AG-DVC30 Audio, XLR, Mic questions

Michael Fossenkemper · November 14th, 2006, 11:04 AM

NO. most lights are 12v, phantom power is 48v. also the amount of current that a light draws is MUCH higher. you would most likely damage the camera attempting it.

Christian Magnussen · November 15th, 2006, 05:53 PM

And xlr power is 4pins not 3 as with audio, so unless you modify the connectors it won't fit anyway.

Kirk Babbington · December 25th, 2006, 12:22 PM

I will be getting my DVC30 here shortly and will be using it to film offroad racing here in the southwest US. I have been searching for answers but need a few clarifications.

I want to use a decent camera mounted mic (I.E. Rode), what do I need exactly to accomplish this on this camera? I have seen the Panasonic XLR adapter for this camera, do I need that to run a new mic?

I will be shooting these trucks, buggies, and bike from as close as 10 feet, and to as far away as 100 feet. What would be a good mic for me to use? I am looking in the $100-$200 range.

I have been shooting for 5 years using various digital8 camcorders(I know, but the dust sucks and destroys cameras! I have figured out a cover that will protect my DVC though!) The image quality is fair at best. I notice the biggest problem is color. We are shooting in the day time (from sun up to sun down) 95% of the time. We are in the desert which means tan colored dirt, and brightly painted race vehicles. Now when I looked at my footage, everything seems to meld together. The sky isnt a vibrant blue, the trucks look bland, and the dirt takes over it seems. What can I do to make my shots look better? I was thinking of a polarizing lens?

Thanks for your help!

Derek Nickell · December 25th, 2006, 02:49 PM

Get a XLR to mini adapter for your DVC. Guitar Center has one for 30 bucks, plus look at BH Photo Video.

Imran Zaidi · December 25th, 2006, 04:49 PM

A polarizing filter can definitely help bring color contrast out of haziness; I use a Tiffen with my DVX. If you do a lot of outdoor shooting, it comes in very handy. Just keep in mind it's not a cure-all. It'll help, but it's hard to get video to see vibrant colors in a dusty, murky environment.

Christian Magnussen · December 26th, 2006, 08:17 AM

I've been using the Rode NTG-2 for six months, and i'm very pleased with both sound and build quality, especially considering the price.
I shoot both action sports and news, in every type of weather.
A setup i use often: http://www.chma.net/pana2.JPG

I can't help much on the filter side, but I always carry a ND filter og two to control the light when shooting extreme sports with my dvc30.

Nelson Cole · January 2nd, 2007, 08:37 PM

I've used the Rode VideoMic with my DVC30 for a few months and think it's a good mic. I'd buy it again. Here's a link to a short documentary I did using the set up, along with a wireless lav mic used about half the time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0JNohHaqM4

Ong Wan Shu · January 20th, 2007, 02:05 AM

hi all,

i am deciding between these 2 cameras and i dun have any intention to buy that XLR thing for the DVC30 because its too ex.

for guys who are using these 2 cameras, what do you use to record your sound with that small mic jack that comes with the camera?

i am shooting mostly human convo and a little ambient sound for my short films. if i can ever connect a lava mic and/or a shot gun somehow to these cameras that would be good enough too

cheers

Hans Ledel · January 20th, 2007, 07:28 AM

Hi

I have the Pana Gs400 and I use Rode Videomic and it is really good.
Not the smallest mic but as I said very good.

Cheers

Hans

Ong Wan Shu · January 20th, 2007, 09:38 AM

hey,

is that mic a stereo mini jack one? if it works on your camera I should think it works on the DVC30 too?

cheers
rolento

Hans Ledel · January 20th, 2007, 12:22 PM

Hi

Yes it will work with your DVC30

Here is a link to the mic with all the info

http://www.rodemic.com/?pagename=Pro...oduct=VideoMic

Cheers

Hans

Ong Wan Shu · January 20th, 2007, 01:00 PM

hi Hans,

are you using the GS400 primarily as your main camera? what kind of projects do you do with it?

I am deciding between the GS500 and DVC30, althought the latter has a slightly bigger CCD, it costs almost double of the GS500 and i dunno if its money well spent.

i reckon beside the lack of physical manual control on the GS500(can be accessed in the menu), its CCD is still better than the GS400? if so, i guess picture quality to costs ratio for the GS500 is better than the DVC30?

cheers

Hans Ledel · January 20th, 2007, 01:17 PM

Hi Ong

Yes at the moment the Gs400 is my main camera and i like it very much and one of the reasons is that it shoot real 16:9 (anamorphic) and so does the 500 and the picture are REALLY good.

The gs500 has the same CCD as the 400, the main difference is that the 400 is a mooe "manual camera"

If I was in the same situation as you are I would not buy the DVC30 one of the reason would be that it does not shoot 16:9 anamorphic, it has fake 16:9 and as I said the picture is perfect with the Gs400/500 and you can get it for half the cost of the DVC30

I will buy my first HDV cam this summer but I will keep my gs400

Cheers

Hans

Ps You can´t go wrong with the GS serie DS.

Thanasis Grigoropoulos · January 20th, 2007, 03:43 PM

Hi Ong!

IMHO DVC30 is a much more solid choice than the GS500. You get a lot more PRACTICAL manual control with the DVC30 than the GS500. It is also better in low light.

The GS400 is also a lot more functional than the GS500. It has a lot of the important controls physically accessible on the body, whereas the GS500 has most of them inside the menu. Most importantly, THERE IS NO HEADPHONES JACK on GS500. How are you going to monitor you sound??? This alone made the GS500 a no-no for me.

DVC30 is labelled by Panasonic a "broadcast quality" camera. GS500 will also do the trick image wise (as will GS400), but it will be much more time-consuming to control it real-time. IMHO the GS400 was the BEST budget choice only to be surpassed by the HC1 (and not in all areas...). At the moment, there is nothing like those two in the market (at that price range).

It all goes down to what you are planning to shoot of' course but if you have the budget, you may wish to consider the DVC30. Otherwise, I would try to find a used GS400 in good condition (for a hands-on review of GS400, you may wish to look at http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...804#post551804 ).

Oh! And on the microphone question, I use the "Tiny-Mike". It is really small and I am very happy with it but it is more expensive than the Rode Videomic...

Thanasis

P.S. On the matter of 16:9 vs 4:3, keep in mind that the DVX100 was also a 4:3 camera. This did not stop people from doing filmouts with the camera and love it! But of' course, it is always better to shoot native 16:9, if you have to deliver at 16:9.

Michael Rowe · February 22nd, 2007, 07:46 AM

I was curious to know whether there are any DVC30 owners who have had success using an XLR adapter other than Panny's proprietary AG-MYA30G? I am looking for a less-costly alternative to the AG-MYA30G to provide +48V phantom power to an AT825 mic.

The Beachtek DXA-4P looks like it might do the trick and as there is currently a used DXA-4P being offered in the this board's Classifieds section I'd like to jump on it. But I was hoping to first hear from someone who has successfully used this adapter with their DVC30.

Many thanks for any input~

Mike

December 25th, 2006, 12:22 PM	#78
Kirk Babbington New Boot Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Las Vegas (Henderson) Posts: 6	DVC30 XLR, Mic, and Filter Question I will be getting my DVC30 here shortly and will be using it to film offroad racing here in the southwest US. I have been searching for answers but need a few clarifications. I want to use a decent camera mounted mic (I.E. Rode), what do I need exactly to accomplish this on this camera? I have seen the Panasonic XLR adapter for this camera, do I need that to run a new mic? I will be shooting these trucks, buggies, and bike from as close as 10 feet, and to as far away as 100 feet. What would be a good mic for me to use? I am looking in the $100-$200 range. I have been shooting for 5 years using various digital8 camcorders(I know, but the dust sucks and destroys cameras! I have figured out a cover that will protect my DVC though!) The image quality is fair at best. I notice the biggest problem is color. We are shooting in the day time (from sun up to sun down) 95% of the time. We are in the desert which means tan colored dirt, and brightly painted race vehicles. Now when I looked at my footage, everything seems to meld together. The sky isnt a vibrant blue, the trucks look bland, and the dirt takes over it seems. What can I do to make my shots look better? I was thinking of a polarizing lens? Thanks for your help!

January 20th, 2007, 02:05 AM	#83
Ong Wan Shu Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 74	DVC30 and GS500 mic options hi all, i am deciding between these 2 cameras and i dun have any intention to buy that XLR thing for the DVC30 because its too ex. for guys who are using these 2 cameras, what do you use to record your sound with that small mic jack that comes with the camera? i am shooting mostly human convo and a little ambient sound for my short films. if i can ever connect a lava mic and/or a shot gun somehow to these cameras that would be good enough too cheers

January 20th, 2007, 07:28 AM	#84
Hans Ledel Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Stockholm Sweden Posts: 184	Hi I have the Pana Gs400 and I use Rode Videomic and it is really good. Not the smallest mic but as I said very good. Cheers Hans __________________ Remember, that English is my second language.

January 20th, 2007, 12:22 PM	#86
Hans Ledel Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Stockholm Sweden Posts: 184	Hi Yes it will work with your DVC30 Here is a link to the mic with all the info http://www.rodemic.com/?pagename=Pro...oduct=VideoMic Cheers Hans __________________ Remember, that English is my second language.

January 20th, 2007, 01:17 PM	#88
Hans Ledel Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Stockholm Sweden Posts: 184	Hi Ong Yes at the moment the Gs400 is my main camera and i like it very much and one of the reasons is that it shoot real 16:9 (anamorphic) and so does the 500 and the picture are REALLY good. The gs500 has the same CCD as the 400, the main difference is that the 400 is a mooe "manual camera" If I was in the same situation as you are I would not buy the DVC30 one of the reason would be that it does not shoot 16:9 anamorphic, it has fake 16:9 and as I said the picture is perfect with the Gs400/500 and you can get it for half the cost of the DVC30 I will buy my first HDV cam this summer but I will keep my gs400 Cheers Hans Ps You can´t go wrong with the GS serie DS. __________________ Remember, that English is my second language.

November 14th, 2006, 11:04 AM	#76
Michael Fossenkemper Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: NYC, weeee. Posts: 417	NO. most lights are 12v, phantom power is 48v. also the amount of current that a light draws is MUCH higher. you would most likely damage the camera attempting it.

November 15th, 2006, 05:53 PM	#77
Christian Magnussen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Oslo, Norway Posts: 191	And xlr power is 4pins not 3 as with audio, so unless you modify the connectors it won't fit anyway.

December 25th, 2006, 02:49 PM	#79
Derek Nickell Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: LA/SFV Posts: 155 Images: 2	Get a XLR to mini adapter for your DVC. Guitar Center has one for 30 bucks, plus look at BH Photo Video.

December 25th, 2006, 04:49 PM	#80
Imran Zaidi Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 1,315	A polarizing filter can definitely help bring color contrast out of haziness; I use a Tiffen with my DVX. If you do a lot of outdoor shooting, it comes in very handy. Just keep in mind it's not a cure-all. It'll help, but it's hard to get video to see vibrant colors in a dusty, murky environment.

December 26th, 2006, 08:17 AM	#81
Christian Magnussen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Oslo, Norway Posts: 191	I've been using the Rode NTG-2 for six months, and i'm very pleased with both sound and build quality, especially considering the price. I shoot both action sports and news, in every type of weather. A setup i use often: http://www.chma.net/pana2.JPG I can't help much on the filter side, but I always carry a ND filter og two to control the light when shooting extreme sports with my dvc30.

January 2nd, 2007, 08:37 PM	#82
Nelson Cole Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Skowhegan, Maine Posts: 70	I've used the Rode VideoMic with my DVC30 for a few months and think it's a good mic. I'd buy it again. Here's a link to a short documentary I did using the set up, along with a wireless lav mic used about half the time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0JNohHaqM4

January 20th, 2007, 09:38 AM	#85
Ong Wan Shu Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 74	hey, is that mic a stereo mini jack one? if it works on your camera I should think it works on the DVC30 too? cheers rolento

January 20th, 2007, 01:00 PM	#87
Ong Wan Shu Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 74	hi Hans, are you using the GS400 primarily as your main camera? what kind of projects do you do with it? I am deciding between the GS500 and DVC30, althought the latter has a slightly bigger CCD, it costs almost double of the GS500 and i dunno if its money well spent. i reckon beside the lack of physical manual control on the GS500(can be accessed in the menu), its CCD is still better than the GS400? if so, i guess picture quality to costs ratio for the GS500 is better than the DVC30? cheers

January 20th, 2007, 03:43 PM	#89
Thanasis Grigoropoulos Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Currently on the move! Posts: 33	Hi Ong! IMHO DVC30 is a much more solid choice than the GS500. You get a lot more PRACTICAL manual control with the DVC30 than the GS500. It is also better in low light. The GS400 is also a lot more functional than the GS500. It has a lot of the important controls physically accessible on the body, whereas the GS500 has most of them inside the menu. Most importantly, THERE IS NO HEADPHONES JACK on GS500. How are you going to monitor you sound??? This alone made the GS500 a no-no for me. DVC30 is labelled by Panasonic a "broadcast quality" camera. GS500 will also do the trick image wise (as will GS400), but it will be much more time-consuming to control it real-time. IMHO the GS400 was the BEST budget choice only to be surpassed by the HC1 (and not in all areas...). At the moment, there is nothing like those two in the market (at that price range). It all goes down to what you are planning to shoot of' course but if you have the budget, you may wish to consider the DVC30. Otherwise, I would try to find a used GS400 in good condition (for a hands-on review of GS400, you may wish to look at http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...804#post551804 ). Oh! And on the microphone question, I use the "Tiny-Mike". It is really small and I am very happy with it but it is more expensive than the Rode Videomic... Thanasis P.S. On the matter of 16:9 vs 4:3, keep in mind that the DVX100 was also a 4:3 camera. This did not stop people from doing filmouts with the camera and love it! But of' course, it is always better to shoot native 16:9, if you have to deliver at 16:9.

February 22nd, 2007, 07:46 AM	#90
Michael Rowe Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cambridge, MA Posts: 84	Alternative XLR adapter for DVC30 I was curious to know whether there are any DVC30 owners who have had success using an XLR adapter other than Panny's proprietary AG-MYA30G? I am looking for a less-costly alternative to the AG-MYA30G to provide +48V phantom power to an AT825 mic. The Beachtek DXA-4P looks like it might do the trick and as there is currently a used DXA-4P being offered in the this board's Classifieds section I'd like to jump on it. But I was hoping to first hear from someone who has successfully used this adapter with their DVC30. Many thanks for any input~ Mike