I've been using the Rode NTG-2 for six months, and i'm very pleased with both sound and build quality, especially considering the price.
I shoot both action sports and news, in every type of weather.
A setup i use often: http://www.chma.net/pana2.JPG

I can't help much on the filter side, but I always carry a ND filter og two to control the light when shooting extreme sports with my dvc30.

I've used the Rode VideoMic with my DVC30 for a few months and think it's a good mic. I'd buy it again. Here's a link to a short documentary I did using the set up, along with a wireless lav mic used about half the time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0JNohHaqM4

DVC30 and GS500 mic options
 

hi all,

i am deciding between these 2 cameras and i dun have any intention to buy that XLR thing for the DVC30 because its too ex.

for guys who are using these 2 cameras, what do you use to record your sound with that small mic jack that comes with the camera?

i am shooting mostly human convo and a little ambient sound for my short films. if i can ever connect a lava mic and/or a shot gun somehow to these cameras that would be good enough too

cheers

Hi

I have the Pana Gs400 and I use Rode Videomic and it is really good.
Not the smallest mic but as I said very good.

Cheers

Hans

hey,

is that mic a stereo mini jack one? if it works on your camera I should think it works on the DVC30 too?

cheers
rolento

Hi

Yes it will work with your DVC30

Here is a link to the mic with all the info

http://www.rodemic.com/?pagename=Pro...oduct=VideoMic

Cheers

Hans

hi Hans,

are you using the GS400 primarily as your main camera? what kind of projects do you do with it?

I am deciding between the GS500 and DVC30, althought the latter has a slightly bigger CCD, it costs almost double of the GS500 and i dunno if its money well spent.

i reckon beside the lack of physical manual control on the GS500(can be accessed in the menu), its CCD is still better than the GS400? if so, i guess picture quality to costs ratio for the GS500 is better than the DVC30?

cheers

Hi Ong

Yes at the moment the Gs400 is my main camera and i like it very much and one of the reasons is that it shoot real 16:9 (anamorphic) and so does the 500 and the picture are REALLY good.

The gs500 has the same CCD as the 400, the main difference is that the 400 is a mooe "manual camera"

If I was in the same situation as you are I would not buy the DVC30 one of the reason would be that it does not shoot 16:9 anamorphic, it has fake 16:9 and as I said the picture is perfect with the Gs400/500 and you can get it for half the cost of the DVC30

I will buy my first HDV cam this summer but I will keep my gs400

Cheers

Hans

Ps You can´t go wrong with the GS serie DS.

Hi Ong!

IMHO DVC30 is a much more solid choice than the GS500. You get a lot more PRACTICAL manual control with the DVC30 than the GS500. It is also better in low light.

The GS400 is also a lot more functional than the GS500. It has a lot of the important controls physically accessible on the body, whereas the GS500 has most of them inside the menu. Most importantly, THERE IS NO HEADPHONES JACK on GS500. How are you going to monitor you sound??? This alone made the GS500 a no-no for me.

DVC30 is labelled by Panasonic a "broadcast quality" camera. GS500 will also do the trick image wise (as will GS400), but it will be much more time-consuming to control it real-time. IMHO the GS400 was the BEST budget choice only to be surpassed by the HC1 (and not in all areas...). At the moment, there is nothing like those two in the market (at that price range).

It all goes down to what you are planning to shoot of' course but if you have the budget, you may wish to consider the DVC30. Otherwise, I would try to find a used GS400 in good condition (for a hands-on review of GS400, you may wish to look at http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...804#post551804 ).

Oh! And on the microphone question, I use the "Tiny-Mike". It is really small and I am very happy with it but it is more expensive than the Rode Videomic...

Thanasis

P.S. On the matter of 16:9 vs 4:3, keep in mind that the DVX100 was also a 4:3 camera. This did not stop people from doing filmouts with the camera and love it! But of' course, it is always better to shoot native 16:9, if you have to deliver at 16:9.

Alternative XLR adapter for DVC30
 

I was curious to know whether there are any DVC30 owners who have had success using an XLR adapter other than Panny's proprietary AG-MYA30G? I am looking for a less-costly alternative to the AG-MYA30G to provide +48V phantom power to an AT825 mic.

The Beachtek DXA-4P looks like it might do the trick and as there is currently a used DXA-4P being offered in the this board's Classifieds section I'd like to jump on it. But I was hoping to first hear from someone who has successfully used this adapter with their DVC30.

Many thanks for any input~

Mike

The problem I see with using anything other than the Pany unit is you lose a true balanced mic/line input to the camera. All the 3rd party XLR adapters have to use the mini-stereo input which is not balanced and to me would add to the probablity of having audio problems, plus I don't know if the voltage and current supplied through this connection would be enough for a true phantom power mic.

I personally would encourage you to pop for the Panasonic unit.

Jeff

Only the Beacktek DXA-6 and DXA-6vu supply phantom power, and they use 9 volt batteries. I would definitely get the Panasonic XLR adapter. It has it's own mic clamp, and draws phantom power from the camera's battery.

Rode VideoMic
 

I asked this question before but never got a clear answer.

I want to run a shotgun mic on my DVC30, and I'm looking at the Rode VideoMic.
It says it uses a mini AV jack for the audio output to the camera. So does this mean I do not need the Panasonic XLR adapter to run this mic?

No, you don't need xlr for it.

Another question:

On the Rode VideoMic, when I want to check my levels, how is this done? Will my audio 'bars' on the viewfinder reflect the microphone recording even though it is not the stock one?

Yes they will.