DVC30 Early Review
 

This thread is a continuation of topics covered under a thread called "filters". I am the proud (!@#$%^) owner of serial number 45 of the new Panasonic AG-DVC30. I have not yet formed a final opinion of the device, having had little quality time with it. A number of people have had questions about the capabilities of the DVC30, so I will post any answers I can figure out here.

Current pending questions appear in the "filters" thread, including subjective opinions of color saturation and sharpness, and 1) the zebra pattern capability, 2) whether there's any type of intervalometer/time lapse capability, and 3) how well the EVF DTL function aids focusing.

I have some concerns about saturation and sharpness, but I want to do some work to determine whether my concerns are valid - a few days at most.

Zebra pattern - absolutely love it. It shows me exactly where my over-exposure problems are. It is consistent and very clear.

Time lapse - not possible. It does have a function that I cannot understand the use of. You can set it to record a half-second to two seconds each time the start/stop button is pressed.

EVF Detail - it depends on the object. Focusing on a post set aginst a backdrop of similar color the EVF DTL function made manual focusing easier. Try to focus on a complex lantern with many see-through cut-outs, DTL got in the way. Of course, for many of us that will never see the back end of a focus puller it is the auto-focus mode that is important. AF fells very slightly slow to respond, but not so slow it becomes useless. It does make good choices for general use.

Thanks for the update, Chris. It sounds like the "push to record" function is the same as the "One Stop" feature found on the DVX100/A--used for an animation effect, I think. Odd and a little disappointing that Pana would only implement this and not time-lapse (interval) capability too, especially since the DVC30 is touted for surveillance and monitoring use.

I have a short AVI that I think demonstrates the cameras native ability (auotmatic mode, no filters, default settings, etc) but reasonable for color accuracy/depth and clarity of image. It is 286k AVI. Any place I can post it for viewing?

your avi is only 276k? if it is, I would be happy to host it for you, contact me through my website

http://www.stefweb.net

and press the contact button on the top bottom right corner of the home page. I don't like to post my email address cause then I get sent lots o porn and viruses. My wife doesn't like that.

You can also send it to me; DV Info Net will be happy to host it. Thanks,

Did I say k? I meant M unluckily. It is 1 minute 20 seconds, and should be highly compressibale, but without tweaking PremeirePro exported it as this AVI. I have sent it to both places, but I understand if you decide not to post. I will be happy to send it to any broadband user that wants it. My email address is firstname.lastname at mindspring.

edited to add: I do have the smaller version (WM9 format) but it is not very useful for judging camera quality.

Thanks Chris; I have room for it and will contact you by email tomorrow.

Silly me. email a multi-megabyte file? Not likely. I have posted it temporarily at

www.byrnes.tzo.com

Right click the "cam test.avi" file and choose the menu item that retrieves and stores the target (browser dependant). Hopefully someone that can post it for a while will pull a copy, as I can only leave this web site set this way for a few days.

Chris - I've tried the download several times and keep getting dropped after between 10-50MB with an IE error "The connection with the server was reset". Any suggestions?

I don't know what is causing the reset. Unluckily, I do not have an ftp server available. I have posted some smaller files. They are:

cam test4 - a shorter clip but still 148meg
cam testM1 - the same clip compressed using MPG1 - under 10 meg
cam testM2 - the same clip compressed using MPG2 - 32 meg

Hopefully they will be able to get through. Compression is not ideal for evaluating the cam, but there is not too much quality loss in these.

Guys got the cam as a lightweight alternative for outdoor shooting.

My regular camera is an XL1s so I was a bit concerned with what the images would look like.

I've got to say, I'm impressed. We do an outdoor show and the shots we have taken with it so far have been daybreak shots alternating into partial sun. The Iris adjustments have been simple to master and the Zebra Patern has made me better than I really am at exposure. The manual is a must for those of you that love to tinker with exposure and various adjustments but for a simpleton like myself this is a great out of the box rig.

The images have been clear and crisp and the shots have all worked real well. When you shoot game they do not always understand they should be looking into the light from you so I was a bit concerned how it would look shooting into the light, it did a fine job, I think even better than the XL1s.

Only negative I have so far is in my lack of my ability to steady shoot a palmcorder after being used to a heavier rig that tends to settle my shaking down a bit. I have adjusted to a mono-pod and made shots steady up a bit.

This is a great little camera and after carrying it around in the woods I think I've found a new friend.

Butch,

I am really curious about this cam as I do a lot of nature shoots myself. Since I need something rugged. How do you feel about the DVC30's construction? The GL-1 I am currently using has finally worn out and I swear I willl never buy another all plastic cam.
Image quality (sharpness and accurrate colors) means everything to me. But budget dosen't allow me top of the line. How do you think the DVC30 rates in this area?
Also, the 16x on the DVC30 is what is swaying me away from the Sony VX2100 which has only 12x, so do you see the DVC30 with maybe a 1.7 x conversion lens suiting wildlife photography, especially small birds....

Thanks for you help....

Regards,

Mark

I'm curious as to what response Mark Williams is going to get- I have the same questions as he!!!

Hi Steve,

Glad you are still out there. Haven't seen any posts from you lately. It would be great to hear more info. from new DVC30 owners. Where I am temporarly located I can't get my hands on one to try it out so I must rely on what's posted on this forum. I have found little on what users think of the zoom speed & control and the 16x lens. Some have said you can get REALLY SLOW zoom speed and this would be of great importance to me. The camcordersinfo.com review got me fired up about this cam.

I'm still sitting on the fence ready to replace my worn out GL-1 if a new cam with a 16x or greater lens cam comes along. (Not interested in the GL-2 or 24p). I'm afraid when the XL2 finally comes out it will be out of my price range so that's why I'm so interested in the DVC30.

Regards,

Mark