Various questions about Panasonic DVC and DVX

Jonathan Shannon · October 15th, 2005, 09:58 AM

Greetings:

Well, I finally committed and ordered the dvc30 from B&H. I've also purchased panasonic's wide angle, but also am in need of a telephoto. I was looking at canon's 1.7 lens, but would appreciate any input from those who use the dvc30 on a telephoto you have used and are happy with.

Thanks in advance.

Dan Burnap · October 24th, 2005, 11:30 AM

I am about to order my DVC30 and want to get a camera mounted light to go with it. I've searched this forum but haven't found anyone who has one of these or enquired about one.

Any idea's?

Is there one that can use the cameras power rather than an additional poiwer source or battery?

Also the AG-LW7207G 0.7x wide angle lens is proving to be difficult to source in the UK. Has anyone got the AG-LW4307P - what are the differences?

Thanks in advance

Dan

Matt Ramphal · October 24th, 2005, 02:30 PM

For some reason, the search button does not work for me anymore. Sorry for the repetition.

Anyways, I'm looking for something cheap...very basic, that will just alleviate the weight on my wrist. I personally do not mind if the image is not perfectly still and fluid, as I am working on low (no) budget productions anyways. I want something that is small, and that I can comforatbly move around with.

Anybody know if the Varizoom Pro DV & Hi8 Shoulder Support would be able to handle the dvx without risk of breaking or dropping the camera?

November 1st, 2005, 03:40 PM

I'm wanting to do some greenscreen work in a confined space, so I'd like to be able to put the camera as close as possible to the greenscreen, but still leave room to walk around a little (2 or 3 paces in any direction).

From what I have been able to find out, through a combination of DVinfo.net and Brian at ZotzDigital.com, I could improve my current 13 feet away with my stock XL2 to 6 feet (per Brian at Zotz) or 8 feet (per A.J.'s math in another this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=53622) with the Canon 3x lens.

Brian thinks I could get the 13 feet to 11 feet with the DVX100A (B).

So:
XL2 with 20x - 13 feet
XL2 with 3x - 6 to 8 feet
DVX (stock) - 11 feet??

Do these numbers sound right to you DVX users?

I'm asking, because I'd rather spend $3,200 (after Panasonic Rebate) on a DVX100B and have a whole 2nd camera, than $1,200 on just a lens, IF (and that's a big IF) the DVX would solve my greenscreen needs.

Jeff Jameson · November 1st, 2005, 05:30 PM

Greetings. I am getting ready to shoot an event that will take about 4 to 5 days to complete. I'd like to setup a video camera (either a Panasonic DVC30 or Sony TRV900) and shoot the event using some sort of time lapse.

Does anyone know of a way (using one of these cameras or similar) to do this?

Jonathan Shannon · November 4th, 2005, 11:54 PM

Greetings:

Today I got to put my new DVC30 through some paces, and just wanted to give some first impressions.

To begin with, I am pretty new to video cams (my specialty has been stills..with just a little video amongst animated slideshow). Until the DVC30, the best cam I used was a 7 year old model. So one could argue that I would be impressed with anything in the price range of the DVC30. That said, I am very happy with my new cam.

1) The viewfinder is bright and crisp. With my previous cam, the viewfinder was not at all crisp...I used it only to tell what I was shooting, you could not tell whether the subject was in focus or not. So I could only use it in auto-focus, and there are many times that that limits your creativity. I find the DVC30 EASY to focus precisely on your subject.

2) The autofocus is quick and accurate.

3) The 16X optical zoom is incredible (though I will still need to get a telephoto as I shoot some wildlife).

4) It seems to be built very solid.

There are a lot of manual features that I look forward to being able to grow into. I am very happy with my choice in camera, and think that I will be for years to come.

Philip Jecty · November 9th, 2005, 04:58 PM

in your opinion, whats the best editing software

Jakub Lichtenstein · December 14th, 2005, 06:17 PM

I've had my DVX100a for over a year. I've used it many times successfully and I am pleased I invested in it.

About a week ago, while on a shoot, I received an indicator (circle with x) which says that the cylinder head is dirty.

I've ran a mini DV head cleaner cassette through the camera several times. The problem went away...for the short run at least. Play back was non-existent, however, later that day, the camera operated perfectly once more. Everything had recorded just fine.

However, during another shoot later in the week, the same indication appeared. I followed the same procedure, and the indicator keeps coming back somewhat frequently, though everything I've recorded is coming out all right for the most part.

Still, I shouldn't be "forcing" my camera to record when it clearly needs a repair.

Question: How do I clean those heads? Does Panasonic have its own cleaner. Should this be done manually?

I love my camera and hate to be starting the holiday season with this nightmare on my conscience.

-Jakub

Brian Henderson · January 26th, 2006, 12:30 PM

I've been using a friend's DVX-100A from time to time. I noticed that even when I go in to the menu and set the zebras for 80ire, it still registers them only at 100ire. There are two sets of zebra bars. I switched off the second set and set the first set to 80 and saved the file. Then when I switched on the color bars, it showed them in the 100ire white box at the bottom of the screen and not in the top left line like it should. In the menu the zebras were still set to 80. This is driving me nuts. I was told I could trust the zebras, so the first time I used it I went against my better judgement after seeing the color bars and a lot of that footage is blown out. Is there some way to actually set the zebras for 80, or am I stuck using them at 100?

If any one from Panasonic is reading this... The thing that keeps me from buying one of these cameras is that the zebras on are big, obnoxious, and distracting. Why aren't they be subtle like the ones on the boradcast cameras? I usually shoot with them on so I can keep an eye on my exposure. However, on this camera I find them so distracting I just shut them off and generally go with the best auto iris exposure I get. It works most of the time, but it isn't very professional.

I do like that you can turn on the peaking (monitor / eye piece detail) and use the zebras at the same time. For some reason it's one or the other on some of the Sony palmcorders.

The other thing I would change is that when you white balance, it just says "WHITE BALANCE OK" in the monitor. It doesn't tell you what kelvin reading you got like a boradcast camera does. I need that information. I don't trust the fold out monitor enough to make decisions just based on that.

Dan Burnap · January 31st, 2006, 07:52 AM

The DVC30 has a 43mm thread, as does the Tiffen so they are attached directly. The problem is that even the smallest amount of zoom results in vignetting. The more you zoom the more vignetting. At full optical zoom, the whole viewfinder is just a blur.

Should I be using something between the lens and camera or have I just made a bad choice of wide-angle lens?

Thanks

Douglas Clark · February 1st, 2006, 05:33 AM

Is it possible to jam timecode on the DVC30 from an external source?

Is it possible to get timecode out of the DVC30, for example to jam an audio recorder like Tascam HD-P2?

Douglas

Saturnin Kondratiew · February 17th, 2006, 08:43 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mEtw_6AYX8

Riley Harmon · March 4th, 2006, 03:02 PM

Anyone have anymore info on the new DVC20 that panasonic is going to debut?

Michael Gottino · March 14th, 2006, 10:28 AM

Newbie to the forum here and would like to here form anyone using and/or experince with either the Cartoni Alfa II or Sachtler 14II tripod/head with DVX100b.

Thanks!

Michael Gottino · March 24th, 2006, 08:34 PM

Any car race/drifter dvx shooters out there that could give me a slam dunk course on what to expect? I have been invited to an event on Sunday and have full access including flag stand, infield, turns and pits.

I would like to maximize this opportunity by getting some quality footage utilizing the more advanced settings on my recently purchased DVX100b. Now, my little one (bless her beautiful soon to be AC heart) just trashed my DVX DVD otherwise I would be in “just push play” “rewind heaven” right now Your suggestions, thoughts and dialogue will be greatly appreciated.

What settings have you found achieve the best results? Are standard scene settings going to cut it? Have you configured specific settings or developed certain approaches to achieve different looks or are you keeping it clean and real?

I will probably shoot at 60i mostly with tripod. I also have a small jib I want to throw into the mix. Of course, I will want to set my self up properly for slow motion shots as well.

I have been producing for last few years now and have some experience with film. However, I do not have a lot experience to speak of with the DVX100b so fire away.

I’m all ears!

October 15th, 2005, 09:58 AM	#151
Jonathan Shannon Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Valley Springs, CA Posts: 34	Telephoto for dvc30 Greetings: Well, I finally committed and ordered the dvc30 from B&H. I've also purchased panasonic's wide angle, but also am in need of a telephoto. I was looking at canon's 1.7 lens, but would appreciate any input from those who use the dvc30 on a telephoto you have used and are happy with. Thanks in advance. __________________ Jonathan Shannon Sierra Nomad Photography www.YosemiteTrailsDVD.com

October 24th, 2005, 11:30 AM	#152
Dan Burnap Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Rio de Janeiro Posts: 335	Mounted light for DVC30 & AG-LW4307P I am about to order my DVC30 and want to get a camera mounted light to go with it. I've searched this forum but haven't found anyone who has one of these or enquired about one. Any idea's? Is there one that can use the cameras power rather than an additional poiwer source or battery? Also the AG-LW7207G 0.7x wide angle lens is proving to be difficult to source in the UK. Has anyone got the AG-LW4307P - what are the differences? Thanks in advance Dan

October 24th, 2005, 02:30 PM	#153
Matt Ramphal Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 27	Cheap and basic shoulder support For some reason, the search button does not work for me anymore. Sorry for the repetition. Anyways, I'm looking for something cheap...very basic, that will just alleviate the weight on my wrist. I personally do not mind if the image is not perfectly still and fluid, as I am working on low (no) budget productions anyways. I want something that is small, and that I can comforatbly move around with. Anybody know if the Varizoom Pro DV & Hi8 Shoulder Support would be able to handle the dvx without risk of breaking or dropping the camera?

November 1st, 2005, 03:40 PM	#154
Guest Posts: n/a	Which to Buy: DVX100B or 3x LENS for Canon XL2 I'm wanting to do some greenscreen work in a confined space, so I'd like to be able to put the camera as close as possible to the greenscreen, but still leave room to walk around a little (2 or 3 paces in any direction). From what I have been able to find out, through a combination of DVinfo.net and Brian at ZotzDigital.com, I could improve my current 13 feet away with my stock XL2 to 6 feet (per Brian at Zotz) or 8 feet (per A.J.'s math in another this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=53622) with the Canon 3x lens. Brian thinks I could get the 13 feet to 11 feet with the DVX100A (B). So: XL2 with 20x - 13 feet XL2 with 3x - 6 to 8 feet DVX (stock) - 11 feet?? Do these numbers sound right to you DVX users? I'm asking, because I'd rather spend $3,200 (after Panasonic Rebate) on a DVX100B and have a whole 2nd camera, than $1,200 on just a lens, IF (and that's a big IF) the DVX would solve my greenscreen needs.

November 1st, 2005, 05:30 PM	#155
Jeff Jameson New Boot Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Archbold, OH Posts: 5	Time Lapse Shot Instructions? Greetings. I am getting ready to shoot an event that will take about 4 to 5 days to complete. I'd like to setup a video camera (either a Panasonic DVC30 or Sony TRV900) and shoot the event using some sort of time lapse. Does anyone know of a way (using one of these cameras or similar) to do this?

November 4th, 2005, 11:54 PM	#156
Jonathan Shannon Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Valley Springs, CA Posts: 34	DVC30 First Impressions Greetings: Today I got to put my new DVC30 through some paces, and just wanted to give some first impressions. To begin with, I am pretty new to video cams (my specialty has been stills..with just a little video amongst animated slideshow). Until the DVC30, the best cam I used was a 7 year old model. So one could argue that I would be impressed with anything in the price range of the DVC30. That said, I am very happy with my new cam. 1) The viewfinder is bright and crisp. With my previous cam, the viewfinder was not at all crisp...I used it only to tell what I was shooting, you could not tell whether the subject was in focus or not. So I could only use it in auto-focus, and there are many times that that limits your creativity. I find the DVC30 EASY to focus precisely on your subject. 2) The autofocus is quick and accurate. 3) The 16X optical zoom is incredible (though I will still need to get a telephoto as I shoot some wildlife). 4) It seems to be built very solid. There are a lot of manual features that I look forward to being able to grow into. I am very happy with my choice in camera, and think that I will be for years to come. __________________ Jonathan Shannon Sierra Nomad Photography www.YosemiteTrailsDVD.com

November 9th, 2005, 04:58 PM	#157
Philip Jecty New Boot Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 8	editing in your opinion, whats the best editing software

December 14th, 2005, 06:17 PM	#158
Jakub Lichtenstein Tourist Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1	cleaning cylinder heads I've had my DVX100a for over a year. I've used it many times successfully and I am pleased I invested in it. About a week ago, while on a shoot, I received an indicator (circle with x) which says that the cylinder head is dirty. I've ran a mini DV head cleaner cassette through the camera several times. The problem went away...for the short run at least. Play back was non-existent, however, later that day, the camera operated perfectly once more. Everything had recorded just fine. However, during another shoot later in the week, the same indication appeared. I followed the same procedure, and the indicator keeps coming back somewhat frequently, though everything I've recorded is coming out all right for the most part. Still, I shouldn't be "forcing" my camera to record when it clearly needs a repair. Question: How do I clean those heads? Does Panasonic have its own cleaner. Should this be done manually? I love my camera and hate to be starting the holiday season with this nightmare on my conscience. -Jakub

January 26th, 2006, 12:30 PM	#159
Brian Henderson New Boot Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Boston Massachusetts, USA Posts: 21	Zebras I've been using a friend's DVX-100A from time to time. I noticed that even when I go in to the menu and set the zebras for 80ire, it still registers them only at 100ire. There are two sets of zebra bars. I switched off the second set and set the first set to 80 and saved the file. Then when I switched on the color bars, it showed them in the 100ire white box at the bottom of the screen and not in the top left line like it should. In the menu the zebras were still set to 80. This is driving me nuts. I was told I could trust the zebras, so the first time I used it I went against my better judgement after seeing the color bars and a lot of that footage is blown out. Is there some way to actually set the zebras for 80, or am I stuck using them at 100? If any one from Panasonic is reading this... The thing that keeps me from buying one of these cameras is that the zebras on are big, obnoxious, and distracting. Why aren't they be subtle like the ones on the boradcast cameras? I usually shoot with them on so I can keep an eye on my exposure. However, on this camera I find them so distracting I just shut them off and generally go with the best auto iris exposure I get. It works most of the time, but it isn't very professional. I do like that you can turn on the peaking (monitor / eye piece detail) and use the zebras at the same time. For some reason it's one or the other on some of the Sony palmcorders. The other thing I would change is that when you white balance, it just says "WHITE BALANCE OK" in the monitor. It doesn't tell you what kelvin reading you got like a boradcast camera does. I need that information. I don't trust the fold out monitor enough to make decisions just based on that.

January 31st, 2006, 07:52 AM	#160
Dan Burnap Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Rio de Janeiro Posts: 335	DVC30 & Tiffen MegaPlus 0.75x - vignetting The DVC30 has a 43mm thread, as does the Tiffen so they are attached directly. The problem is that even the smallest amount of zoom results in vignetting. The more you zoom the more vignetting. At full optical zoom, the whole viewfinder is just a blur. Should I be using something between the lens and camera or have I just made a bad choice of wide-angle lens? Thanks

February 1st, 2006, 05:33 AM	#161
Douglas Clark New Boot Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Jyllinge, Denmark Posts: 22	Getting timecode in or out of DVC30 Is it possible to jam timecode on the DVC30 from an external source? Is it possible to get timecode out of the DVC30, for example to jam an audio recorder like Tascam HD-P2? Douglas

February 17th, 2006, 08:43 PM	#162
Saturnin Kondratiew Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: vancouver Posts: 310	new dvx100a footage 24p taken 15mins ago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mEtw_6AYX8 __________________ My documentaries - http://www.asphaltjunkiez.com

March 4th, 2006, 03:02 PM	#163
Riley Harmon Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 424	Dvc20 Anyone have anymore info on the new DVC20 that panasonic is going to debut?

March 14th, 2006, 10:28 AM	#164
Michael Gottino New Boot Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 7	DVX100b w/Cartoni Alfa II or Sachtler 14II Newbie to the forum here and would like to here form anyone using and/or experince with either the Cartoni Alfa II or Sachtler 14II tripod/head with DVX100b. Thanks!

March 24th, 2006, 08:34 PM	#165
Michael Gottino New Boot Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 7	Suggestions on shooting race car/drifting competition Any car race/drifter dvx shooters out there that could give me a slam dunk course on what to expect? I have been invited to an event on Sunday and have full access including flag stand, infield, turns and pits. I would like to maximize this opportunity by getting some quality footage utilizing the more advanced settings on my recently purchased DVX100b. Now, my little one (bless her beautiful soon to be AC heart) just trashed my DVX DVD otherwise I would be in “just push play” “rewind heaven” right now Your suggestions, thoughts and dialogue will be greatly appreciated. What settings have you found achieve the best results? Are standard scene settings going to cut it? Have you configured specific settings or developed certain approaches to achieve different looks or are you keeping it clean and real? I will probably shoot at 60i mostly with tripod. I also have a small jib I want to throw into the mix. Of course, I will want to set my self up properly for slow motion shots as well. I have been producing for last few years now and have some experience with film. However, I do not have a lot experience to speak of with the DVX100b so fire away. I’m all ears!