DVX100 -- various topics

Rob Lohman · July 15th, 2003, 06:31 AM

Are you recording 24p to the camera? I can imagine you must
get it back to 30p before going into the camera (the other way
around then the camera does itself)

Yang Wen · July 15th, 2003, 08:23 AM

this thread from the 2pop forum, anyone else having the same characteristics from their cam? I'm not sure if it's a problem or just a design flaw.

http://www.2-pop.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=PanasonicAGDVX100Camera&Number=613378&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=14&fpart= 1

David Nussbaum · July 15th, 2003, 11:21 AM

mine doesnt do it AS bad, but since there is pressure to be done to move the zoom ring manually, it does indeed make a resistance sound sorta like that.

my focus ring is making a grinding sliding noise aswell :(

Nick Medrano · July 20th, 2003, 11:06 AM

Hello everyone,
I just got the dvx100 and have been taking extremely good care of it. It has less than 3mins of head use:)

Anyways, I had some old SONY minidv tapes (Sony DVM60) that I had shot a while back on the Sony TRV900 camera and I was wondering if you all thought it would be okay to playback them on the dvx100? I ask this because they have been locked up in a rubbermaid case for over two years, including one which I left without its own plastic case. I'm concerned about getting the heads on the dvx100 dirty from these tapes...

Does anyone have any safety tips for playback? I know the camera's manual says I should always rewind old tapes to its start to prevent seeing tape slack. It says I even should FF and RW the entire tape before playing. Does anyone have any other tips?

What about the head cleaner? When should I use that? After I playback the Sony tapes?

Thanks for any tips!

Frank Granovski · July 21st, 2003, 05:27 PM

It should be okay to play back 2-year-old tapes. If you've used a brand other than Sony in your Panasonic, run the cleaning tape first. After you've finished, clean your heads again---that is if you are using different tape brands/types.

Nick Medrano · July 24th, 2003, 04:10 PM

Hi,
Okay, today I just realized how dumb I am. I bought a Panasonic LCD hood for the dvx100 and now I can't figure out how to assemble it for use on the camera!!

Here's a link to what I am talking about: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh3/con...&Q=&sku=276813

Does anyone here have this product and can you tell me how to put that black plastic hood onto the other nylong square thingy?? Did yours come with instructions?

Damn, I knew I should've taken some engineering classes.....

Barry Green · July 24th, 2003, 10:38 PM

It's not too hard... the nylon square thingy is actually a complete product in and of its own right: a Petrol lens hood. The plastic thing is there primarily to display the Panasonic logo, but also I guess helps shield a bit more light.

The hood goes together on its own, using the snap-buckles to make a square. Then the plastic hood slides in, you'll see that there's velcro on the inside edges of it. It goes on the top, of course, and the two flaps fold over onto the sides.

Patrick Bower · July 29th, 2003, 04:49 PM

I don't have a progressive scan DVD player, or TV, but my 25p DVD definitely looks better on my TV screen than a 50i version. (The 25p was using the standard F5 settings, 50i using F1). Is it just the cine gamma, or am I getting a pseudo progressive display, i.e. less artefacts because each 2 successive 50i fields are from an identical image? So should I always use 25p for DVD, if I can? What would be the advantage of actually having a progressive scan DVD and TV display?

Ron Caruso · July 30th, 2003, 09:51 AM

Does anybody have any experience shooting TV or computer screens with the DVX100? I notice that the Canon XL1s has a "Clear Scan" feature adjustment that allows you to fine tune the camera to eliminate flicker when shooting a monitor. Thanks for your responses.

Barry Green · July 30th, 2003, 11:52 AM

So does the DVX100. You can set the shutter speed in minute increments so you dial out the flicker completely.

Rob Lohman · July 30th, 2003, 04:13 PM

You are probably noticing a motion signature change in your
footage. I prefer 25p, but that is a personal thing.

Matt Gettemeier · August 4th, 2003, 06:36 AM

I'm tossing these thoughts on this forum for the benefit of anybody who's on the fence regarding this cam.

After 5 days of vigilant testing and shooting I'm very happy with this cam... actually the more I use it the better I think it is on value. If you read the letters section in the August edition of DV Adam Wilt responds to a letter from a man who feels the DVX is overpriced and not much better then a pd150 or gl2. Adam offers a compelling reason why the DVX is so desireable/beneficial vs. the other cams. What Adam says basically mimics what I said in another thread.

That's why I started this thread. This is a great camera but if you're considering one you need to realize something in advance, because if you ignore this point you will be dissappointed with the DVX.

I'd said, "To get a DVX and not immediately delve into the manual settings would be rediculous."

This point is VERY important regarding this cam. The capabilities of the DVX are superior to other cams as long as you use the manual settings. If you don't use the manual settings AND pay attention to lighting then this cam just isn't worth it.

It's a catch 22. I used to shoot photography with a manual SLR and I always had people that wanted to take pictures with my camera because it looked very pro... autowinder, long lenses, ETL flashes, etc. and I was the kind of guy who would let family or friends borrow my SLR. (I'm not very materialistic.) Anyway, NOBODY was EVER happy with the pictures they got from it! Sometimes they couldn't get the focus right at the right moment, sometimes they had the aperature wrong, and most of the time they had no consideration for the actual shooting conditions... and filters? Forget about it.

These same people have framed enlargements of photos I took with that same SLR.

The crucial difference between me and them is that I took the camera and the job of shooting seriously. I realized that to get the best pics out of the cam that I needed to set it up right and according to the situation.

The DVX is JUST like that. If you learn the camera, set it up properly, and light your shoots properly (which may be as easy as a reflector) then the DVX can blow you away. If you take any of that for granted you will most likely NOT be very impressed.

So just as an FYI if you want this camera because of what you've heard about it you'd better be ready to take your shooting seriously. The up side to this is the same thing that's great about our competition and that is this: No matter how good cameras are now or how good they become, most people will not produce impressive video because they won't bother with the things that professionals know they MUST do to get the best from their equipment.

Peter Jefferson · August 4th, 2003, 10:04 AM

absolutely agree 1000% with EVERYTHING here....

you know sometimes i read afew posts ahere and there and coming form a strong online background re: music production the story holds true with MANY people...
that story being that people want the camera to do the work for them.

in teh case of the DVX, its the other way around. Sure it can do easy run and gun shots without any problems, but the MAGIC of this beast comes thru when u switch it over to Prgressive mode...
At first it feels like yoru driving without hanging onto the steering wheel. After a while thou, you will KNOW exactly what needs to be done to get the right effect.

With clever usage, and aot of practive, this cam is literally 6 cameras in 1.
Those scene files are a force to be reckoned with, and the fact that THEY DO INDEED change the whole flavour of the image. I mean ive seen some people try to match footage taken from other cams with the DVX, and its almost impossible. and yes even if you CAN get teh cams to match image, to do that you have to DEGRADE the DVX footage and that defeats the purpose of this cam...

i remember when i first heard abotu the DVX, people were complaining about no memory card slot and how it didnt have effects or couldnt take a still image.
ITS A DVCinema camera.
Thats what it was designed for. Thats what it does.
It doesnt pretend to do something it cant, and whatit can do is bloody incredible.

Those complaining about it need to do some more research. Even PAL mode running 25p is TRUE progressive, non of this frame mode. It runs a 2:2 drop down with absolutely no "stutter" (unless your flicking the cam which in turn would happen to ANY cam)

Gain features, well...
run it standard and you can light a room with candles. I dont know about anyone else, but i do know that the PAL models low light is the Best L/L i have seen on any cam of this calibur.
There were comments about the XL1s and PD150 having better low light. I havenot seen that claim proved on a PAL model.

Either way, if you have this cam be happy. If you have any of the others, BE HAPPY TOO. There is no need to groan about the cam when you have chosen a different brand for your own needs.
I dont see the point in tryin to put people off a brilliant piece of equipment.

The fact that you have a camera at all should be enough for ANYONE to be pleased with their own accomplishments, let alone bitching about a camera which, when used appropriately and effectively (which comes with time and practice) is probably the best camera in its range...
Save the energy and do something contructive.
Hell, if it can light up a room lit only by fairy lights 30ft up and make an indoor venue look like a star filled skyscape, it's doing its job, and thats al that matters.

hell, the next cam up from this with similar features is $15k US... think about it...

Either way, be happy with whatever cam you have as your the lucky few who actually have one.

Stas Tagios · August 5th, 2003, 05:06 AM

Not sure whether to post this here or in the audio forum, since my question concerns use of the ME66 with my DVX.

Anyway, I'm looking for a shock mount and windscreen for my ME66, which I use with the DVX-100. Currently, I have the mike in the supplied camera mount, with the Sennheiser MZW foam windscreen, and am finding that the windscreen is fine in mild to no wind exterior situations, but any wind stronger screws up the sound. Also, the camera mount transmits every last little bit of camera handling noise to the mike, thus my need for a decent shock mount to minimize camera noise for handheld shooting.

Problem is, there's such a wide variety of shock mounts and windscreens, I'm not sure which to use. Potential mounts include the Sennheiser MZS-CAM and the AT-8415, and the Rycote softie as a windscreen. One thing that's not clear to me from the Rycote website is whether the softie has a built-in shock mount, or if I could use the Rycote in conjunction with the Sennheiser mount.

Lightwave is also a possibility, though again, perusing their site still leaves me unsure which of their products would suit me best. Thanks!

Obviously, I'd want a mount and windscreen combo that wouldn't creep into my wide angle frame (using the DVX's lens, no wide-angle adaptor).

Any suggestions for which shock mount and windscreen I should get would be appreciated, along with mention of the types of shock mounts and wind screens fellow DVX shooters are using.

Chris Hurd · August 5th, 2003, 07:03 AM

Hello Stas,

Personally, I'm a big fan of LightWave Systems in the Los Angeles area. Check out their Universal Mini Mount -- it'll work perfectly with the DVX100. See also their excellent Equalizer mic screen. The Mini Mount has a swing arm which will let you position the mic so that the mic nose won't get into your shot. As far as which products to order, I'd give them a call. They're an honest outfit and they'll sell you only what you need, not the whole store. Hope this helps,

July 15th, 2003, 06:31 AM	#16
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Are you recording 24p to the camera? I can imagine you must get it back to 30p before going into the camera (the other way around then the camera does itself) __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

July 15th, 2003, 08:23 AM	#17
Yang Wen Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 991	zoom ring scratchy noise this thread from the 2pop forum, anyone else having the same characteristics from their cam? I'm not sure if it's a problem or just a design flaw. http://www.2-pop.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=PanasonicAGDVX100Camera&Number=613378&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=14&fpart= 1

July 15th, 2003, 11:21 AM	#18
David Nussbaum Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Issaquah, WA Posts: 69	mine doesnt do it AS bad, but since there is pressure to be done to move the zoom ring manually, it does indeed make a resistance sound sorta like that. my focus ring is making a grinding sliding noise aswell :( __________________ Proud Owner of the AG-DVX100 :D

July 20th, 2003, 11:06 AM	#19
Nick Medrano Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 331	Ok to play back 2 year old tapes on dvx100? Hello everyone, I just got the dvx100 and have been taking extremely good care of it. It has less than 3mins of head use:) Anyways, I had some old SONY minidv tapes (Sony DVM60) that I had shot a while back on the Sony TRV900 camera and I was wondering if you all thought it would be okay to playback them on the dvx100? I ask this because they have been locked up in a rubbermaid case for over two years, including one which I left without its own plastic case. I'm concerned about getting the heads on the dvx100 dirty from these tapes... Does anyone have any safety tips for playback? I know the camera's manual says I should always rewind old tapes to its start to prevent seeing tape slack. It says I even should FF and RW the entire tape before playing. Does anyone have any other tips? What about the head cleaner? When should I use that? After I playback the Sony tapes? Thanks for any tips!

July 24th, 2003, 04:10 PM	#21
Nick Medrano Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 331	How to setup optional lcd hood? Hi, Okay, today I just realized how dumb I am. I bought a Panasonic LCD hood for the dvx100 and now I can't figure out how to assemble it for use on the camera!! Here's a link to what I am talking about: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh3/con...&Q=&sku=276813 Does anyone here have this product and can you tell me how to put that black plastic hood onto the other nylong square thingy?? Did yours come with instructions? Damn, I knew I should've taken some engineering classes.....

July 21st, 2003, 05:27 PM	#20
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	It should be okay to play back 2-year-old tapes. If you've used a brand other than Sony in your Panasonic, run the cleaning tape first. After you've finished, clean your heads again---that is if you are using different tape brands/types.

July 24th, 2003, 10:38 PM	#22
Barry Green Barry Wan Kenobi Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 3,863	It's not too hard... the nylon square thingy is actually a complete product in and of its own right: a Petrol lens hood. The plastic thing is there primarily to display the Panasonic logo, but also I guess helps shield a bit more light. The hood goes together on its own, using the snap-buckles to make a square. Then the plastic hood slides in, you'll see that there's velcro on the inside edges of it. It goes on the top, of course, and the two flaps fold over onto the sides.

July 29th, 2003, 04:49 PM	#23
Patrick Bower Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: London, England Posts: 126	25p for DVD I don't have a progressive scan DVD player, or TV, but my 25p DVD definitely looks better on my TV screen than a 50i version. (The 25p was using the standard F5 settings, 50i using F1). Is it just the cine gamma, or am I getting a pseudo progressive display, i.e. less artefacts because each 2 successive 50i fields are from an identical image? So should I always use 25p for DVD, if I can? What would be the advantage of actually having a progressive scan DVD and TV display?

July 30th, 2003, 09:51 AM	#24
Ron Caruso New Boot Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Ridgefield, CT Posts: 9	Flicker Shooting Monitors With DVX100? Does anybody have any experience shooting TV or computer screens with the DVX100? I notice that the Canon XL1s has a "Clear Scan" feature adjustment that allows you to fine tune the camera to eliminate flicker when shooting a monitor. Thanks for your responses.

July 30th, 2003, 11:52 AM	#25
Barry Green Barry Wan Kenobi Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 3,863	So does the DVX100. You can set the shutter speed in minute increments so you dial out the flicker completely.

July 30th, 2003, 04:13 PM	#26
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	You are probably noticing a motion signature change in your footage. I prefer 25p, but that is a personal thing. __________________ Rob Lohman, visuar@iname.com DV Info Wrangler & RED Code Chef Join the DV Challenge \| Lady X Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Buy from the best: DVinfo.net sponsors

August 4th, 2003, 06:36 AM	#27
Matt Gettemeier Major Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: St. Louis, Missouri Posts: 936	If you want to buy a dvx100, consider this. I'm tossing these thoughts on this forum for the benefit of anybody who's on the fence regarding this cam. After 5 days of vigilant testing and shooting I'm very happy with this cam... actually the more I use it the better I think it is on value. If you read the letters section in the August edition of DV Adam Wilt responds to a letter from a man who feels the DVX is overpriced and not much better then a pd150 or gl2. Adam offers a compelling reason why the DVX is so desireable/beneficial vs. the other cams. What Adam says basically mimics what I said in another thread. That's why I started this thread. This is a great camera but if you're considering one you need to realize something in advance, because if you ignore this point you will be dissappointed with the DVX. I'd said, "To get a DVX and not immediately delve into the manual settings would be rediculous." This point is VERY important regarding this cam. The capabilities of the DVX are superior to other cams as long as you use the manual settings. If you don't use the manual settings AND pay attention to lighting then this cam just isn't worth it. It's a catch 22. I used to shoot photography with a manual SLR and I always had people that wanted to take pictures with my camera because it looked very pro... autowinder, long lenses, ETL flashes, etc. and I was the kind of guy who would let family or friends borrow my SLR. (I'm not very materialistic.) Anyway, NOBODY was EVER happy with the pictures they got from it! Sometimes they couldn't get the focus right at the right moment, sometimes they had the aperature wrong, and most of the time they had no consideration for the actual shooting conditions... and filters? Forget about it. These same people have framed enlargements of photos I took with that same SLR. The crucial difference between me and them is that I took the camera and the job of shooting seriously. I realized that to get the best pics out of the cam that I needed to set it up right and according to the situation. The DVX is JUST like that. If you learn the camera, set it up properly, and light your shoots properly (which may be as easy as a reflector) then the DVX can blow you away. If you take any of that for granted you will most likely NOT be very impressed. So just as an FYI if you want this camera because of what you've heard about it you'd better be ready to take your shooting seriously. The up side to this is the same thing that's great about our competition and that is this: No matter how good cameras are now or how good they become, most people will not produce impressive video because they won't bother with the things that professionals know they MUST do to get the best from their equipment.

August 4th, 2003, 10:04 AM	#28
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	absolutely agree 1000% with EVERYTHING here.... you know sometimes i read afew posts ahere and there and coming form a strong online background re: music production the story holds true with MANY people... that story being that people want the camera to do the work for them. in teh case of the DVX, its the other way around. Sure it can do easy run and gun shots without any problems, but the MAGIC of this beast comes thru when u switch it over to Prgressive mode... At first it feels like yoru driving without hanging onto the steering wheel. After a while thou, you will KNOW exactly what needs to be done to get the right effect. With clever usage, and aot of practive, this cam is literally 6 cameras in 1. Those scene files are a force to be reckoned with, and the fact that THEY DO INDEED change the whole flavour of the image. I mean ive seen some people try to match footage taken from other cams with the DVX, and its almost impossible. and yes even if you CAN get teh cams to match image, to do that you have to DEGRADE the DVX footage and that defeats the purpose of this cam... i remember when i first heard abotu the DVX, people were complaining about no memory card slot and how it didnt have effects or couldnt take a still image. ITS A DVCinema camera. Thats what it was designed for. Thats what it does. It doesnt pretend to do something it cant, and whatit can do is bloody incredible. Those complaining about it need to do some more research. Even PAL mode running 25p is TRUE progressive, non of this frame mode. It runs a 2:2 drop down with absolutely no "stutter" (unless your flicking the cam which in turn would happen to ANY cam) Gain features, well... run it standard and you can light a room with candles. I dont know about anyone else, but i do know that the PAL models low light is the Best L/L i have seen on any cam of this calibur. There were comments about the XL1s and PD150 having better low light. I havenot seen that claim proved on a PAL model. Either way, if you have this cam be happy. If you have any of the others, BE HAPPY TOO. There is no need to groan about the cam when you have chosen a different brand for your own needs. I dont see the point in tryin to put people off a brilliant piece of equipment. The fact that you have a camera at all should be enough for ANYONE to be pleased with their own accomplishments, let alone bitching about a camera which, when used appropriately and effectively (which comes with time and practice) is probably the best camera in its range... Save the energy and do something contructive. Hell, if it can light up a room lit only by fairy lights 30ft up and make an indoor venue look like a star filled skyscape, it's doing its job, and thats al that matters. hell, the next cam up from this with similar features is $15k US... think about it... Either way, be happy with whatever cam you have as your the lucky few who actually have one.

August 5th, 2003, 05:06 AM	#29
Stas Tagios Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Los Angeles, Ca Posts: 38	Which shock mount and wind screen for DVX and ME66? Not sure whether to post this here or in the audio forum, since my question concerns use of the ME66 with my DVX. Anyway, I'm looking for a shock mount and windscreen for my ME66, which I use with the DVX-100. Currently, I have the mike in the supplied camera mount, with the Sennheiser MZW foam windscreen, and am finding that the windscreen is fine in mild to no wind exterior situations, but any wind stronger screws up the sound. Also, the camera mount transmits every last little bit of camera handling noise to the mike, thus my need for a decent shock mount to minimize camera noise for handheld shooting. Problem is, there's such a wide variety of shock mounts and windscreens, I'm not sure which to use. Potential mounts include the Sennheiser MZS-CAM and the AT-8415, and the Rycote softie as a windscreen. One thing that's not clear to me from the Rycote website is whether the softie has a built-in shock mount, or if I could use the Rycote in conjunction with the Sennheiser mount. Lightwave is also a possibility, though again, perusing their site still leaves me unsure which of their products would suit me best. Thanks! Obviously, I'd want a mount and windscreen combo that wouldn't creep into my wide angle frame (using the DVX's lens, no wide-angle adaptor). Any suggestions for which shock mount and windscreen I should get would be appreciated, along with mention of the types of shock mounts and wind screens fellow DVX shooters are using.

August 5th, 2003, 07:03 AM	#30
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Hello Stas, Personally, I'm a big fan of LightWave Systems in the Los Angeles area. Check out their Universal Mini Mount -- it'll work perfectly with the DVX100. See also their excellent Equalizer mic screen. The Mini Mount has a swing arm which will let you position the mic so that the mic nose won't get into your shot. As far as which products to order, I'd give them a call. They're an honest outfit and they'll sell you only what you need, not the whole store. Hope this helps, __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!