AG-DVC30 various topics

Chris Hurd · February 8th, 2005, 11:16 PM

I don't have the camera, Bo (but I want one pretty bad), but I do believe that you are seeing the differences in the gamma curves there.

Ian Slessor · February 10th, 2005, 05:08 PM

Hi people,

I'm moving out of DJing this year and into Videography for weddings, events, etc.

I was originally going to get a GL2 and an Optura Xi and considered the PD170 but then twigged to Panasonic.

I've been doing a ton of research and I've narrowed down my choices to, well, the DVC30. However I have a bit of a quandry (sp?)

My budget will be about $4000 CDN for cameras. I'd like to get two. I'm already set for audio, lighting and a computer.

I like the DVC30 and the price as well. My second camera was going to be a GS200 to keep the 3 CCD quality. Now I'm reading that the GS400 has better 16x9 than the 30 albeit without the XLR but that's what Beachtek is for. ;-)

Should I consider 2 GS400's instead of the 30 and 200? Will I obtain solid footage or is the camera overpriced. I ask because so many know so much on this board.

Note: In Canada the retail on the GS400 is about $1800 USD and that's a good price. The DVC30 though comes out to about $2376 USD and again, that's a good price w' the XLR attachment.

Thanks,

ian

Mathieu Ghekiere · February 10th, 2005, 06:00 PM

I don't know the DVC30 but my nephew had the Panasonic GS400 and I think for it's money it's very good cam.
Just wanted to let you know this.
(PS: Although I think the mic on the cam is unlucky placed, you can hear a lot of tape noise, but you'll have that with many cams I think)

Good luck.

Evan C. King · February 17th, 2005, 11:34 PM

Hey can anyone tell me what the best settings are for my short film. I mean in the way of constrast, gamma, sharpness, and whatever else you pro guys change about your picture to get the best results. I only recently got my dvc30 and have yet to figure out what settings, frame speed etc. are best to create a short film and I'm short on time. If someone could give me a heads up that'd be great.

Evan C. King · February 24th, 2005, 03:03 AM

if were to use a stepdown ring to go from 43mm-37mm and then use the Century Precision Optics DS-1609-37 16:9 Widescreen Adapter Lens - 37mm seen here ( http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=242460&is=REG )would i get true widescreen without the image looking screwed up because i went down to 37 from 43? i ask this because i want good widescreen on my dvc30 and the 37mm centry 16:9 adapter is a little less than half the price of its 58mm version, if someone could educated me that'd be great.

Boyd Ostroff · February 24th, 2005, 06:47 AM

I'll bet you would get vignetting (cutting off the corners of the image) by stepping down to 37mm; usually not a good idea to step down. However maybe someone else has actually tried and can give you a definitive answer.

Mark Williams · February 24th, 2005, 05:44 PM

I'm at the point where I can purchase the Firestore FS4 to connect to my DVC30. In the pany manual page 79 it states that in camera setup you can set DV control to External and the backup unit (FS4) is controlled by the pany's start/stop button. So far so good.

But it then goes on to say that the images shot using the camcorder are recorded using the backup unit and the camercorder does not perform the recording operation.

So here is the $million question.... Does this mean you can record to the FS4 without having a tape in the camcorder?

Any thoughts?

Regards,

Mark

Mark Phillips · February 24th, 2005, 07:33 PM

Evan-
Try looking at the posts on dvxuser.com, I found a few suggestions for the custom settings on the dvc30 and am in the process of trying them out. Good luck!

Mark Williams · February 24th, 2005, 08:12 PM

Depends on what look you are trying to achieve. I have found the following looks the most natural and pleasing to me for outdoor, daylight scenes.

Detail +1
Chroma +1
Phase +1
Temp +0
Pedestal 0

Regards,

Mark

Peter Jefferson · February 25th, 2005, 04:57 AM

no the DVC/DVX both require a tape as the recording mechanism will not trigger without a tape.

In the menu, u must set the camera to trigger BOTH

i dont have an FS4 yet (theyre not available), and by the time ill really have a use for it, DVCProHD will be available so the P2 cards will make the Firestore obsolete.

Evan C. King · February 26th, 2005, 04:58 AM

While people on other camera boards love their cameras and openly converse about them, it seems like there is no love for dvc30, which is an excellent reliable cam that deserves just as much paise. After owning mine for a bit of bit and getting used to it i think i'm ready to begin tricking it out to get the most of out my cam, but because of the lack of convorsation about the dvc30 compared to other cams i have no idea what people do to theirs. So in an effort to unify dvc30 owners everywhere post pics and write descriptions of your dvc30 setup in this tread so we can find out how our fellow dvc30 owners are living. I'm talking mics, lenses, filters, stabilizers, tripods, the whole shibang! Show and tell it all here.

Leo Salazar · February 28th, 2005, 10:06 AM

Hello

I am confused as to what matte box / filter holder to get for my Pana AG DVC-30.

I am new to video but have started to use it as I travel extensivelly doing nature/art stills photography in my country.

It's a waste not to acumulate footage of the places I go.

Any sugestions as to the matte box...?
Anyone else using this camera for nature documentaries..?

Thanks to all

Leo
www.leosalazar.com

Rob Lohman · March 6th, 2005, 03:18 AM

Welcome aboard DVInfo.net Leo!

Is there anyone who can help Leo out?

Leo Salazar · March 7th, 2005, 08:23 AM

Hi Evan,

I agree with you on that it's very cold on the threads and conversations front regarding this camera...

I wonder why.

I am a newby in moving pictures and so the DVC-30, along with some friends and you people in this forum, are my tutor and teachers.

Being an active nature/art photographer, I extensivelly travel the Dominican Republic (where I currently reside) growing my stock photo portfolio for my showings, direct sales or other of my ongoing projects.

I am now taking footage of the locations I work.

As expected, my travels take me off the beaten path and I am fairly happy with having added video to my photography endeavour.

My DVC-30 sits on a Cartoni ActionProDV tripod and is usually fitted with the Panasonic AGLW4307 Wide Angle Attachment, which I find of very good quality due to the low image distortion.

As I am just a newby, my opinions regarding the camera are not of much more value, at this pont at least, so I will point out my impressions.

The camera is light, easy to use and uderstand, image quality is very acceptable and is making my learning experience a very nice experience.

I think of my camera as a she so I think she is very forgiving with the focus and exposure as it's very easy to see when you are off.

The buttons with the dual functions are very intuitive and easy, but I would like to see even more explicitly if one is in camera or vcr mode.

I have nearly erased portions of a tape not figuring out fast enough that no image is being shown on the monitor due to the camera being in "camera mode".

I don't like that the ND filter is automatic and so use a .06 on the lens sometimes to reduce DoF.

Coming from photography, I really miss an optical viewfinder...

I also have tried to elicit more conversation regarding this camera by asking about matte boxes for it's 43mm lens or the wide attachment and have gotten no answer so far.

Maybe -and hopefully- your thread will prosper !

How does one post screenshots..?

Many thanks,

Leo

Tavis Shaver · March 7th, 2005, 08:50 AM

I'd love to see some video or at least screenshots of the IR recording mode.

February 8th, 2005, 11:16 PM	#61
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	I don't have the camera, Bo (but I want one pretty bad), but I do believe that you are seeing the differences in the gamma curves there. __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

February 10th, 2005, 05:08 PM	#62
Ian Slessor Major Player Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: South-Central Ontario, Canada Posts: 216	DVC30 & the GS400 Hi people, I'm moving out of DJing this year and into Videography for weddings, events, etc. I was originally going to get a GL2 and an Optura Xi and considered the PD170 but then twigged to Panasonic. I've been doing a ton of research and I've narrowed down my choices to, well, the DVC30. However I have a bit of a quandry (sp?) My budget will be about $4000 CDN for cameras. I'd like to get two. I'm already set for audio, lighting and a computer. I like the DVC30 and the price as well. My second camera was going to be a GS200 to keep the 3 CCD quality. Now I'm reading that the GS400 has better 16x9 than the 30 albeit without the XLR but that's what Beachtek is for. ;-) Should I consider 2 GS400's instead of the 30 and 200? Will I obtain solid footage or is the camera overpriced. I ask because so many know so much on this board. Note: In Canada the retail on the GS400 is about $1800 USD and that's a good price. The DVC30 though comes out to about $2376 USD and again, that's a good price w' the XLR attachment. Thanks, ian

February 17th, 2005, 11:34 PM	#64
Evan C. King Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 532	Best settings on dvc30 for short film? Hey can anyone tell me what the best settings are for my short film. I mean in the way of constrast, gamma, sharpness, and whatever else you pro guys change about your picture to get the best results. I only recently got my dvc30 and have yet to figure out what settings, frame speed etc. are best to create a short film and I'm short on time. If someone could give me a heads up that'd be great.

February 24th, 2005, 03:03 AM	#65
Evan C. King Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 532	Century Precision Optics DS-1609-37 16:9 Adapter for dvc30 if were to use a stepdown ring to go from 43mm-37mm and then use the Century Precision Optics DS-1609-37 16:9 Widescreen Adapter Lens - 37mm seen here ( http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=242460&is=REG )would i get true widescreen without the image looking screwed up because i went down to 37 from 43? i ask this because i want good widescreen on my dvc30 and the 37mm centry 16:9 adapter is a little less than half the price of its 58mm version, if someone could educated me that'd be great.

February 24th, 2005, 05:44 PM	#67
Mark Williams Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Deep South, U.S. Posts: 1,526	Dvc30 & Firestore FS4 I'm at the point where I can purchase the Firestore FS4 to connect to my DVC30. In the pany manual page 79 it states that in camera setup you can set DV control to External and the backup unit (FS4) is controlled by the pany's start/stop button. So far so good. But it then goes on to say that the images shot using the camcorder are recorded using the backup unit and the camercorder does not perform the recording operation. So here is the $million question.... Does this mean you can record to the FS4 without having a tape in the camcorder? Any thoughts? Regards, Mark

February 10th, 2005, 06:00 PM	#63
Mathieu Ghekiere Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,195	I don't know the DVC30 but my nephew had the Panasonic GS400 and I think for it's money it's very good cam. Just wanted to let you know this. (PS: Although I think the mic on the cam is unlucky placed, you can hear a lot of tape noise, but you'll have that with many cams I think) Good luck.

February 24th, 2005, 06:47 AM	#66
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,800	I'll bet you would get vignetting (cutting off the corners of the image) by stepping down to 37mm; usually not a good idea to step down. However maybe someone else has actually tried and can give you a definitive answer.

February 24th, 2005, 07:33 PM	#68
Mark Phillips New Boot Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Medina, OH Posts: 18	Evan- Try looking at the posts on dvxuser.com, I found a few suggestions for the custom settings on the dvc30 and am in the process of trying them out. Good luck!

February 24th, 2005, 08:12 PM	#69
Mark Williams Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Deep South, U.S. Posts: 1,526	Depends on what look you are trying to achieve. I have found the following looks the most natural and pleasing to me for outdoor, daylight scenes. Detail +1 Chroma +1 Phase +1 Temp +0 Pedestal 0 Regards, Mark

February 25th, 2005, 04:57 AM	#70
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	no the DVC/DVX both require a tape as the recording mechanism will not trigger without a tape. In the menu, u must set the camera to trigger BOTH i dont have an FS4 yet (theyre not available), and by the time ill really have a use for it, DVCProHD will be available so the P2 cards will make the Firestore obsolete.

February 26th, 2005, 04:58 AM	#71
Evan C. King Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 532	Post pics and write about your dvc30 setup! While people on other camera boards love their cameras and openly converse about them, it seems like there is no love for dvc30, which is an excellent reliable cam that deserves just as much paise. After owning mine for a bit of bit and getting used to it i think i'm ready to begin tricking it out to get the most of out my cam, but because of the lack of convorsation about the dvc30 compared to other cams i have no idea what people do to theirs. So in an effort to unify dvc30 owners everywhere post pics and write descriptions of your dvc30 setup in this tread so we can find out how our fellow dvc30 owners are living. I'm talking mics, lenses, filters, stabilizers, tripods, the whole shibang! Show and tell it all here.

February 28th, 2005, 10:06 AM	#72
Leo Salazar New Boot Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Posts: 20	Matte Box for AG-DVC-30 Hello I am confused as to what matte box / filter holder to get for my Pana AG DVC-30. I am new to video but have started to use it as I travel extensivelly doing nature/art stills photography in my country. It's a waste not to acumulate footage of the places I go. Any sugestions as to the matte box...? Anyone else using this camera for nature documentaries..? Thanks to all Leo www.leosalazar.com

March 6th, 2005, 03:18 AM	#73
Rob Lohman RED Code Chef Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland Posts: 12,514	Welcome aboard DVInfo.net Leo! Is there anyone who can help Leo out? __________________ 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

March 7th, 2005, 08:23 AM	#74
Leo Salazar New Boot Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Posts: 20	the DVC-30 is great ! Hi Evan, I agree with you on that it's very cold on the threads and conversations front regarding this camera... I wonder why. I am a newby in moving pictures and so the DVC-30, along with some friends and you people in this forum, are my tutor and teachers. Being an active nature/art photographer, I extensivelly travel the Dominican Republic (where I currently reside) growing my stock photo portfolio for my showings, direct sales or other of my ongoing projects. I am now taking footage of the locations I work. As expected, my travels take me off the beaten path and I am fairly happy with having added video to my photography endeavour. My DVC-30 sits on a Cartoni ActionProDV tripod and is usually fitted with the Panasonic AGLW4307 Wide Angle Attachment, which I find of very good quality due to the low image distortion. As I am just a newby, my opinions regarding the camera are not of much more value, at this pont at least, so I will point out my impressions. The camera is light, easy to use and uderstand, image quality is very acceptable and is making my learning experience a very nice experience. I think of my camera as a she so I think she is very forgiving with the focus and exposure as it's very easy to see when you are off. The buttons with the dual functions are very intuitive and easy, but I would like to see even more explicitly if one is in camera or vcr mode. I have nearly erased portions of a tape not figuring out fast enough that no image is being shown on the monitor due to the camera being in "camera mode". I don't like that the ND filter is automatic and so use a .06 on the lens sometimes to reduce DoF. Coming from photography, I really miss an optical viewfinder... I also have tried to elicit more conversation regarding this camera by asking about matte boxes for it's 43mm lens or the wide attachment and have gotten no answer so far. Maybe -and hopefully- your thread will prosper ! How does one post screenshots..? Many thanks, Leo

March 7th, 2005, 08:50 AM	#75
Tavis Shaver Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Vancouver, BC. Canada Posts: 209	I'd love to see some video or at least screenshots of the IR recording mode.