DVX100 or Canon GL2 for sports?

MiamiHurricaner

MiamiHurricaner

Active member
Hey everyone. I work for a football program and we've got a budget of $1500. I will be shooting football from the sidelines and a lot of off the field stuff for the upcoming highlight DVD in the fall. Considering outdoors, stadium lighting, and shooting from the sidelines...

Which camera do you guys think I should go with, and why?
DVX100 first generation.... or Canon GL2?

Help me decide which one to buy!! Thanks!
 
My school has a bunch of GL2s that they use to film the football games with and I've had some experience with them as well. I thought the GL2s were awesome...till i bought a DVX. The progressive scan on the Canons really are not that good so if you wanted some nice 30P sports footage I'd go with the DVX. Also the picture is alot sharper and clearer on the DVX but the canon has a 20X lens compared to the 10X. If you're on the sidelines it might not matter so much but it's nice to have more optical zoom. Between the 2 I'd have to say go with the DVX100 (of course) but you said your budget is only $1500. I think you may have to spend a little more than that if you wanted a 1st gen DVX.
 
I'd go with a DVC30. That you can probably pick up used for under $1,500. It's got 16x zoom so more of a reach then the 100b, easy to use and it's 60i is darn near as good as the DVX100b. There'd be plenty of light in a stadium so the smaller ccd's wouldn't be an issue.


The DVC30 is a flat out great value especial for someone just starting out or not needing 24p.


DDP
 
The GL has great auto features (audio, exposure, focus, etc.) and the 20x zoom, which may come in handy in fast paced sporting events.

The DVX has superb picture quality, 24P, and is just a better, well made camera.

Figure out the most important features you think you'll need, and that'll narrow down your search.

The 20x zoom would be the determining factor for me... especially for football game's, and as much as I hate to say it (because I personally don't care for the GL2), that 20x may make me lean toward the canon.

-brown

EDIT: DDP just beat me to it, and has a great point. I didn't know the DVC30 had the 16x, but that sounds like a great choice.
 
I've shot football with a DVC30 and a DVX, the 16x lens on the DVC30 is the only thing I miss. And for a little more than what it cost's to buy a Century Optics 1.6x extender for the DVX, you can get a used DVC30 on Ebay.

It should also be noted that the DVC30 is no longer on the Panasonic website.
 
Not to mention also the lighter weight of the DVC30 becomes a selling point too after an evening of doing hand-held shots......

I'm sure they discontinued it due to the price drop for the 100b but I think the DVC30 and it's near identical shoulder mount DVC60 are great entry level buys.

DDP
 
Well it does have a "film look" mode but it doesn't do 24p. The term "film look" has been discussed tirelessly here and on other forums. The DVC30 will never look like it was shot on film, and neither will the 100b, gl2,HVX200 etc... in my opinion.
The DVC30 film mode makes it look different then straight video (I believe it shoots 30p with some scene file changes), but no one will mistake it for a mondo expensive 35 mm.
I would assume if you're shooting for a sports highlight reel you'd want to shoot in 60i anyway, but maybe you have other plans for the footage.

As for price, new they were running around $1,700 when they were in production. I'm sure you could find them in your budget for used if you search around.

DDP
 
That was really helpful, thank you. The quality looks good.

I guess I am just not familiar with the DVC... when I researched cameras I got so set on DVX because everyone raved, so my heart is so set on the DVX and I know nothing about this DVC, but now learning...

So, briefly, what is the difference between DVC30 and DVX100?
 
The main difference is that there is no 24P mode, it only shoots in 60i or 30f. Also it has 1/4" CCD's where the DVX has 1/3" CCD's, 16x lens compared to the DVX's 10x, and no XLR connection unless you buy the breakout box for it, which I would highly reccomend as the onboard mic isn't very good.
Another thing to note is that the 4th scene file on the DVC30 uses the same cine gamma_D curve as the DVX so they can be closely matched if you wanted to intercut with DVX footage shot in 30P or 60i.

Here's a good review, that compares the DVC with the DVX:
http://www.dv.com/reviews/reviews_item.php?articleId=48800242
 
So I purchased a DVC30 and it will be here in a few weeks after our company Purchase Order goes thru. It is brand new. We did not yet purchase an onboard mic, so where can I buy one of those and how much does it cost? Also, any other advice when I first get my DVC?
 
Don't confuse the "Frame" mode on the DVC30 with Canon's 30F. It's not the same thing. But appearance-wise, the Frame mode is nicely comparable to the DVX's 30p. Not as film-like as 24p, but still pleasing to the eye.

An "onboard microphone" is one which is permanently attached to the camera, and the DVC30 has a stereo onboard microphone.

As for which one to buy, it depends on your needs. If you're looking to do sports, you probably want a shotgun microphone. The DVC30 doesn't have XLR inputs, so you'll either want to get an XLR adapter and use a professional shotgun (like, say the Audio Technica AT897 or the 4000 series), or you'll have to find a mic with a miniplug. I'd ask in the audio section for more detailed recommendations.
 
The "mimic" 30fps mode on the DVC30 looses resolution, so shooting 60i 4:3 is your best bet. I had the DVC30 and its a great camcorder. Between the scene files you really can tweak the picture and with 16X optical its nice. It definitely came in handy for me. Click on my link, both videos that I have on youtube were shot with the DVC30. I throw some frame grabs up here to help out if you need. For the price and portablilty the DVC30 is a wonderful camcorder.

My Video DVC30 Samples

If you want to see the original 320X240 QT version of Surfing/Bodyboarding in NJ that isn't recompressed by youtube.com you can download it below. Its a 70MB file.

Original Surfing/Bodyboarding Video
 
Here are two frame grabs pulled from FCE with no color correction. The first one was deinterlaced the second wasnt.

RobFrame.jpg


RobFrame2.jpg
 
MiamiHurricaner said:
So I purchased a DVC30 and it will be here in a few weeks after our company Purchase Order goes thru. It is brand new. We did not yet purchase an onboard mic, so where can I buy one of those and how much does it cost? Also, any other advice when I first get my DVC?
Click to expand...

Great choice!

A Rode VideoMic has an mini plug and supplies it's own phontom power from a 9 volt battery. $150 at B and H. Stepping up to a better mic (like a rode NTG-1) with xlr connections means getting the xlr adapter for the DVC30 and that starts to add up if your on a budget.

Get a larger battery, the stock dvc30 battery isn't the greatest, especially when suppling phanton power to the xlr adapter.


Video mic:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/363083-REG/Rode_VM_VideoMic_Camera_Mounted.html

NTG-1
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/367746-REG/Rode_NTG1_NTG_1_Shotgun_Microphone.html

XLR adapter:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/316100-REG/Panasonic_AGMYA30G_AG_MYA30G_XLR_Microphone.html


Larger battery:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...D54SE1B_CGR_D54_Lithium_Ion_Battery_Pack.html


A decent case is also a must and I agree with 3CCD that for sports, 60i 4:3 is your best bet.


DDP
 
3CCD said:
The "mimic" 30fps mode on the DVC30 looses resolution, so shooting 60i 4:3 is your best bet. I had the DVC30 and its a great camcorder.
Click to expand...

It's your best bet if you want the look of 60i. If you want the look of 30p, the DVC30 does OK.

No, it doesn't have the same resolution of the DVX's 30p, but at SD resolution, the resolution loss in the "Frame" mode isn't THAT noticeable to the average viewer, because it's all pretty low-resolution to begin with.

If you want a progressive look, it's not a bad way to go.
 
At825

At825

As a DVC30 owner I've had superb results using the Audio Technica AT825 stereo mic with this camera--and this is using only the AA battery option. I can only imagine how much better this mic would be with the Panny XLR phantom box, but for the time being I'm quite satisfied with the sound I'm getting using a dual xlr female to stereo 1/8" male plug adapter which can be had from Sound Professionals for $25.

Just my $.02 ymmv
 
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