Vinson Watson
November 22nd, 2002, 04:39 PM
The Panasonic DVX100 24p
I went and spent an hour with the Panasonic DVX100 at SMS a film and video rental house (and a Panasonic dealer). My conclusion:
In my opinion the DVX100 is the best way for a filmmaker to get the film look without time consuming software questionable filter processes or special lighting set ups to get the film look. Before I continue let me explain where I’m coming from. First when I say the “film look” I don’t mean the professional look and most indie filmmakers don’t mean this when they say it. If John Woo used a basic 3 chip video camera and shot like he generally shoots his movies you’d have a very professionally done movie shot on video, but you’d still know it’s video. With John Woo’s name attached to it it maight mean more but we’d still know video when we see it before it’s treated with some kind of film look technique. So I’m not talking about a shooting style I’m talking about a look. This camera has proven to me without a doubt that it is the camera I will chose to save money to buy. The GL2 is nice and at this point remains second choice to this Panasonic powerhouse.
Somethings to take into consideration. I shot out doors and when I was inside I shot in basic “store” type lighting, so there were no special set ups for my test.
The Modes
Now I played with the Pana in 24p basic, 24p Advanced, and 30p. I didn’t see much of a difference between the 24p settings but I understand the difference of one being used for straight to video use while the other is being used for film transfer (that being advanced mode). In 24p this camera reacted like film to colors and movement. Is it perfect? It’s still video, but does look it. Is it better than Canon’s frame mode? Yep, because of the cinegamma. Fast pans will cause a blur, and fast movement is picked up without the heavy strobing some cameras have. The 24p modes look film-like even without the cinegamma which some may choose to shut off to keep control of other camera functions but this is a user choice and doesn’t have the same exact look as 24p with the cinegamma on but by no means does it look bad either. I also did 30p with the cinegamma on and it too looked awesome, so those unsure about 24p don’t truely have to use it. Try 30p with cinegamma and see what you think. In normal mode this cam shoots a warm picture with sharp details that can be controled (there’s a control called “detail”). In 24p -30p this cam is perfect for low budget indie filmmakers. In normal mode this cam is perfect for pro camera operators of most types and low budget indie horror film makers. (I like the video look for horror flicks but many people will just flick the cine-switch>.
Colors
Absolutely vibrant. Saturated reds like some cams saturate greens. I like this (I’m thinking of a particular scene I have planned of a woman in a red dress) but some may not. Play with the Gamma. Colors are warm and accurate. I didn’t see any fringing but I hear you need to be in high contrast situations for that to happen. I was in an urban sprawl but there wasn’t a ton of high contrasty things to go by.
Focus Ring
Some complain about it feeling to loose. It got the job done. Personally I would’ve wanted it to feel more snug myself but it’s not a enough to detract from the value camera.
Sound
Many people complain about camera sound. These guys have put an awesome mic on this thing comparable to the one on the GL2. Plus manual sound controls.
16:9
I like to do everything in widescreen mode. The 16:9 is hot to death. I've heard it was native and I've heard it was just a special effect, either it's bomb. I’ve gone on about this before but you get to see exactly what you’re recording. No weird stretched picture just beautiful 16:9, especially when shooting in normal mode 16:9 ads a little something.
Gamma
There’s a lot of things you can do color wise by playing with the gamma. Saturation, desaturation, the whole nine. You have to try this for yourself to get the look you want.
Controls
Very easy to operate, it took me no time to figure out the controls. (I glanced at the manual about twice). The button you operate the VCR fuctions with is the same you control the on screen menus with. Nice. Camera to VCR mode is done by pushing a button versus clicking that dial from VCR to CAMERA to OFF. The dial is there but it’s just CAMERA and OFF. This baby has two zooms ( a ring and the handle). Didn’t really work with the handle zoom, I used the ring. In a film situation I’d probably be more likely to use handle zoom while turning the focus rings. I didn’t test the manual iris.
Style
Several people asked me what I was shooting. If you’re not looking to draw attention this cam may not be for you, but then again the VX1K or VX2K don’t exactly look like tourist cams. This is more the GL2’s place because it’s smaller and lighter.
Close
If you’re interested in seeing a tape of this email me at artstar@jps.net and I’ll tell you how to get one. If not just go down to your local Pana dealer and get one. I should warn you my shooting is shakey and sporadic. I was specifically interested in the film look. Sadly I taped over my pevious stuff so you won’t get to witness my martial arts mayhem. Peace out.
-Vinson
I went and spent an hour with the Panasonic DVX100 at SMS a film and video rental house (and a Panasonic dealer). My conclusion:
In my opinion the DVX100 is the best way for a filmmaker to get the film look without time consuming software questionable filter processes or special lighting set ups to get the film look. Before I continue let me explain where I’m coming from. First when I say the “film look” I don’t mean the professional look and most indie filmmakers don’t mean this when they say it. If John Woo used a basic 3 chip video camera and shot like he generally shoots his movies you’d have a very professionally done movie shot on video, but you’d still know it’s video. With John Woo’s name attached to it it maight mean more but we’d still know video when we see it before it’s treated with some kind of film look technique. So I’m not talking about a shooting style I’m talking about a look. This camera has proven to me without a doubt that it is the camera I will chose to save money to buy. The GL2 is nice and at this point remains second choice to this Panasonic powerhouse.
Somethings to take into consideration. I shot out doors and when I was inside I shot in basic “store” type lighting, so there were no special set ups for my test.
The Modes
Now I played with the Pana in 24p basic, 24p Advanced, and 30p. I didn’t see much of a difference between the 24p settings but I understand the difference of one being used for straight to video use while the other is being used for film transfer (that being advanced mode). In 24p this camera reacted like film to colors and movement. Is it perfect? It’s still video, but does look it. Is it better than Canon’s frame mode? Yep, because of the cinegamma. Fast pans will cause a blur, and fast movement is picked up without the heavy strobing some cameras have. The 24p modes look film-like even without the cinegamma which some may choose to shut off to keep control of other camera functions but this is a user choice and doesn’t have the same exact look as 24p with the cinegamma on but by no means does it look bad either. I also did 30p with the cinegamma on and it too looked awesome, so those unsure about 24p don’t truely have to use it. Try 30p with cinegamma and see what you think. In normal mode this cam shoots a warm picture with sharp details that can be controled (there’s a control called “detail”). In 24p -30p this cam is perfect for low budget indie filmmakers. In normal mode this cam is perfect for pro camera operators of most types and low budget indie horror film makers. (I like the video look for horror flicks but many people will just flick the cine-switch>.
Colors
Absolutely vibrant. Saturated reds like some cams saturate greens. I like this (I’m thinking of a particular scene I have planned of a woman in a red dress) but some may not. Play with the Gamma. Colors are warm and accurate. I didn’t see any fringing but I hear you need to be in high contrast situations for that to happen. I was in an urban sprawl but there wasn’t a ton of high contrasty things to go by.
Focus Ring
Some complain about it feeling to loose. It got the job done. Personally I would’ve wanted it to feel more snug myself but it’s not a enough to detract from the value camera.
Sound
Many people complain about camera sound. These guys have put an awesome mic on this thing comparable to the one on the GL2. Plus manual sound controls.
16:9
I like to do everything in widescreen mode. The 16:9 is hot to death. I've heard it was native and I've heard it was just a special effect, either it's bomb. I’ve gone on about this before but you get to see exactly what you’re recording. No weird stretched picture just beautiful 16:9, especially when shooting in normal mode 16:9 ads a little something.
Gamma
There’s a lot of things you can do color wise by playing with the gamma. Saturation, desaturation, the whole nine. You have to try this for yourself to get the look you want.
Controls
Very easy to operate, it took me no time to figure out the controls. (I glanced at the manual about twice). The button you operate the VCR fuctions with is the same you control the on screen menus with. Nice. Camera to VCR mode is done by pushing a button versus clicking that dial from VCR to CAMERA to OFF. The dial is there but it’s just CAMERA and OFF. This baby has two zooms ( a ring and the handle). Didn’t really work with the handle zoom, I used the ring. In a film situation I’d probably be more likely to use handle zoom while turning the focus rings. I didn’t test the manual iris.
Style
Several people asked me what I was shooting. If you’re not looking to draw attention this cam may not be for you, but then again the VX1K or VX2K don’t exactly look like tourist cams. This is more the GL2’s place because it’s smaller and lighter.
Close
If you’re interested in seeing a tape of this email me at artstar@jps.net and I’ll tell you how to get one. If not just go down to your local Pana dealer and get one. I should warn you my shooting is shakey and sporadic. I was specifically interested in the film look. Sadly I taped over my pevious stuff so you won’t get to witness my martial arts mayhem. Peace out.
-Vinson