DVX100 -- various topics

[Joe Kras]

The short answer is no.

The three basic problems are
-being too distant from the sound (echoes from imperfect room surfaces, lower signal leading to increased noise)
-interference from noise sources close to the camera
-the quality of the onboard mic

Now, if this is strictly for personal use, then you could probably tell basically what was going on, but I would not want to use this for anything even remotely professional.

If you must do this, get the camera as close as possible, and in a place where there are no people around that are going to be making ANY noise (close soft noise will be picked up much better than far loud noise). This is usually impossible in any typical recital situation. If they have a dress rehearsal, you'd probably get a little better sound, as there wouldn't be audience noise interference.

In perusing the audio forum, you will see that people usually recommend:
-getting a professional sound person who will set up an array of different mikes and mix them
-getting a feed from the sound board, if there is one
-using a stereo mic/stereo mic array near the stage (not shotgun mics)
-using a hypercardiod/cardiod near the stage (depending on how wide an area that needs coverage

as the usual things to do to get acceptable sound.

Joe (not a sound pro, so take with a grain of salt) Kras

[Bogdan Apetri]

Hi!

I'm testing my new AG-DVX100AE (in fact, it's the Asian version AG-DVX102AE).

Anyway... in PAL progressive mode (25p) I see a pronounced flickering in my LCD, even when the camera is still. The shutter speed is 1/50, normal. If I go down to 1/25, or if I go to 50i, the flickering disappears, but if I want to shoot the best progressive footage, 25p at 1/50 shutter speed, the image in the LCD is seriously flickering. Is this normal?

I am not talking about the flickering/strobing that other people have been mentioning when talking about the PAL model panning or tilting (which I see, too, by the way - I think it depends on your settings, THIN versus THICK etc and you cannot eliminate as long as we see our work on interlace TVs and not progressive ones).

Any opiniuons, advice?

I just got the camera and I'm very excited about exploring it inside-out.

[Ryan Gohlinghorst]

How does it look on playback through a monitor? I know it's supposed to have a weird look on the LCD when shooting progressive, so maybe that's what's happening.

[Greg Harris]

I plan on shooting a time laps of the Capitol Building here in Washington DC and i want to shoot it at 5:30 am when the sun comes up behind the capitol, but i want the capitol to be ALL BLACK, and the sun to be pretty much a circle with no rays come out. I was goign to put my filters on my camera on, and the exposure all the way down and I plan on shooting it in 24p also.. But i know this may not do the job all that well. What other ways can i do this.
thanks

[Stefan Scherperel]

Unless you are not planning to capture your full 24P footage and do the time laps in your NLE then you can't shoot 24p with in camera time laps fucntion. 30P works good if you want progressive footage though. I don't think that you would need any filter inparticular, maybe a graduated ND filter, but other than that you should be fine. just make sure that you go to the site, maybe the day before and get your exposure right. you don't want to do this with auto exposure as it won't look the way you want. Find a good nuetral setting that gives you good results for the longest time possible before the sky gets blown out.

[Hugh Dorigo]

I am shooting an interview ( controled environment) and need some advise on the audio setup. My dvx100 is currently hooked up to a audio technica 835b shotgun. The problem is that the recorded sould is a bit "tinny" or "hollow" I am a real stickler for sound and I am seeking a warm, full sound. Do I need to get a better mic or more knowlege on how to use my current setup. I appreciate any direction on this subject. My budget for a mic is 500 or so.

[Barry Green]

If I recall correctly, that mic has a "bass rolloff" switch. Make sure that's not engaged. That might explain a little "tinniness".

[Robert Mann Z.]

Warning Gyro NG

got that message friday...scared the hell out of me...it went away after i re-started the camera....the last thing i did before i got it was change tapes...


i could not find it in the manual, anyone else ever get it?

i saw one guy on dvxuser get it not much more to it

[Jarred Land]

been hearing alot of wierd messages from people lately,, this gyro one, the cyl. lock etc.. kinda odd.

I would contact Panasonic to ask about it, although luckily yours went away :)

[Vegar Oyfoss]

Hi

We are thinking about buying a "semipro/pro" dvcam to for the school I'm working for. So far I've landed on two; Panasonic DVX100A and the Canon XL-1S. I'm having a big time problems choosing, and was hoping someone here had some excperiences to share with me.

Thanks

Vegar

panasonic:
http://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ModelDetail?displayTab=O&storeId=11201&catalogId=13051&itemId=68668&catGroupId=14571&modelNo=AG-DVX100A&surfModel=AG-DVX100A

Canon:
http://www.canon.no/navigator/webprod10.nsf/9b201ff5e625faf9c125681200321061/2c22960732ea37cdc1256aae004dfdc0?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,DM-XL1S

[Stefan Scherperel]

In all actuality, it depends on what you want to use it for. If you are going to be doing a lot of nature photography, or anything that requrires a massive amount of zoom, go for the cannon, but for anything else, the dvx will give you all the cannon can do plus much much more. Higher resolution CCDs, true progressive scan video, built in XLR audio inputs and of coarse, 24P. The Dvx will truely give you more control over every aspect of your picture, from the cadence of the frame rate to the color adjustment/detail and even master pedistal adjustment (how black the blacks are). The XL1S is a great camera, and if you are looking to spend lots and lots of money on the camer, extra lenses and accesories, the XL1S can fit the bill. On the DVX you are stuck with the lens that you have, but you can get adaptors if needed. This is really a blessing in disguise. The DVX already has the widest lens for a prosumer mini DV camera.
And once you start shooting Progressive video with this camera, you'll never go back to regualr 60i, it's just so plain and boring.

[Sung Kim]

hi...
well, i have a dvx100a, and as you all know it displays all its running times together, unlike sony that seperates drum run, etc...
So, I've been hearing that it's good to have a secondary camera for playback purposes.
My question is whether any camera can playback and upload (to a pc via 1394 or to a vcr) the footages captured in 24p.
I'd really appreciate if anyone can recommend the best and the cheapest way to do the play-back without using dvx...
Thanks

[Peter Jefferson]

24p is not exactly 24.. it using a pulldown config...

any can can playback this footage.. I use a PAL model, and im using an MX500 and a DS88 and both work fine as capture playback devices

[Tim Good]

Any suggestions for a matte box for a DVX100 or DVC80? Price is important but not the only factor. And what is a "french flag" used for, anyway?

[Bryan Roberts]

Hey Tim - I've had extensive use of the Chrosziel matte box on several short films I've either been first AC or DP on. It has excellent build quality and fits the dvx like a glove. We regularly use an 85B filter to stop the dvx from artificially white balance for outdoor sunlight by changing tints and have used a pro mist and polarizer a few times. I'd give it a serious look though its price makes it more of a real "prosumer" accessory. If you're not doing higher end productions, I'd personally stay away as the 4X4 filters are quite a huge price jump from the 72mm screw on kind for the dvx. Finally, the french flags are like barn doors that attach to the mattebox on all sides and can be used to stop unwanted light from causing sun spots or glares on the picture which is very useful when working with bright lights or sunny days. Best of luck...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=300596&is=REG