Panasonic Pro AG-DVX100A 3-CCD MiniDV Proline Camcorder w/10x Optical Zoom
- Outstanding Picture Rendering with the Leica Dicomar Lens
- 410,000-pixel (NTSC), 3CCD Picture Technique Provides F11 Sensitivity for First-class Image High quality
- High-Sensitivity Gradual Shutter
- High Picture Good quality with twelve-Bit A/D Conversion
- RGB Gamma Processor Supplies Prosperous, Cine-Like Tones
The AG-DVX100 shattered standard notions of what a DV camera-recorder could do, delivering picture top quality, capabilities and functioning ease suited for expert applications. As the 1st design in its class to offer you the 24p/30p Cinema mode, the AG-DVX100 was notably effectively acquired by filmmakers and picture creators. Now, Panasonic introduces the AG-DVX100A. This superior new design will take the DV digicam a big step ahead, retaining the popular functions of its predecessor although incorporating enhancements that reflect feedback from professionals who employed the AG-DVX100. The AG-DVX100A offers higher image good quality and much more features than its predecessor. Even more critical, it gives high-stage specifications and design enhancements that cater t
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CineTech22 is right, but…,
CineTech22′s information is correct regarding effective resolution, exposure latitude, etc. Film is a chemical process, and the amount of detail that can be delineated on essentially a molecular level on celluloid is staggering, even with 16mm. BTW, DV resolution is 720×480, not 640×480, but your point still is made–WAY less info than film. As far as the focus operation is concerned, there is an aftermarket “follow-focus” rig available to address this, but yes, the stock camera doesn’t let you set your focus-pulling marks.
I would contend, however, that you’ve lost the forest for the trees. This camera DOES spell the end of 16mm as the preferred medium for indie filmmakers. Premium Panasonic DV tapes are about $5/cassette (63 minutes). And are reusable. What does 16mm cost in stock and processing for an hour of footage?
The path to indie glory is no longer only “shoot in 16mm, blow it up to 35mm for festivals or limited release, get discovered”. Now we have “shoot in anamorphic DV, release on DVD, get discovered” as the new, much more cost effective option. Another note: DV footage shot on a DVX100a looks great uprezzed to HD, even better than some low-end prosumer HD cams out there, mostly due to its great color abilities.
I have used both the DVX100 & 100a, and have run up against their limitations. Exposure and depth of field are the biggest and require a lot of production compensation to get around–lots of zoomed, wide open aperture shots with heavy ND filtering to get that truly cinematic look.
Still, if you know what you’re doing, this camera is fantastic. Audio is superb (phantom-powered XLR’s–yeah, baby!!), 24p is beautiful to work with, color is very “film-like”, and although it is easy to “bloom” the whites and “crush” the blacks, the range is better than most DV cams, and both can be avoided by indie filmmakers who pay attention to settings and lighting.
Would-be filmmakers who want to go this route need two important accessories: the 16×9 anamorphic adapter by Panasonic (AG-LA7200g), and Barry Green’s book/DVD package http://www.dvxuser.com/articles/dvxbook . By understanding the camera’s strengths and weaknesses, you can get fantastic results from the DVX100a. If you are an independent fillmaker with a limited budget, buy this camera, the anamorpic adapter, Barry’s book, and do some test shots to figure it all out, Then spend the $$$THOUSANDS$$$ you’ve saved by shooting with the DVX100a and use it for better lighting, production, script doctors, better actors, and more time in post. The result will be far more impressive than 16mm done on a shoestring–a turd that could more easily be blown up to 35mm, but is far less likely to be worth it.
That’s my take, anyway. This camera does for independent filmmaking what the Alesis ADAT did for digital audio recording in the 90′s–completely “democracizes” the field so that young, up-and-coming creative people can produce work of incredible quality for very little money and absolutely no “studio” control.
So buy this camera, indulge your creative freedom, make your prize-winning indie film, and “stick it to da MAN!”
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|a serious improvement over the DVX100,
I have been using the DVX100A in Iraq for over a year; I had started shooting on the previous model, the DVX100 — and then upgraded to this one. Filming in 24p(Advanced) letterbox format. Between the two cameras I have shot 300 hours of material in difficult conditions. The DVX100A is a very serious improvement over the DVX100 — and the difference lies in better signal processing that stretches the exposure range of the camera. My material shot with the DVX100A has much better latitude — the skies don’t burn out so much, detail is better, colors are richer — and the blacks are far nicer and less noisy.
I owe a great deal to Panasonic for making a camera like this — it really is the best low-budget filmmaking tool around. The quality is something like shooting on 16mm film — but much easier and much less expensive. If you are a documentary filmmaker, or interested in shooting an indy film — this is an excellent choice. The only DV camera I would consider buying, in fact. Now Panasonic has released a HD camera with a similar form factor called the AG-HVX200 which may be a better choice for productions with slightly more financing — but the DVX100A is going to stay around for a while as the standard for what DV tape can do in SD. It remains a very viable camera for making films.
A side issue:
Many people have commented that they prefer to use an anamorphic adapter on this camera to give a 16:9 aspect ratio without losing resolution — I think this is a toss-up. The anamorphic adapter itself will slightly lessen the sharpness of the image, and close-up focusing is very difficult. I think the option of using “letterbox” or “squeeze” (the same thing, in terms of resolution) gives very nice results without adding extra weight and optical issues to the camera. It’s analogous to the difference between shooting Cinemascope and Super35 on film — Cinemascope uses the whole area of the negative, but Super35 (which crops the top and bottom of the frame to get a wide aspect ratio) has much nicer optical resolution because you can continue using spherical lenses instead of anamorphic. I once asked Robert Richardson (ASC) about how he dealt with this issue when he was shooting widescreen on Super8mm film for inclusion in JFK — he preferred to simply letterbox the tiny frame and live with lower picture res than mess around with the focus problems of anamorphic lenses. The case with the anamorphic adapter on this camera is similar — I think you can get fine results using letterbox format on the DVX100A, with fewer complications.
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|Film or Not – Free from Labs, Middlemen and No-shows,
I just bought the DVX100AP to shoot a documentary, and I’m so glad this camera is available. I don’t need soundmen, grips, or other crewmember to just shoot. The quality of the images from the camera, set on the cine-switch shot at 24fps are amazing – no, not 35mm film shot by a member of ASC with a $100,000 Arri package, but compared with the 16mm world, this Panasonic liberates filmmakers from the world of chemical filmmaking.
You don’t have to wait days to see your work back from a lab; you can plug in your firewire and capture to Avid Xpress. You don’t have to pay through the nose for syncing, work prints, answer prints, release prints which are really besides the point for independant filmmakers anyway. If you’ve ever shot and cut film, you know what I mean.
No question: this is a pricey unit. No question, it is worth the money because even if the images aren’t absolute film quality, they are not simple video either. When I first opened the camera and starting shooting, I couldn’t believe what I saw in the viewfinder, not what I saw when I watched the footage on a tv, or on my plasma monitor. This camera loves to shoot well-lit shots too. If you take time to emulate film lighting of any kind, you will end up with a rich, detailed look that includes richness in the shadows and a wide exposure latitude.
Whoever said you can’t do depth of focus with the DVX-100AP ain’t trying hard. The utter crispness of the focus I’ve seen knocked me out. Other great issues: 2 XLR jacks, firewire connector, and usable on-board mics, which while not great for interviews, do a fine job for ambient and room tone captures, and in a pinch, with work in Avid, even interviews shot without an external mic are not only useable, but good. And nobody else need be there; no unwilling family members, no film-school whiners, no untrained sound recordists, no Arrifascists looking down at your Bolex.
I love film; I love the smell of film in the morning; but man, film is the crack of visual arts, and I have hocked blood to burn light onto Kodak emulsions. Freddy’s dead. DVX-100AP my ass, honey.
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