My Pannie DVC30 arrives in 48 hours. I am considering filters for it. Does anyone have experience with Cokin P-format holders/filters on this camera series (same form factor as DVX100 and DVC80).

Let us know when it arrives. Your first impression would be greatly appreciated.

As far as filters go... I can't be of assistance. Sorry.

Have owned it 36 hours, have used it about 1 hour (despite notice, my wife had other priorities for me).

Disclaimer: I am an amateur coming up from pure consumer equipment. My objectives were image quality and reliability.

Initial impressions:
Good image resolution and color in ideal light (outdoors sunny day in La Jolla). Camera well balanced, but my average sized hands need to stretch a bit for some controls.

Zoom takes some getting used to; it is incredible how controllable it is once you understand.

User interface (control layout and menu system) good but not great. I can't believe pro equipment works like this, but it is better than the consumer junk from Canon I have been using.

Solid feel, no "clunk" so far.

OIS: typical; good but never good enough.

Oddity: no battery for the remote; had to go out and buy one.

I want but it lacks: built-in lens cover; explicit ND filters (on incoming light, not bits).

Taking it on the road to New Orleans for a lot of indoor work under poor to fair conditions. More to come.

Chris,

Can you tell us what the filter size is for your DVC30. There has been a lot of interest in this in regards to accessory lens compatability. Is it 43mm or 72mm?

Thanks,

Mark

Chris, If you're going to be using a wide angle adaptor, then go with Cokin's System P, otherwise just stick with the "A."

Cokin also has a wide selection of screw-on filters, but you have to order them from France---they are inexpensive though. I have a contact for them on my http://www.dvfreak.com pages.

Check out here for what's available:

http://www.cokin.fr

and this is place you can buy the screw-in Cokins:

http://www.photo-nature.fr

I had a big shock today. B&H sent me a 72mm UV filter - the one they list for it. I stuck it in in hour 1/minute 1 without paying much attention. The lens cap fit on it just fine. Today I picked up the Cokin P holder and a 72mm ring..........something is wrong.

Pannie web site is clear this is a 72mm opening - and hey

But the 72mm opening is a non-threaded rim in the lens hood. Useful for a lens cap, and the UV filter just kind of sat there with no problem.

Remove the hood and a 43mm filter would fit quite nicely into the actual filter holder.

Far as I can tell, Cokin does not make a 43mm ring for P. Damn.

Frankly, I based my acceptance of quarter inch sensors on the idea that a 72mm lens would admit lots of light and, so long as the pixel count was the same, the overall quality between 30 and 80 would not be great. Now I am having my doubts.

And on top of that, few filters are available in 43mm and an adapter ring will require that the lens hood be left off.


;-< unhappy, but the cam is still okay

Hey Chris,

You seem to be one of the first out there to get this cam. I read somewhere that the zoom speed can be programmed to one of the user dedicated buttons. Can you confirm this. It would be great for achieving constant zoom speeds it true. Also, does anyone know where you can download the user manual....

Thanks,

Mark

Yes, I am the proud owner of serial number 45 (shudder).
No, the manual cannot be obtained online. I asked and Panasonic offerred to sell me a copy, which by the way is on backorder. Fuggedaboudit.

re: programmable zoom speed. Not really.
Via the menu you can set the "light touch" motor zoom speed to normal, high or low.

Other zoom controls:
Via the menu you can set the digital zoom limit to x24 or x 160.

You can assign a user button to trigger digital zoom while in pause mode. You can do the same thing with the "digital zoom" button, but that is within the LDC panel closure area. A press of the user or DZ button causes a zoom in of 1.25, then 1.5, then 1.0 (off) if x24 was set in the menu.

If x160 was selected, then the DZ button pushes get you x2, x5, x10, x1.

You can assign the focus ring to do zooms when you are running in auto-focus mode.

Had a chance to check out the DVC30 at NAB and was blown away by the ultra slow slowest zoom speed (100 secs., according to the Pana website) and the the 1 sec. fast zoom speed, which makes the zoom almost as nimble as that of a pro lens, and capable of zoom creeps comparable to that in the opening shot of "The Conversation" and almost any shot in a Peter Weir movie. I love super slow zooms, which can create a real sense of tension and unease in a shot, but more or less gave up on using this technique while shooting with fixed (non-interchangeable) lens zooms.

Wish I had such control on my DVX100, but I imagine Pana was only able achieve such fast and slow speeds on the DVX30 because the lens has no disengagable servo like the DVX and pro lenses do, a feature I couldn't do without.

Still, I hope there's someway Panasonic can incorporate the DVC30's slow and fast zoom speeds in the next DVX update (since they already slowed down the slow zoom to 30 seconds in the DVX 100a), without sacrificing indispensable manual zoom.

Thanks Chris,

I know you would rather be using your new cam than answering questions here. But you are one of the first owners and we are eager to get your impressions. I know this is a subjective questions but how would you judge image sharpness and color saturatio. I am used to using a Canon GL-1 which was good at both but sadly I have to replace it since I wore it out.

Regards,

Mark

I won't be able to make any judgements about image quality/color saturation till next week. I am in New orleans for the week and do not have any usable playback capability. Next weekend I will be watching footage from this trip and will give you my subjective eval.

<<<-- Originally posted by Stas Tagios :

Wish I had such control on my DVX100, but I imagine Pana was only able achieve such fast and slow speeds on the DVX30 because the lens has no disengagable servo like the DVX and pro lenses do, a feature I couldn't do without.
-->>>

Stas, that's exactly what I want! Please keep us informed on anything you hear concerning the slow zooms. Thanks.

<<<-- No, the manual cannot be obtained online. I asked and Panasonic offerred to sell me a copy, which by the way is on backorder. . -->>>

Huh? The camera doesn't come with a user's manual? That's strange. Even my dinky Panny DV53 came with a manual.

sorry I misled you. The cam comes with a manual, of course. I wanted softcopy so I could easily reference it without carrying around the dead tree version.

Chris,
Would you tell me what kind of inputs and outputs the DVC30 has. Does it have analog and s-video inputs and outputs?

Have you used it enough to form any more impressions about the camera?

Thanks, Nick

It has the normal composite and S-Video in/outs. I was a bit wooried before I got it, as the Panasonic literature was very unclear; but all the normal consumer level stuff is present. I would also re-assure those that are concerned with the XLR ability. This camera does not just force XLR signals through the mini adapter used by consumer microphones; there is a specific XLR input just for the adapter that (presumable) preserves the low noise capabilities of XLR through to the end point.

Chris,

Just a quick note about the Cokin filter system. If you already own the P size filter holder, a simple step ring from 43mm to the filter holder's 72mm ring should allow you to attach it to the cameras threads with no problems. And as far as the hood goes, take a look at Cokin's modular lens hoods. They are cheap and effective. The Cokin Modular Lens Hood snaps directly onto the front of the filter holder. You can attach multiple hoods to each other to create the length of hood you desire. Two modular hoods should give you back about the same coverage as the factory hood and shouldn't cost you more than about $15. If you don't already own the P size filter holder, the A size would be a better buy for that size camera system. The A size does have a 43mm ring for direct attachment without the step ring. And the modular hoods are available for the A size as well.

Chris -

My background and objectives are similar to yours. It's hard to find answers without a manual or access to a unit--your posts are appreciated. Could you also comment on 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.

Thanks in advance!
Gary

Cokin A's are not recommended for the DVX. Absolutely not, as on full wide you will vignette, specially if you use a UV filter ertc. The lens threads on the DVX is 72mm, Cokin A filters are ony 67mm. cokin P work well, they are just a bit bigger than 3x3's. Cokin just released cokin Z filters, and they are 4x4's.

Jared-

I agree. However, we're discussing filters for the DVC30, as per Chris' request. So my recommendation of the A series was meant solely for the DVC30's 43mm threads.

heh heh yeah first line "same form factor as the DVX" I just wanted to make sure there wasnt any confussion, I think I ended up confusing myself.

In fact, all of the pre-release information listed the DVC30 as having a 72mm mount - that is why I started by focusing on the P-system rather than the A. B&H lists (and sold me) a 72mm UV filter for the camera when they shipped it to me. Surprise!

Jon - thank you, that is exactly the level of information I was seeking.

Gary - I will play with those functions this week and post a reply.

<<<-- Originally posted by Chris Byrnes : In fact, all of the pre-release information listed the DVC30 as having a 72mm mount - that is why I started by focusing on the P-system rather than the A. B&H lists (and sold me) a 72mm UV filter for the camera when they shipped it to me. Surprise!

Jon - thank you, that is exactly the level of information I was seeking.

Gary - I will play with those functions this week and post a reply. -->>>

Yes.. it was pretty confusing at one point, hopefully by now everyones on board though.

Chris,
Thanks for the reply. I have a suggestion. In that you have been kind enough to share your experiences with the performance of the DVC30 within this thread I wonder if a new thread entitled, DVC30 Review, or something similar would make it easier for search and reference. I almost missed this initial thread because it related to filters, but now contains valuable comments regarding hands-on experience with this new camcorder.

Thank you again for providing early hands-on info regarding the DVC30.

Nick

Good idea. Look for updates under new thread "DVC30 early review"

So now that 3 years have passed, heres my question. When you go really really wide on the DVC30, WITHOUT a wide angle lens, is the problem with the A series Cokin ?
With a wide angle lens, is it still a problem ? Just checking before I shell out the money..