DVX100A First Impressions at DVinfo.net

Stuart Kupinsky · December 23rd, 2003, 02:54 PM

So far so good. I've captured some test footage in the V gamma and the squeeze mode, in each case using 24p and comparing to 30i. Nothing scientific yet, so no need to inquire as to all settings, etc. I've only had it for about 5 hours.

One small annoying point, there appears to be something slightly loose in the optical VF such than when tipped sharply there is a very soft click that can be picked up on the onboard mics (although it takes quite a tip of the camera, which wouldn't happen in normal shooting, and would certainly not be audible when using XLR mics). Note I know about the 'clunk' in other circumstances and this isn't that. This is in the optical VF. Anyone else experience this?

Squeeze mode is surprisingly good, albeit, again, just an impression so far. The V gamma is clearly different than the other gamma settings. Still exploring.....more to come.

Chris Mueller · December 23rd, 2003, 06:08 PM

Where'd you get it, and how much did you pay?

Imran Zaidi · December 23rd, 2003, 06:25 PM

More importantly, can you please put it in a nice, well padded box and ship it to me? It would make it a very merry Christmas for me. :)

Lucky dog.

Stuart Kupinsky · December 23rd, 2003, 08:26 PM

Abel Cinetek -- they said they got 25 on Friday and mine, ordered yesterday, was 3rd to last. Ordered some separate things at B&H and upon mentioning that I actually had one in hand, they were in disbelief. I wonder why the disparity in deliveries to distributors. Sounds like everyone will have them next week though, so no big deal.

Chris Mueller · December 24th, 2003, 08:32 AM

Nice. So far, any more perks that are different from the DVX100?

Matthew de Jongh · December 24th, 2003, 08:38 AM

i am sitting here waiting for mr. ups with my dvx-100a from able cinema as well!

b&h told me to be careful that panasonic hadn't even shipped ANY dvx-100a's yet and they wondered what would actually be in the box!

matthew

Sean R Allen · December 24th, 2003, 10:33 AM

Anyone know why B&H is so behind the ball? First they said they didn't know anything about it because it hadn't been announced yet (when it had), now they are saying none are shipping yet when it looks like they indeed are.

Stephen van Vuuren · December 24th, 2003, 10:52 AM

B&H is a good company but due the size of the inventory and range of products they sell, the DVX-100 and all DV cameras is a small fraction of their business compared to other dealers that it's the main or considerable source of revenue.

It's just a radar issue.

Christopher Go · December 26th, 2003, 05:52 PM

Stuart, could you tell me how AbelCineTech shipped your AG-DVX100A? They shipped mine in the Panasonic camcorder box alone, no larger box at all. Is this normal? Does anyone know if these camcorder boxes are meant to be shipping boxes like this? I'm assuming they are because they do have a shipping label on them from the factories but even then when I order from B&H Photo they ship the products in a larger box with styrofoam.

Matthew de Jongh · December 26th, 2003, 11:24 PM

Able shipped me my new DVX100A! in just the panasonic box.

it was in excellent shape and i never thought anything of it.

great people to deal with.

matthew

Stuart Kupinsky · December 27th, 2003, 10:34 AM

I thought it was a little strange also but it didn't appear to affect anything that I could see (no box dents, etc). They shipped some extras I purchased in separate box. I give them a B/B+ overall -- they said they would fax and email me certain info, etc. and didn't without repeated calls (and in one case didn't at all). On the other hand they shipped when promised and it was the holidays, etc.

As also a VX2000 owner I will say that the 100A, albeit about $1500 more, is clearly not as well constructed in my mind. The buttons and controls are a bit more plasticy/not as solidly built. Then again, I know I'm paying for 24p/gamma functionality and Panny had to make choices for the price point.

I very much like the combo of the 100A and Vegas. Vegas has presets now for the widescreen and I've had no problems so far. The camera preset for 3200K white is handy and in a few tests its right on the money. Audio has been terrific so far (I use an AT4071a and AT4073a).

blugill69 · December 27th, 2003, 03:02 PM

Is the DVX100A going to be THE cam for the next couple of years OR is there a cam on the horizon that will be the new standard?

Ken Tanaka · December 27th, 2003, 03:40 PM

Panasonic's SDX900 is probably "the" camera for a while. But if you can't swing the $50,000+ that it will set you back the DVX100/DVX100A will be the poor man's version of "the" camera for those interested in video filmmaking.

Yet to be seen how Sony and Canon will respond but thus far Canon is mute and Sony's tepid brand-refreshing PD170 and VX2100 are leaving buyers drowsy.

Stephen van Vuuren · December 27th, 2003, 05:38 PM

All of the DVX100's I ordered were shipped in a single box as that's the way Panasonic shipped them out. Based on how the camera box works, double boxing would serve only to protect the original packaging or protect against severe shipping abuse.

Certainly, doubleboxing is nice, but not necessary and only adds to your cost. I wouldn't consider it a big deal.

Frank Granovski · December 27th, 2003, 06:39 PM

>As also a VX2000 owner I will say that the 100A, albeit about $1500 more, is clearly not as well constructed in my mind.<

As a VX2000 occasional user (my buddy's), and a in-store player of the DVX100 (haven't seen the "A" yet), I have to say that I think the DVX100 is a very well built/solid cam---and it's light, balanced and easy to hold---unlike the VX2000.

(The only thing that I thought was cheesy was the 2nd ring up front---but I think it has been "tightened" in the "A" model).

December 23rd, 2003, 02:54 PM	#1
Stuart Kupinsky Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Princeton, NJ Posts: 82	DVX100A First Impressions So far so good. I've captured some test footage in the V gamma and the squeeze mode, in each case using 24p and comparing to 30i. Nothing scientific yet, so no need to inquire as to all settings, etc. I've only had it for about 5 hours. One small annoying point, there appears to be something slightly loose in the optical VF such than when tipped sharply there is a very soft click that can be picked up on the onboard mics (although it takes quite a tip of the camera, which wouldn't happen in normal shooting, and would certainly not be audible when using XLR mics). Note I know about the 'clunk' in other circumstances and this isn't that. This is in the optical VF. Anyone else experience this? Squeeze mode is surprisingly good, albeit, again, just an impression so far. The V gamma is clearly different than the other gamma settings. Still exploring.....more to come. __________________ DVX100A/AT4071a/Vegas/After Effects Dual 2GHz Xeon PC

December 23rd, 2003, 08:26 PM	#4
Stuart Kupinsky Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Princeton, NJ Posts: 82	Abel Cinetek -- they said they got 25 on Friday and mine, ordered yesterday, was 3rd to last. Ordered some separate things at B&H and upon mentioning that I actually had one in hand, they were in disbelief. I wonder why the disparity in deliveries to distributors. Sounds like everyone will have them next week though, so no big deal. __________________ DVX100A/AT4071a/Vegas/After Effects Dual 2GHz Xeon PC

December 24th, 2003, 10:52 AM	#8
Stephen van Vuuren Space Hipster Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 1,508	B&H is a good company but due the size of the inventory and range of products they sell, the DVX-100 and all DV cameras is a small fraction of their business compared to other dealers that it's the main or considerable source of revenue. It's just a radar issue. __________________ stephen v2 www.insaturnsrings.com

December 27th, 2003, 10:34 AM	#11
Stuart Kupinsky Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Princeton, NJ Posts: 82	I thought it was a little strange also but it didn't appear to affect anything that I could see (no box dents, etc). They shipped some extras I purchased in separate box. I give them a B/B+ overall -- they said they would fax and email me certain info, etc. and didn't without repeated calls (and in one case didn't at all). On the other hand they shipped when promised and it was the holidays, etc. As also a VX2000 owner I will say that the 100A, albeit about $1500 more, is clearly not as well constructed in my mind. The buttons and controls are a bit more plasticy/not as solidly built. Then again, I know I'm paying for 24p/gamma functionality and Panny had to make choices for the price point. I very much like the combo of the 100A and Vegas. Vegas has presets now for the widescreen and I've had no problems so far. The camera preset for 3200K white is handy and in a few tests its right on the money. Audio has been terrific so far (I use an AT4071a and AT4073a). __________________ DVX100A/AT4071a/Vegas/After Effects Dual 2GHz Xeon PC

December 27th, 2003, 03:40 PM	#13
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Panasonic's SDX900 is probably "the" camera for a while. But if you can't swing the $50,000+ that it will set you back the DVX100/DVX100A will be the poor man's version of "the" camera for those interested in video filmmaking. Yet to be seen how Sony and Canon will respond but thus far Canon is mute and Sony's tepid brand-refreshing PD170 and VX2100 are leaving buyers drowsy. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

December 23rd, 2003, 06:08 PM	#2
Chris Mueller Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 49	Where'd you get it, and how much did you pay?

December 23rd, 2003, 06:25 PM	#3
Imran Zaidi Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 1,315	More importantly, can you please put it in a nice, well padded box and ship it to me? It would make it a very merry Christmas for me. :) Lucky dog.

December 24th, 2003, 08:32 AM	#5
Chris Mueller Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 49	Nice. So far, any more perks that are different from the DVX100?

December 24th, 2003, 08:38 AM	#6
Matthew de Jongh Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: sounthern maine Posts: 344	i am sitting here waiting for mr. ups with my dvx-100a from able cinema as well! b&h told me to be careful that panasonic hadn't even shipped ANY dvx-100a's yet and they wondered what would actually be in the box! matthew

December 24th, 2003, 10:33 AM	#7
Sean R Allen Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: RTP, NC Posts: 66	Anyone know why B&H is so behind the ball? First they said they didn't know anything about it because it hadn't been announced yet (when it had), now they are saying none are shipping yet when it looks like they indeed are.

December 26th, 2003, 05:52 PM	#9
Christopher Go Major Player Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 429	Stuart, could you tell me how AbelCineTech shipped your AG-DVX100A? They shipped mine in the Panasonic camcorder box alone, no larger box at all. Is this normal? Does anyone know if these camcorder boxes are meant to be shipping boxes like this? I'm assuming they are because they do have a shipping label on them from the factories but even then when I order from B&H Photo they ship the products in a larger box with styrofoam.

December 26th, 2003, 11:24 PM	#10
Matthew de Jongh Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: sounthern maine Posts: 344	Able shipped me my new DVX100A! in just the panasonic box. it was in excellent shape and i never thought anything of it. great people to deal with. matthew

December 27th, 2003, 03:02 PM	#12
blugill69 New Boot Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 12	Is the DVX100A going to be THE cam for the next couple of years OR is there a cam on the horizon that will be the new standard?

December 27th, 2003, 05:38 PM	#14
Stephen van Vuuren Space Hipster Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 1,508	All of the DVX100's I ordered were shipped in a single box as that's the way Panasonic shipped them out. Based on how the camera box works, double boxing would serve only to protect the original packaging or protect against severe shipping abuse. Certainly, doubleboxing is nice, but not necessary and only adds to your cost. I wouldn't consider it a big deal. __________________ stephen v2 www.insaturnsrings.com

December 27th, 2003, 06:39 PM	#15
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	>As also a VX2000 owner I will say that the 100A, albeit about $1500 more, is clearly not as well constructed in my mind.< As a VX2000 occasional user (my buddy's), and a in-store player of the DVX100 (haven't seen the "A" yet), I have to say that I think the DVX100 is a very well built/solid cam---and it's light, balanced and easy to hold---unlike the VX2000. (The only thing that I thought was cheesy was the 2nd ring up front---but I think it has been "tightened" in the "A" model).