DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

M

Mark_Austin

New member
I finally got to shoot my DVX100a today and I thought I'd post some frame grabs & a depth of field test.



These were grabbed from tape shot in 24p advanced mode, CINE D, captured in FCP 4(.1.1) and pulled down at 2:3:3:2.

I haven't done any kind of correction on the images, it's all native footage.

Needless to say I'm quite impressed by the VERY film like DOF. If you set it up like a film shot, you can get great results. In fact I think I just saved myself from spending $8000 on a MINI35!
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

very impressive!
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

coo...another person from texas. yea, those grabs are nice. i like the stained glass image.
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

Wow, that video, although simple, looks very professional. The regular Dvx100 cant do this?

I ask because I have neither, I was planning on purchasing a Dvx100 while sites still have them and they are much cheaper now, but is it worth getting the 100a?

I am a student and dont have much money but I was planning on taking out a loan from a bank and getting a DVX100 with some gear.... The regular 100 goes for about 2,900 right now? whats the 100a.. something like 3,600 right... I mean is it worth the extra cash?
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

does the improved optics the Dvx100a allow shallower DOF? over the dvx100?
:D
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

I waited for the DVX100a because I'd read there were several major improvements in both the color rendition and optical performance of the camera. For those of you on the fence, the DVX100a is $200 more than the DVX100. It's probably the most bang for a $200 upgrade that I can think of. I was lucky enough to chat with the Panasonic rep last month, and he managed to get me one of the first 100a's in the area. It was air freighted from Japan to my local dealer! Although I didn't get a super weasle deal I still only paid $3500 for the camera, and I figure if I wait for the price to drop, I'll loose more than that much in lost income.

As far as DOF is concerned there is a little trick to that shot: I zoomed almost all the way out, which is going to compress the image field a little anyway, and set the ND filter up to 1/8th so I could open the aperture up a little more. The larger the aperture the shallower the depth of field. It only seems to work if your subject is fairly close to the lens, if you were trying to pull a long shot it would be much less noticeable. I don't know if you can do that with the 100 but I suspect that it's possible to get somethng similar.

I was blown away by the color rendition. The stained glass window had sunlight coming through it, and I had set my white balance for the interior of the church. It would be MUCH richer looking if I had set my WB for daylight!

my2cents
Mark
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

Please post more exterior shots, these interior shots were not very impressive. We all know about the additional latitude this new model's suppose to have, a lowly lit church doesn't really test this. And... shouldn't the DOF in the A be identical to the DVX100?
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

Don't dismay if you own a 100. It can do the same thing. It is all about how you control the light. If you use the same settings on the 100 as were described in this thread you will get results very similar if not indistinguishable from one camera to the other.
But the improvements on the 100a are worth a $200 if you can afford it, especially if you want to take adavantage of the 16x9 feature.
You can read a complete review of the camera at http://www.dv.com/reviews/reviews_i...okupId=/xml/review/wilt1203&_requestid=625377
You may have to register at dv.com in order to enter the site.
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

[quote author=booggerg link=board=Clips;num=1074062499;start=0#7 date=01/14/04 at 07:09:07]Please post more exterior shots, these interior shots were not very impressive. We all know about the additional latitude this new model's suppose to have, a lowly lit church doesn't really test this. And... shouldn't the DOF in the A be identical to the DVX100?[/quote]

Thanks for the feedback, I'm going to try to shoot some exterior stuff today, and I'll try to post it later on. My regular shoot was delayed (Yea!) so I have a free day.

Mark

p.s. There were some shots that were pretty tough in the church because of the bright light in the windows.
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

The church is in a little town in Texas named East Bernard, the total population in the actual town is probably about 2500. The church is an older Catholic church that is just about the most prominent building in town.

I had been there for an event six years ago, and thought it might be a good location for some scenes for a short I have been working on. I only had a vague memory of it from a while ago, it was at night, and the place was full of people.

I could hardly believe my eyes when I walked in there yesterday, I was way more beautiful than I'd remembered, and much larger too. Because it was night the first time I was there I didn't even see the windows. The other 15+ stained glass windows are all as spectacular as this one.
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

Mark, thanks for posting the DOF test. Great images. Thank you for taking the time to post. What are your impressions of shooting in 16:9 "squeezed" mode - if that's what it is? Are you looking at a squished image in the viewfinder? I would like to see an mpeg test shot in 16:9 fully wide, and then showing a zoom in onto a central object in the distance. Love that 16:9 look.
Thanks again.
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

I've been playing with the squeeze mode quite a bit lately. Yes you see the squeeze in the viewfinder, but you get used to it and just frame for it. I'll try to post some clips online soon...
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

It's not 16:9. The image is a result of the non square pixel syndrome. I just dumped it on the Cinema Tools compressor to make the MP4 without setting it up properly. I'll correct it in the next shots and I'll post some squeezed shots too.


Regards,
Mark
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

The DOF test you did looked amazing!

Is the quality in the DOF very different with the camera you used to film it (ie the DVX100A) and the original DVX100?

Would you be able to get that sort of shot you did using the original DVX100?

Because I read that the DOF opticals were improvied on the upgraded model but in a large amount?
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

I think that the DVX100 should be able to do exactly the same thing. It's all how you set up your shot. set your shutter speed to 1/24, set the ND filter to 1/8 (of whatever you can get away with) open up the lens, zoom in close, and you should be able to do the same thing.

It's been raining here for the last couple of days so I have not been able to shoot any outdoor stuff, but I'll get to it soon.

Mark
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

There's nothing about the DOF on the 100A that's any different than on the 100 (or on any 1/3" CCD camera, at the same focal length and aperture).
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

If you speed up the shutter speed (thus reducing the amount of light) will this not give you an increased DOF?
 
Re: DVX100AP, screen grabs and DOF test

shutter speed does not increase DOF, but increasing your shutter speed allows you to use your widest aperature without use of external nd filters, effectively allowing you to have a properly exposed image with shallower DOF (due to the wider aperature). However, high shutter speeds give a certain stylized look, so I would not reccomend changing shutter speeds in parts of a project that are meant to cut together.
 
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