Differences between the DVX100 and the DVX100a

K

kufloyd

Member
Hi,

I just joined this group today. There seems to be such an amazing wealth of info out here that I'm taking my time to sift through it all.

I do have an introductory newbie question though - I could be working with a DP who has the DVX100. I would like to know what the differences are between that and the DVX100A - any major reasons that would make me really want to think twice about going with the DVX100? (as opposed to the DVX100A...)

Thanks
K.
 
The most major differences is the 2 new cinegamma settings,Vertical detail level,gain in progressive,
improved color reproduction,slow shutter,squeeze mode,slower zoom and smooth cam-driven zoom,peak fuction for focus.
Download both manuals to full compare the two models.
 
There really aren't any major reasons I can think of that would make you not want to mix dvx100 and dvx100a footage. Pretty much just make sure that you try to balance both cameras as much as possible as far as exposure, white balance, etc. The biggest thing to watch out for mainly, is just matching everything. So if your gonna be shooting in 24p on both cameras, set both cameras to cine like gamma, instead of cine like D or V on the 100a. And if your really not sure about your decision, then get your hands on both cameras and do tests yourself to see if for some reason you would not want to use both.
 
Thanks for the advice guys...

Macintosh - sorry, I didn't make myself clearer. I'm not attempting to mix footage from the two cameras. I will be shooting exclusively in one of the cameras. What I am concerned about is the features that are present in the A model but not in the DVX100.

Pedestal pointed out 2 new cinegamma settings and vertical detail level as a couple of major changes. I just read that the A model has an 'enriched' matrix setting that the dvx100 doesn't.

I know it would depend on what I'm specifically looking for, but how important are these changes? (i.e can they be fixed with good CC?). The DP I have in mind owns a dvx100, but if I decide I want to go with the dvx100a, then I'll have to shell out an additional $1000 to rent out a dvx100a from a rental place. I'm trying to figure out if it is worth the extra money, or if it's something that can be taken care of in post...
 
Well with the 100a you get cine like D, cine like V and black press. Cine like D is to givethe apperance of more of a dynamic range. But for the camera to do that, it uses gain. So you get a little more noise when working with cine like D. Cine like V is for a more contrasty picture. The benefit to both of these Cine like modes are that they provide knee protection, whereas cine like does not. B press effects mostly the midtones.

In a situation like this, I'd personally just stay with the dvx100 and keep the $1000, or put it to something else like lights or sound stuff. But thats just me and I think the best option for you would be to find a dvx100a and play with the different settings, and see if they really make a big difference to you with what you want to shoot. There are a lot of people who still own an original dvx100 and are more than happy with it, and don't have a need to "upgrade" to the 100a or 100b.
 
I saw a post in the past that mentioned problems with the 100 and FCP - something about pull down removal? Are there any differnces between the two w/ FCP?
 
H.I. said:
I saw a post in the past that mentioned problems with the 100 and FCP - something about pull down removal? Are there any differnces between the two w/ FCP?
Click to expand...

There have been people, myself included who have had problems with when capturing their 24pa footage, FCP lists the footage as 29.97 when it should be 23.98. As far as I know, there is nothing between all three models of the dvx that either make that problem occur, or stop it completely. Usually you can fix it by just re-capturing the clip (s)
 
I'm also not sure about the squeeze mode for 16:9 aspect ratio that's not present in the 100. How much of a factor is this?
 
Well if you need 16:9 footage, you can get the anamorphic adapter for the 100, but thats around $700, and people have said it can be a hassle while shooting. On the other side you could digitally re-size/stretch the image in your NLE or using other programs. As far as the quality you get out of that, people have compared it to the same quality as using squeeze mode. And of course if your looking for a widescreen look, you could just shot letterbox mode, or crop in post. On another note, if your shooting with squeeze mode on the 100a, the image won't be displayed properly in the LCD or viewfinder, it'll be tall and skinny.
 
I fully believe the talent of the DP should be your deciding factor. The DVX100 rocked the world and some really beautiful films were made with it. But that did not happen without talent. So if the DP you are considering, who has the DVX100, has talent, he can make up a for a lot of the changes that were made.

Talent behind the camera, talent in front of the camera will take you a long way.

Hope this helps,

Jan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top