IN REVIEW: Panasonic AG-DVX100B

WHAT - The Panasonic AG-DVX100B camcorder

WHO - For the web video producer and/or event and corporate videographer

WHY - Don't get me wrong...the pseudo-ridiculousness of reviewing a camcorder that DOES NOT shoot HD and is over 4 years old is not lost on me. That being said, this camera is still selling, and people are still using it. For me, it is my primary camcorder, and I thought it would be nice to point out the continuing usefulness of this camera for a lot of the work I do.

I know what you're thinking..."gee, and you're trying to make money shooting standard definition in 2010? Good luck!"

HOW - ...as in, "how" am I using this camera today? Well, the real truth is that a lot of people do not actually want high def...the camera manufacturers and HD fan boys ignore this segment, as if they are not relevant customers anymore. In some cases - such as video on the web, or legal deposition videos - high definition is overkill. In fact, my primary destination format is web video, so this camera is a good match for my company (and my clients) in many ways. I still make money off this camera frequently.

Most importantly, it's probably the best progressive scan SD camcorder you can get, in terms of image quality. In fact, I'd argue it's the best SD camera you can get for progressive OR interlaced, under $5,000. I've viewed footage shot on this camera on a high def LCD screen, and it still looks really gorgeous. Most clients would not even know the difference between my images from the DVX100B and images from a similarly priced HD camcorder (of course, many consumers in general can't tell the difference between HD and SD in the first place...this proven by any number of informal polls or studies).

Aside from the images it produces, the DVX100B is just a very easy camera to use. The controls you need are present and easy to access, and only the very high end image tweaking controls are buried in a menu. Even those settings, however, are heavily customizable and can be programmed as a preset into one of the 6 available dial selections on the back of the camera.

The zoom control is also fully mechanical, just like on a high end camera lens. Panasonic was the first (and possibly only) company to include this in their sub-$5,000 camcorders. This functionality also carries over into their low end professional HD camcorders (the HMC150, the HVX200 and the HPX170). If you don't know the difference between mechanical and servo, you'll just have to try it to know the difference. It's huge.

One of my favorite features of this camera isn't really even the beautiful progressive images, it's the little port at the back of the camera that lets you plug in a zoom/iris/focus/record controller. All the major manufacturers offer similar controls, but only Panasonic allows iris control from this remote port. It's also available on the HD cousins listed above, and they all use the same controls (making later upgrades relevant to your existing accessories). None of the other camera makers allow this on their sub $10,000 camcorders. Again, it's a feature you have to use to appreciate, especially if you're using a Steadicam, camera crane or even a tall tripod in an event run-n-gun situation. Beautiful zooms with focus and iris control without having to touch the camera (and possibly shake the camera, messing up your shots). I should mention that the controller I use is the Varizoom VZ Rock PZFI...they have a different one with a different zoom controller, but the side-to-side rocker is much easier to use and gives you more control over the zoom speed.

Another useful item to mention is the VERY large LCD flip out screen. It's 3.5", which is large compared to just about every other camcorder in this class - HD or SD. The viewfinder is excellent, too, and both displays can be customized to run simultaneously, and you can even select the viewfinder to be black and white (very useful for judging overall exposure). Larger LCD screens make it easier to frame your shot, assess focus and view from a distance. I should also note that this same LCD screen (albeit slightly better resolution) is still in use on the HD cousins...the 4:3 aspect of the LCD allows those newer HD cameras to display the timecode, zoom/focus info and other details in the "letterbox" areas of the LCD above and below the image, making it easier to have your details visible without cluttering the image you are shooting.

Widescreen modes...this camera has them. I didn't delve into the 24p and 24pA modes of this camera much because they're pretty well explained by Panasonic and other places, but suffice it to say that shooting 24p gives your video a more "filmic" look. Likewise, most films are shot in a widescreen format. This camera allows you to shoot in two widescreen modes, but the most useful of the two for me is the squeeze mode. I will point out that some tests indicate a slight loss of resolution when shooting in squeeze mode for widescreen, but I have found than in real-world usage there is no visible difference on a moving image. The other mode (letterbox) still leaves you with a 4:3 image, just with black bars on top and bottom. Squeeze mode gives you a pixel aspect ratio that delivers the resulting 16:9 widescreen image.

This camera shoots to tape, continuing the list of things many people might point out that makes this camera obsolete. However, it's important to consider a few things related to tape-based shooting...

• Tape is a hard copy. It doesn't crash or corrupt like an SD card or a hard drive.
• Tape records full frames, not a GOP series like MPEG-based formats...this is important both for image integrity as well as ease of editing.
• Tape is a cheap, storable media...I keep my tapes stored in a fire/water-proof safe. SD cards and hard drives, on the other hand, are more expensive to store "as-is," but it's not a huge problem either.

Tape DOES, however, have its own issues (takes longer to capture than just transferring from a digital card or drive, subject to elements such as moisture, UV rays, etc.). But for now, it's very easy and works fine for most situations I find myself in.

Final items:

• WHEN - I bought mine in late 2006, and I use it for everything from corporate events, non-profits, sports, weddings, commercials...everything.
  
• WHERE - I'd recommend buying new from B&H. For used, you can still buy from B&H if you want total peace of mind, but there are other options as well. Many people sell on eBay, and there are good deals to be found and a certain amount of peace of mind (though not a whole lot). I've also had good luck using the buyer/seller marketplace at DVXUser.com (yes, a website dedicated to the DVX and similar camcorders, technologies, related equipment.....almost everything). Just be sure to only buy from people who have a presence on the boards, not folks who've only posted once or twice or who only show up on the boards to sell stuff (they're probably scammers). That's where you'll get the best deal. The MSRP is $2,995 right now, but street price is closer to $2,400 (and was down to $2,100 at one point).
  

And let's not forget one of the most important parts of this whole discussion...the price. You can get one of these new for just over $2K, and used for a few hundred dollars less. It's a real bargain, and any current or previous DVX user will tell you the same.

So to finalize, I just wanted to do a write up on this still useful camcorder since so many people still use it, even though the fanfare and praise of the industry at large has moved on to the high definition upgrades. I promise you this, though...if this camera was no longer relevant, and no one was buying it, Panasonic would probably have ceased producing so many of them - which they have yet to do.

I will be doing a review on my HD camera - the AG-HMC150 - in the near future. As mentioned above in this post, the HMC150 is the new HD generation version of the DVX100B.

Hiatus OVER

Alright, well, after almost 3 years, I've decided to try this again. It's not that I have much more to say than I did before, but I have a little more experience at least, and so HOPEFULLY something will come of all that in terms of this blog.

The first thing I thought I might do is create a run down list (or more likely, a handful of blogs) about some of the equipment I use, some of the strengths, weaknesses and probably a few additional links. Hopefully some of you will find this information helpful.

I know for me, at least, it can be a little confusing when you step into a new area - whether it be a particular service, or a style of production, or a new type of client, or in this case a new piece of equipment. Now, the Internet is chock full of product reviews, but these are often folks using demo models from the manufacturer and generally just scratching the surface. In some cases, the equipment being reviewed doesn't even leave these folks' studios.

So what I hope to do is NOT provide an unbiased review (in fact, I promise to be completely biased, and completely honest, since it will be strictly my unpaid opinion). Rather, I intend to give useful real world insight into WHY I bought something, WHAT kinds of problems I was hoping to solve, WHERE I purchased from (and where I didn't purchase from) and WHO I consulted before purchasing (blogs, magazines, forums, etc.).

Oh, hrm...looks like I left out WHEN, didn't I? Well....I guess it might be relevant to point out how long I've used something, and what kinds of projects I've used it on. Of course, as you'll probably see, I have some equipment that I thought I would use (even thought that I absolutely NEEDED) that turned out to be an unnecessary purchase.

So here we go again...let's see if I can make something out of this.