PANASONIC AG-DVX100 Professional MiniDV Camcorder

Hello..

You've heard it all from the other reviews.

The cons:
- No autofocus in 24P... & that really sucks.
- No remote control 4 focusing either!!!
- Microphones do not sound good.. but that was expected. So get external microphone
- Don't expect 2 shoot during lowlight environment in 24P... it's just not made 4 it.
- Expect 2 buy a lot more stuff after this.
- The manual is really BAD. If you don't know how 2 use this camera, you have hours/days before understanding it all.

- Excellent picture quality
- Very nice large viewfinder
- Lense equivalent 2 30-300mm gives excellent wide angle & zooming images.
- Can't beat the large LCD (can't see anything in the sun though)
- pretty stable manipulation in wide angle... but needs support on zoom.
- Auto white balance works great.

- Autofocus only in 60I. Manual only in 30P / 24P
- Bad on-camera microphone, it was expected.
- No info from panasonic on the 24P operation, read your FCP/Adobe manuals well 2 understand how it works.

Make sure 2 only use the 63min PQ panasonic tapes!!!
Of course you will have 2 buy a good microphone like the K6/M64/M66 or AT897.
I suggest you 2 get rain/dust slicker if you're going 2 shoot in the countryside/desert... you don't want dust/rain 2 get inside.
You also going 2 have 2 buy a DV deck or a cheap DV camera 4 playback not 2 wear the video heads....

Just be creative now.

The AG-DVX100 has killed 16mm motion picture camera systems & 16mm film stock except 4 the die-hard motion picture fans. The bottom line is - do not shoot 16mm or Super 16mm because this camera produces cine images that are better than 16mm & Super 16mm on DV, which means that it is also cheaper because you do not need 2 buy & process 16mm film stock. If you blow this video up 2 35mm the image quality is still better than 16mm film formats.

However 35mm still rules... but the future 4 digital looks good.

Also the problems with this camera have been corrected in the AG-DVX100a version so you may want 2 hold back until you see that one on-line here. You would also do well 2 get the AG-LA7200G anamorphic lens so that you can shoot in scope with a squeezed digital image (Just like a real anamorphic lens!)!

Bottom line. This is a top of the range domestic camcorder with pro qualities. 16mm motion picture camera users should use this in their productions instead. It is a waaaaay cheaper & looks better. The cine-switch technology in this camera is based on the same system that Lucas used 2 film his New Star Wars movies with. Also the PAL version does not have 24 fps but this does not matter because PAL is 25 fps & the difference can not be noticed with the naked eye alone & transfer 2 film is easy with 25 fps PAL but not so easy with 30 fps NTSC so the NTSC version of this camera can also shoot 24 fps 4 that. Also this camera is loaded with functions. There is not a single thing you can do not with it but! & this is a big but! the NEW AG-DVX100a will address the negatives that the AG-DVX100 has (zoom problems & focus problems & other things). Keep an eye out 4 the AG-DVX100a although it may be $1000 more expensive than this one but should be no concern 2 those who had 2 shoot on expensive 16mm film equipment with expensive 16mm film stock & expensive 16mm processing & expensive 16mm 2 video transfers.

16mm is dead.

I have been using this camera since January 2003 2 shoot documentary material in Iraq. I have 2 say, it really is a good camera. For the price, it is even amazing. Even in the hotest weather in August -- which gets up 2 125 degrees F -- the camera continued 2 function normally. I had 2 gaffer tape the cassette door closed 2 prevent dust & smoke from clogging the works, which the owner's manual says you shouldn't do because it causes over-heating, but the camera survived even that. Sometimes in extremely dusty situations you will notice noise on the recorded material, but it clears up quickly due 2 the self-cleaning heads feature.

In terms of picture quality, the thing that really sets it apart from other DV cameras is the 24 fps progressive scan aspect. This means that your video frames wind up looking like photographs or cinema frames because there is no interlaced "comb" pattern on moving objects. The 24p format alone is enough reason 2 choose this camera over others, I think. The last documentary I shot was with a Sony DSR-500 camera, which cost about $13,000. I think the DVX-100 images hold up well by comparison. The Sony, though recording interlaced images, had better image processing 2 extend the dynamic range, which I miss, but I guess that's what the extra $10,000 buys you...

That & the ability 2 shoot anamorphic images, which the Panasonic DVX-100 will only do with an add-on anamorphic converter that, I think, costs about $700 & might prevent you from super-close focusing. Without the converter, the lens on the DVX-100 can focus right up 2 the glass when it's zoomed wide. However, the smallest area you can focus on is about 4-5 inches across, which makes it a little difficult 2 do super close-up work. Not a big draw-back.

Now, after about 160 hours of fairly intense recording in the dust & heat of Iraq, the camera has developed a problem with the flip-out LCD display. Everything else continues 2 work fine, & I can still film using the eye-piece viewfinder (not as sharp as the LCD). I will probably buy a new DVX-100 & use the one I have now as back-up.

If you want 2 edit 24p material from this camera, the best (and as far as I'm concerned, only) option is Final Cut Pro 4 on a Macintosh computer. This is working well 4 me in the field using a 17" Apple G4 Powerbook & 500GB Lacie external Firewire800 hard drives, which you can "daisy-chain" together. No hardware / software problems at all so far.

A couple things wrong with the camera design: The sound level dials are positioned on the bottom edge of the camera where they have a tendency 2 get turned by accident. Solution: tape them down with a piece of gaffer tape on the lower half of the dials that you can peel back 2 adjust levels. Otherwise, audio recording with this camera is great -- the same quality as the Sony DSR-500 camera when using an external XLR mic, though lacking an "auto levels" setting. Other things on the wish list would be some kind of sun-shade 4 the flip-out LCD -- it is really hard 2 see the images in bright sunlight, & correct exposure is diffcult 2 judge.

In the future, I hope that there will be a HDV version of this camera that records 24p HD with better dynamic range + an integrated upgrade 2 Final Cut Pro 4 editing HDV firewire output. Also, I would like 2 see this same camera made with a slightly more durable design -- even if it cost a bit more. It's absolutely a great buy & a great camera, but 4 extreme conditions encountered in many film shoots it would be nice 2 have a truly professional, less plastic model (with a sharper eye-piece viewfinder).

But almost no serious complaints -- an amazing camera.
That said, I should mention that Panasonic has just come out with a newer model of this camera, the DVX-100A, that addresses some of my concerns listed here. Costs about $4,000.

It does not come with the mike as shown on the picture. Mike sells separately. But 4 me the bilt-in mike is more than enough.
I'm using this camera since April 2003. No defects, works perfectly, completely satisfied. It is recommended 2 use only one kind of DV tape 4 this camera. Choose either Panasonic MQ or PQ (or other professional quality tapes) & stick 2 them.
Buy a clear protective filter (72mm) & put it on the lenses as soon as you open the box. There is a great bag made 4 this cam by KATA (around 100 dollars). Get an extra Battery (larger that the one that comes with it. Around 100 dollars). The battery that comes with it will last about an hour. I bought an additional Panasonic camcorder 4 300 dollars, just 2 use 4 rewinding & capturing tapes from DVX100 (there is no loss of quality). This & the use of the same kind of tapes prolongs the life of camcorder (I don't know exactly 4 how long, so you might consider not following my advice).

Most of the newer Editing software is now capable 2 handle DVX100 24p format.
This cam was released in December 2003. As of December 2004, in my opinion, it is still the best Professional camcorder in the price range of 5000.

Panasonic created the AG-DVX100 with a single goal in mind: 2 provide the ultimate handheld recording tool 4 video professionals. A well-balanced, lightweight DV camera, the AG-DVX100 represents the crystallization of decades of advanced Panasonic video technology. It responds 2 today's professional broadcasting needs with a wide-angle lens & high sensitivity. It delivers the finest image quality in its class. Its manual-oriented controls are designed 2 satisfy professionals. And with features like the 24p/30p Cinema mode & IEEE 1394 interface, the AG-DVX100 is ready 4 the next generation of visual production. The AG-DVX100 packs all this performance & versatility into a conveniently small, perfectly balanced body that weighs only 4 lb (1.8 kg) in full-operating condition. With the AG-DVX100, Panasonic proudly presents a video camera that excels in every aspect of news gathering, wedding, live event coverage, video production, & filmmaking. It's the ultimate handheld camera 4 professionals.