the sound always can't play properly, it just keeps "stuttering", the image is ok though

My friend took the tapes and played them on his gl-2 and it works. how come? does it have anything to do with the alignment? or just that the head is dirty? or? Is there any quick and easy way to fix it?

Thanks very much.

Johnny,

If the issue is a dirty head on your camera, then your tapes would have the same problem. But if your recordings play back fine, then the issue is probrably with the other camera. Head mis-allignment is a known and common issue with the XL1, XL1S, and GL1. And head mis-allignment can affect any camera after awhile.

Check your recordings on another camera and deck. Then check the tapes in question on the same cameras and decks to try to isolate the problem. If all you can't isolate the issue, then you could either clone the footage from the originals from the camera that shot them to your camera via Firewire, or use a more robust deck.

Another possibility may be the level at which the audio was recorded or is playing back. If the audio from the other camera was recorded at a level near or just over 0db, then it's possible that the audio is clipping at some point. I've experienced audio clipping in FCP from a few TRV900's and VX2000's. The audio was recorded right 0db in the camera, and thus created a few issues when working in the world of Digital audio where most sound engineers recommend a peak level of -12db. By simply lowering the audio level from 0db to -6 or so in FCP, the audio stopped clipping on play back and sounded plenty clean and clear.

You should be able to view the audio level or your DVC80 by displaying the LEVEL METER. When the level meters hit the vertical "dashes", they are at -12db. anything over is technically clipping in a Digital audio perspective. But when they hit the absolute end of the meter length and a second dash is displayed, then the levels are right at or over 0db. Once the audio goes over 0db, you're pretty much screwed. But if the level is right at 0db, then try capturing the clip and lowering the level in your NLE and see if that brings the audio back into range.

Please know that I am not an audio recordist or sound engineer of any kind. But the above level issue is something that I've encountered in my limited post experience. Perhaps someone with more audio and post experience may be able to chime in with better information on the subject.

Hello,

I've been away from the forum for a while and have previously searched for info on the Panasonic AG-DVC80.

Now when I go to the B&H site I see a 30 and a 60.

Please enlighten me.

Thanks

Bob

The DVC80 is long gone. It was discontinued about the time the DVC30 was introduced.

Thanks for the reply Barry.

Other than the zoom limitation, I thought the DVC80 was a pretty nice rig. That's too bad. I guess I'll have to bone up on the new models and make another choice.

You might find a used one for sale privately; with any camcorder, U.S. law mandates that it is supported by factory service at least seven years past its date of discontinuance.

I purchased just about the last DVC80 that BandH had. I have used it for four weddings. With it I have, I believe a 3200 amp battery and a 7200.

Has anyone an idea of its value?

Try and buy a similar camera with 1/3" chips, the quality and features of this camera and that will let you know how much it is worth. I think it is right behind the XL1 & 2 and DVX 100+ cameras. The GL1 is not in the same league. A friend of mine produces a show "Driving" for Global TV using this camera.

<<<-- Originally posted by Charley Gallagher : I purchased just about the last DVC80 that BandH had. I have used it for four weddings. With it I have, I believe a 3200 amp battery and a 7200.

Has anyone an idea of its value? -->>>
Are you selling? I may be in a position acquire another one soon, and I really would like another if the price is fair. I know of another videographer in my area who bought a used DVC80 in with 37 hours on it for only $1,500. Deal of the century!

We should be so lucky!

I was hoping to hear $1800 or so. This looked to be the best camera I could purchase for the money. My one friend has a PD170 and another has the XL1. Both shot my son's wedding. I have to say the picture of the PD170 was fantastic. I was upset with the XL1. The colors were not bright and color correcting between the two cameras was impossible.

Then I saw how badly the XL1 worked indoors in low light. I researched and decided the DVC80 was a lot of camera. I have used it a few times alongside the PD170 and the pictures in bright light are comparable. Unfortunately it pales in comparison during wedding receptions when the light is low. I think low lighting ability is about the most important consideration at this time.

We made a comparison at a church. It was early, the church was dark and we set up our cameras on tripods, zommed in to see the same size picture and focused on a candle. The PD170 had a bright picture and my camera was using 6 and needing 12db gain.
In every other way I just love this camera. I think its controls are easier to use than the 170.

Oh yeah, when I purchased it I saw ads saying it was the same camera as the 100 except it didnt do 24 frames. It really is missing some of the feature of the 100 and 100A. One of them is time lapse.

So I was considering selling it to pick up a PD170 but money is tight and I didn't want to take a beating on it. I was hoping it was in demand because it was no longer available.

If you are still interested I might be willing to pay $1700 depending on what kind of tapes have been used and the hours on the heads.

Here is a price benchmark ($1799 used at b&h):

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=800398925&is=USE

You probably could contact them about trading for a PD170

Sorry for taking so long to repost. I have reconsidered selling the camera as trading up would not be prudent. What I did is purchase the Sony VX2100 used for what I would get for my camera. In that case I am ending up with what I really need, a primary camera with low light sensitivity and a backup camera that I can put on a tripod at weddings for those unmanned shots.

I think I will be pleased with this purchase. I will use the DVC80 for those handheld dolly and trucking shots because the built in wide angle ability keeps them smooth.

thanks for all the responces

Charley --

Let us know how it goes -- I was under the impression that the VX2100 was not as good in low-light as the PD170, and therefore was about equal in low-light as the DVC80.

I use the DVC80 for my production work and have been very happy with it in most all conditions (it's not the tops in low-light situations, but I've rarely had to use gain, except in really dark clubs a couple of times).

If I were going to get a second camera, it would probably be a high-end production camera (1/2 or 2/3 chipper, like the shoulder-mounted JVCs, etc), a 24P cam like the DVX100A (or better), or a HD production camera. Anything else would seem like a step sideways instead of forward.

Regardless, you might be one of the few people on this board to own both a DVC80 and a VX2100, and it will be nice to heard your opinions after you've gotten to use both together.

Even if I am in the market for GS400 or a DVC30, I thought I might give it a try at finding new DVC80 units, if available.

Is there any store, if possible in NY, where I can go personally buy a new DVC80?

If you do a Google search in the web you may find the "usual suspects" offering it, like Broadway Photo, Digital Liquidators and A&M Photo, who get almost negative reviews from Reseller Ratings site.

The best way to avoid a rip-off is to go to the shop and test the camera you are buying and walk out with it.


Carlos

The DVC80's been discontinued for something like a year. I seriously doubt you'll find any new stock.

I've got a DVC80 for sale, great camera with amazing images, (3) 1/3" CCDs. Babied it in a hard case since purchasing in May. Has only 100 hours on it. No dings or scratches, just a little wear. Still under warranty. Asking $1999, will be ebaying it soon but wanted to offer to DVi users first.

I've got a DVC80 for sale, great camera with amazing images, (3) 1/3" CCDs. Babied it in a hard case since purchasing in May. Has only 100 hours on it. No dings or scratches, just a little wear. Still under warranty. Asking $1999, will be ebaying it soon but wanted to offer to DVi users first.

I've been experimenting with all different looks this camera can provide.

Has anyone out there had any luck tweeking and experimenting?? If so, I'd love to read about it.

Thanks.

-Mike

Any tips on head cleaning. I have 79 hours on my camera. I've been using the same tapes throughout.

I have not noticed any drop outs or problems, but I would prefer to keep my camera tip top condition.

Any tips would be helpful. Thanks for the input!
-Mike

Panasonic's ProLine video cameras are designed for industrial and professional use. My DVC80 manual recommends a tune-up every 1,000 hours, but my camera has only 150 hours on it. I've only had to clean the heads once when the little red "X" appeared on screen (after about 30 hours of use). I've never had any head issues. You don't want to use a head-cleaning cassette unless you have to, since it has an abrasive surface. I can appreciate keeping equipment in top condition, but my experience with all things high-tech -- from PCs to camcorders -- is if it's not broken, don't fix it.

Enjoy the DVC80!

Hi, Mike! I haven't been to dvinfo.net in awhile, but it's good to see some other DVC80 users still around!

There's not many DVC80 folks around these parts -- I seem to recall it was pretty slim a couple years back, as well. Everyone else typically spent the extra $1000 to get the DVX100... I didn't want you to feel too left out in the cold, so I figured I'd drop in.

Usually, I do not use the DVC80 settings to drastically tweak the image. Instead, I'll try to get a relatively faithful image and tweak it w/ something like After Effects. I feel that this gives me greater latitude to change things around in post, without being stuck with a stylized look from the get-go.

Most of my work with the DVC80 is freelance. For example, here is an interview with the band Secret Machines that I shot and edited: http://karatemedia.com/secretmachines/ -- all the color video is from the DVC80, much of it tweaked in AE.

There are some examples of local, low-budget commercials I have shot with the DVC80 at http://karatemedia.com/video/commercials.html -- the Big City Bread one is one of my favorites.

The one time I really wish I had worked more with the DVC80's in-camera color controls is with this live video: http://karatemedia.com/nutria/ -- the red stagelights really took over on tape, washing everything in way too much red. I had to spend too much time afterwards trying to fix this. A few minutes tweaking the DVC80 before the shoot definitely would have saved me a lot of processing time afterwards.

Just thought I'd share my DVC80 experience. Hope it helps!

Sorry for the less than fast response. I've been planning my wedding in June.

I love your work! Very nice job! The Secret Machine spot really held my attention. Very creative. The commericail spots were all very nice!!

I love my 80. I'll proably continue using panasonic camers for the interface alone. More buttons...less menu! I'm going to hold out until I can figure out a better HDV workflow. And the until the prices come down. No sense in buying another SD camera though...unless it's under a grand.

I've been moonlighting betwwen my day job and my production company. I'm a government producer by day and a business producer at night! The life of video professional is always long hours huh...

I hope to be up to speed by the end of the year. Would you be willing to check out my site and critique it?? www.vmediaconcepts.com

I would really appreciate an opinion from a fellow professional.

Thanks and keep up the great work!

So what has happened to this camera?
Is the DVC60 supposed to be it's replacement?

Simply put, the AG-DVC80 was too much camera for the money, so Panasonic stopped making them after about nine months. I've heard that they were cutting into sales of the DVX100. The DVC60 is nowhere near being a replacement for the DVC80 because it has smaller quarter-inch CCDs instead of the one-third inch CCDs in the DVC80. I've seen DVC80s selling on eBay for about $1,500. Good camcorder with professional features. I'm an event videographer, and it meets my needs just fine. I imagine it would also be good for corporate and educatational markets.

Mike -- sorry the delay; I, too, have had a lot going on. Hope your wedding goes well!

Thanks for checking out my videos - I'm glad you liked them. In fact, the Secret Machines interview was helped in a way by some of the people here at dvinfo.net. As I worked on segments, I posted them here for feedback. The feedback for two previous segments helped me in editing the Secret Machines one.

Speaking of feedback, I actually first read your post a few weeks ago and visited your site at that time; I've checked it out again tonight. I see that you've added a Flash video on your splash page. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of video or animated content being thrown at a visitor, especially if there is audio, but that's just my opinion. I would suggest at least adding a very visible "Skip" button -- at my screen resolution I could barely make out the nav menu bar at the top of the page. If I were just a casual visitor, I would have just closed the window once the video started and skipped the site altogether. Making it easy for the user to just enter the site means you get fewer "drive-offs."

That said, I think you've got some good work on there. The 8 Kount video/ad looks good and fits the song. I think you've got some good advertising concepts as well, such as the In-Store Display and Media Coupons. The Dub Dash 3 piece is really good, as well -- the pacing and your choice of shots and editing work very well.

My only other suggestion would probably be that you need to use a consistent video file format for your Samples page. Instead of each video being offered in random formats (some are wmv, some are mp4, one is mpeg), pick at least two formats - probably wmv and mp4 or mov - and stick to them for all your videos.

But your stuff looks good -- I'm glad there's another DVC80 user out there doing good work with this great camera. Good luck!

Thanks for the comments. It's very helpful advise that I am going to take.

I'm trying to encode everything to wmv files. It seems that 90% of my clients have only windows. I still need to find the time to re-encode the other clips.

I don't like the splash screen anymore either. I'm going back to putting the promo on the front page with a play/pause button.

Thanks again for the taking the time to help me out. Please shoot me an e-mail from time to time and let me know if I'm driving off the road.

Have a great week!

I just recently got a dvc80. I love this camcorder alot cause of the cool features that saves me lots of time. The prob I have is I'm capturing video through my optura 20. The optura 20 will not play the sound off my tape recorded by my dvc80. It plays the tape perfectly recorder by my pd150 just not the dvc80. Both tapes are the same brand. I play it through the dvc80 and it plays just fine. Is there another camcorder I could purchase very cheap to play the dvc80 footage I record onto tape and play the sound as well? I know it's a very similar camcorder to dvx100 minus 24p. What do you guys use? I want to save on the threads.

Thanks
Monday

Ive been using a canon zr-80 for a couple of years with no problems at all with my DVX footage.

Many thanks. I'll look into that model.

Monday

i dont think the ZR-80 is in production still but im sure they have a replacement model.

Thanks Matt. I was looking at a zr300 relatively cheap, you gave me a good lead with the zr models.

Monday

Thanks Matt. I was looking at a zr300 relatively cheap, you gave me a good lead with the zr models.
Monday

It may not be the camera you are using for playback that is the problem. What I have noticed with the ag-dvc30 is that the normal panasonic tapes will not play correctly in other cameras. I now use panasonic ay-dvm63mq professional tapes and other camera's have no problems with sound or drop outs playing them back. I cannot tell you the reason for this, but that has been my experience. I also only use the panasonic brand tapes because there are some issues with switching brands due to different lubricants on the different tape brands and panasonic is what I started with. I don't know though if there are differences in the different grades of tapes within the same brand. Perhaps someone else knows this.

So using professional quality tapes seems to get better results when shooting with these pro cameras and playing back on other devices. Good luck.

Hi, I have this great camera but I'm not so sure about this white balance business.. When I try to set it manually like a good boy with the white card and all that, the resulting picture looks pale, the people look dead! So I've been using the 5600 preset, this makes them a bit too red/tan/hot, but it's better than the dead look of course - is there a way to get a good in between type setting? I feel like I'm half-assing it as of now.

Well, there could be a number of variables here, from the type of lighting to your aperture setting. You may also want to try warm cards, which may help with the problem -- giving you a sort of "in between" solution like you mentioned (search "warm cards" here and you'll find a number of threads about it, which will probably explain them better than I can)

I don't recall having this bad of a problem with the DVC 80, but I do tend to tweak my footage during editing. If possible, post a frame or two (or a whole clip), and someone might be able to point out any other variables that might be in play, as well.