HVX to DVX

S

steev'sHVX

Well-known member
Hey guys its been a longggg time. its good to be back. shooting a pilot the next few days transitioning to the dvx200 from an hvx200 and 5dmk2 for the first time. from what i researched online it seems they made it more friendly to the dslr style user? anyways I'm used to some barry scene files,iris, multiple frame rates, etc. locations will be dark warm candle lit speakeasy and florescent cool distillery. interview style with some b roll. will have external lighting but want to keep the ambiances. no external recorder. will be 8 bit 4k 24p. any advice transitioning to this new camera that i should be aware of would be awesome, recommended scene files, all those goodies! been doing a lot of homework thinking a good option is v log, if i follow barrys instructions on ire etc. we have an excellent editor especially when it comes to color. never used this camera before will have a few hours of testing and dialing before shoot but any tips and information to get me quickly acquainted would be greatly appreciated.

sincerely, steve
 
Use Vlog L and be sure to wb correctly. Scene files mean nothing when using log. Make sure you're using the latest FW. Use "natural" colorimetry. I'd try to stay ISO 500 or lower, and at 28mil at f/2.8 or maybe a little more narrow if you want more sharpness. Be sure NR control is somewhere between -3 and -7 to avoid ghosting. You can always remove noise in the NLE. The camera is big, but it's also lightweight. Using OIS whilst handheld makes the footage look like it came from a bigger full size ENG rig. Having said that, dvx200 likes being on sticks. The camera likes light. You might have candles being exposed but they shouldnt light the scene. It's the wrong camera for no-light work. Turn off the fluorescent practicals unless you can gel them or the flicker doesnt bother you. 5600 and 3200 K looks great when used opposite each other. Picking one as the wb key enhances the other, but for skintones in this situation, id pick 3200.
 
Nicklas said:
Hi Jason, would you please translate that for me? DVX200 book does not have that abbreviation :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's a new one. NR Control is Noise Reduction Control. V3.01E of the DVX200 Book covers firmware 1.81, so it's in there...bottom of page 15. But, for convenience, I'll tell you that you need fw updated to 1.81 and then you'll find it in the Menu located on the last page of Scene File, right below the V-log L toggle. The fw readme even recommends a setting between 0 and -2.

Here's v3.01E of the handbook: https://eww.pass.panasonic.co.jp/pro-av/support/content/guide/EN/AG-DVX200_handbook_e.pdf

Now for a short story about my experience with dvx200's nr. Before 1.81, nr would be present even in vlog, which is a huge no no for me who wants complete manual control and intends to grade and do nr to the image later. The onboard auto nr was creating a disgusting ghosting affect so Panasonic listened to us and gave us the ability to control the onboard nr in values ranging from -7 to +7. -7 being effectively turning it off, which is usually what I use. Basically I can remove noise in software later, but i cant remove the ghosting. I do this on films where i have budget for post. For straight video work i put nr control at -3. That provides a bit of nr but the ghosting is not visible to me. If i gain up past iso 800 too much i might want to do some nr later. Again, only if theres budget for it.

This is the ghosting prior to 1.81:

IMG_0730.JPG

Disgusting. Can't get rid of THAT with nr. NR Control gives us power to remove that. It adds back the noise, but you can use the NLE's NR or a plugin to reduce the noise if you had to do it. Depends on the project.
 
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hey JRJ thank you that should be a sticky for beginners. figured out most of those issues during our test shoot. so happy we noticed the ghosting before we got on location. the hardest part seems to balance aperture with iso to achieve a wider DOF without to much noise. well 2nd shoot today wish me luck. thanks guys ill be keeping up on this thread throughout the shoot. anymore tips from the dvx community would be awesome. so far loving the camera deff. similar to my hvx which was a relief.

sincerely, steve
 
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