Ryan Koo
September 29th, 2004, 03:44 PM
Was gonna post this at my usual hangout, DVXUser, but Jarred's site is down. So here 'tis:
So I got out at lunchtime today and shot some footage with the XL2 and the DVX100A, Cinegamma, Cinematrix, 16:9, 24pA (2:3:3:2).
Settings:
DVX: F6 (custom), 24PA, 16:9 Squeeze
Gamma: Cinelike
Matrix: Cinelike
Master Ped: -5
Detail: -2
Knee: Auto
WB: 56k preset
Shutter: 1/48
XL2: Custom_C (custom), 24P 2:3:3:2, 16:9
Gamme: Cine
Matrix: Cine
Knee: Middle
Black: Press
Color Gain: +4
Setup Level: -2
Master Ped: -5
WB: 56k preset
Shutter: 1/48
Digitized in Premiere Pro 1.5 using Panasonic 24p 16:9 preset.
Now here's the problem: I setup the XL2 in my office, looking through the viewfinder. I tried to get the most "filmlike," or "dvxlike," or "smooth" look. After I shot this footage and looked at it on the broadcast monitor I realized that the LCD on the XL2 ships quite a bit brighter and desaturated then reality. So the XL2 footage is oversaturated and the blacks are pressed. Still, I didn't want to color-correct anything, so here it is (please "save as" so you don't kill the server):
http://www.hyphencreative.com/video/xl2_vs_dvx100a_24p.wmv
Notes:
--XL2 sharpness needs to be turned down... the resolution is insanely great, but the regular setting shows a lot of aliasing. Shoulda turned it down for this test.
--XL2 resolution is insanely great, did I mention that. It's not fair to the DVX to do 16:9 without the anamorphic, but we're talking a big jump in resolution...
--Because of this the XL2 had gotta be a no-brainer if you're making the next 28 Days Later/Open Water/Full Frontal/The Idiots/etc. On a 50-foot screen, we're talking a big difference.
--DVX footage still has that altered reality, hyper-real colors and smoothness that the XL2 does not.
--Given that anything you're doing seriously is going to have some form of color-correction, the loss in initial "wow" factor of the DVX's colors are pretty easily overcome by the increase in the XL2's image fidelity.
--Highlight handling on both is good, XL2 may be even better than DVX (didn't mess too much with knee control though).
--XL2 defaults to 1/24 shutter speed, once set to 1/48, motion rendering is same as DVX.
--XL2 viewfinder does flicker, only noticed it in 16:9 mode on the black bars. It's not annoying to me.
--What is annoying is the viewfinder itself, I think it just needs a lot of tweaking, but it's stock setup is a) too bright, b) too desaturated, and c) too hard to focus with. Peaking is necessary.
--What is also annoying is the shutter/iris control, which is the lamest damn thing I've seen since the... XL1. It's not actually a wheel, it's the same as it is on my MOM'S Optura Xi, which costs less than a grand. This is where Canon's consumer roots show up in a bad way. This wouldn't be so bad if the transitions were smooth, but they're not. The granularity of the DVX's wheel is fine enough to do smooth adjustments, which I've always thought was a tremendous improvement over cameras like the PD150. Two steps forward, one step back.
--Why did I press the blacks on the XL2? Idiot! It's hard to compare w/ the blacks pressed. Moron.
--Due to price, size, 4:3, and incredible “out of the box” look, I’d still use the DVX to shoot a reality TV show.
--If I wanted to look legit, and/or increase my chance of getting laid, I’d get the XL2. The damn thing makes the DVX look and feel like a toy. Even more so than the Sony DSR-500 I use all the time—Betacam-sized cameras scream “videographer,” while the XL2 screams “filmmaker,” or at least “pornographer.”
--If I didn’t own either (I don’t own the XL2, it’s at work) and I was making up my mind which to buy, I’d take the XL2 in a second (if I had the flow). NOT because of the sex potential. Really.
--If I already owned a DVX (I do), I’d stick with it (I am). For now.
If I didn't have 3 editing projects ramming me from behind I'd go out and re-shoot this comparison, with better settings. Hindsight is 20/20...
Still, hope this helps until someone publishes a real comparison.
EDIT: I would like to add one thing. If the reason we all love film is that it has that instantly-transporting, elusive "feel" to it--for me it means that what you're watching looks like an interpretation of the world rather than, well, just the world, I do think Panasonic nailed it with the DVX. And Canon did not. Like I said above, the difference in gamma/smoothness/color rendition can be overcome with your choice of color-corrector. And should. I know a lot of DVX owners are going to write off the XL2 because of this, but let me suggest... don't. The great 16:9 resolution and lens options of the XL2 just give you more FLEXIBILITY with your footage, and that's what we all want.
So I got out at lunchtime today and shot some footage with the XL2 and the DVX100A, Cinegamma, Cinematrix, 16:9, 24pA (2:3:3:2).
Settings:
DVX: F6 (custom), 24PA, 16:9 Squeeze
Gamma: Cinelike
Matrix: Cinelike
Master Ped: -5
Detail: -2
Knee: Auto
WB: 56k preset
Shutter: 1/48
XL2: Custom_C (custom), 24P 2:3:3:2, 16:9
Gamme: Cine
Matrix: Cine
Knee: Middle
Black: Press
Color Gain: +4
Setup Level: -2
Master Ped: -5
WB: 56k preset
Shutter: 1/48
Digitized in Premiere Pro 1.5 using Panasonic 24p 16:9 preset.
Now here's the problem: I setup the XL2 in my office, looking through the viewfinder. I tried to get the most "filmlike," or "dvxlike," or "smooth" look. After I shot this footage and looked at it on the broadcast monitor I realized that the LCD on the XL2 ships quite a bit brighter and desaturated then reality. So the XL2 footage is oversaturated and the blacks are pressed. Still, I didn't want to color-correct anything, so here it is (please "save as" so you don't kill the server):
http://www.hyphencreative.com/video/xl2_vs_dvx100a_24p.wmv
Notes:
--XL2 sharpness needs to be turned down... the resolution is insanely great, but the regular setting shows a lot of aliasing. Shoulda turned it down for this test.
--XL2 resolution is insanely great, did I mention that. It's not fair to the DVX to do 16:9 without the anamorphic, but we're talking a big jump in resolution...
--Because of this the XL2 had gotta be a no-brainer if you're making the next 28 Days Later/Open Water/Full Frontal/The Idiots/etc. On a 50-foot screen, we're talking a big difference.
--DVX footage still has that altered reality, hyper-real colors and smoothness that the XL2 does not.
--Given that anything you're doing seriously is going to have some form of color-correction, the loss in initial "wow" factor of the DVX's colors are pretty easily overcome by the increase in the XL2's image fidelity.
--Highlight handling on both is good, XL2 may be even better than DVX (didn't mess too much with knee control though).
--XL2 defaults to 1/24 shutter speed, once set to 1/48, motion rendering is same as DVX.
--XL2 viewfinder does flicker, only noticed it in 16:9 mode on the black bars. It's not annoying to me.
--What is annoying is the viewfinder itself, I think it just needs a lot of tweaking, but it's stock setup is a) too bright, b) too desaturated, and c) too hard to focus with. Peaking is necessary.
--What is also annoying is the shutter/iris control, which is the lamest damn thing I've seen since the... XL1. It's not actually a wheel, it's the same as it is on my MOM'S Optura Xi, which costs less than a grand. This is where Canon's consumer roots show up in a bad way. This wouldn't be so bad if the transitions were smooth, but they're not. The granularity of the DVX's wheel is fine enough to do smooth adjustments, which I've always thought was a tremendous improvement over cameras like the PD150. Two steps forward, one step back.
--Why did I press the blacks on the XL2? Idiot! It's hard to compare w/ the blacks pressed. Moron.
--Due to price, size, 4:3, and incredible “out of the box” look, I’d still use the DVX to shoot a reality TV show.
--If I wanted to look legit, and/or increase my chance of getting laid, I’d get the XL2. The damn thing makes the DVX look and feel like a toy. Even more so than the Sony DSR-500 I use all the time—Betacam-sized cameras scream “videographer,” while the XL2 screams “filmmaker,” or at least “pornographer.”
--If I didn’t own either (I don’t own the XL2, it’s at work) and I was making up my mind which to buy, I’d take the XL2 in a second (if I had the flow). NOT because of the sex potential. Really.
--If I already owned a DVX (I do), I’d stick with it (I am). For now.
If I didn't have 3 editing projects ramming me from behind I'd go out and re-shoot this comparison, with better settings. Hindsight is 20/20...
Still, hope this helps until someone publishes a real comparison.
EDIT: I would like to add one thing. If the reason we all love film is that it has that instantly-transporting, elusive "feel" to it--for me it means that what you're watching looks like an interpretation of the world rather than, well, just the world, I do think Panasonic nailed it with the DVX. And Canon did not. Like I said above, the difference in gamma/smoothness/color rendition can be overcome with your choice of color-corrector. And should. I know a lot of DVX owners are going to write off the XL2 because of this, but let me suggest... don't. The great 16:9 resolution and lens options of the XL2 just give you more FLEXIBILITY with your footage, and that's what we all want.