New here and to the DVX world.

L

Lifespring

New member
Well after months of research, and talking with the experts, I have finally purchased a 100b. I am coming from using a GL2, and very happy with my decision to move forward.

I am new to this camera, and its controls, and wanted to see what was the best way for me to learn. Books, tutorials, etc. The camera comes in the mail tomorrow, so right now I really don't have any operation questions, but I do have some others.

The purpose of the camera and some background:
I am in charge of video production at my church, so this camera will serve as a sunday morning service camera, as well as putting together promo DVD's, Videos shown during our services, and commercials on TV. I run a Macbook pro as well as a 3.06gHz 24" iMac, both equipped with FCP.

Audio:
I am researching what kind of external mic I should buy for the camera. The mic would be used for interviews both inside and out. Many people have told me to get a shotgun mic, some have told me to just buy a condenser and mic stand. Any input on what you have used and what is useful? Do I need a powered mic for the XLR or does the camera do all the work? I have probably a $200 budget for this mic, so I am by no means looking for professional.

Battery:
I have no idea what kind of battery I should buy for the camera. I have seen some that are around $80 and some that are $200. I need a cheap backup battery that will have a fairly good battery life.

Thats all I got for now, but I am sure there will be more questions down the road. Thanks in advance!
 
Welcome....ur in a goodplace :) first off get the dvxbook by Barry Green it will tell u all u need to know about the dvx. U can invest in the rode location package which is avaliable on dvcreators.com this includes a rode ntg2 shotgun mic, short and long xlr cable, a boom pole, a shock mount and fuzzy winshield,for a little over ur budget. That is a very good deal. Get that and u can get someone to hold the boom for u or boom interviews from a mic stand. U'll want to get the sound dvd available from this site also. The dvx book and sound dvd are in the dvxshop section of the site. For battery u'll want a long life battery....I don't think the dvxuser batteries are online as yet so u'll have to look somewhere else. I have a high capacity one from speccom(google specializedcommunication).... u can look into that I think the name is scpan6000 or sumthing like that I can't remember.

Anyway enjoy the camera.

Edit:Also if u buy from dvcreators.com mention that u are a dvxuser member and u should get a discount. They are sponsors of the site. Sorry I can't give u the direct links....I'm on my fone.
 
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I would look into the lenmar series batteries... About $60 for a 10 hour battery off evsonline.com or bhphotovideo.com

Ya the NTG-2 is probably the same as mine: the Audio Technica AT897. My mic was $270 but on B&H they mark stuff down significantly and usually throw in extras so look for audio packages that have a boom pole, shock mount, mic, cable, dead cat...

I think that shotguns would be the best for your application because generally in church situations, you will be in the back. The DVX generates phantom power if necessary so you could save money on a mic that doesn't take batteries. This mic here: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/238826-REG/Azden_SGM_1X_SGM_1X_Shotgun_Mic.html

is pretty good. I have used it before and it is much cheaper. Also, shotgun mics ARE condensers, just classified as field audio versus short range condensers which are sometimes used for video depending on the situation, but your scenario would need longer range.

Also, a couple of very cheap accessories that I have will save you money and you may find useful...

At Best Buy, there is a brand called Sima and they make consumer video gear at a professional grade. I git a cool video bracket which was $15 and it goues from the tripod socket up the right side of the camera and has 2 hot shoe holders. I also got a good LED light from them for $40.

You should also look at a decent tripod. If you will be filming church services, then you will want a good, sturdy fluid head tripod. I have the Davis And Sanford ProVista Tripod with the FM18 head. The whole package, along with a set of dolly wheels costs $180, a very good deal from B&H.
 
Got the camera yesterday! I absolutely love it. Filmed a little footage today, but not too much. How can I get the best picture possible with this camera?
 
Lifespring said:
Got the camera yesterday! I absolutely love it. Filmed a little footage today, but not too much. How can I get the best picture possible with this camera?
Click to expand...

You need to set up custom scene files... On the back there is a dial with six F stops (not to be confused with iris F-Stops) but each one of the scene file F Stops can be customized to different settings. The DVX book and the DVX DVD explain what settings can be changed and what each one does. To save one, go the Menu>Scene File and then you can change everything then on the last two selections, you can re-name it and then save it. To go back to the original factory setting, go to Save>Int.
 
I second the motion to pick up barry greens book, it will teach you everything you need to know technically speaking, about the dvx. And you may not be there yet. But there is no huge difference in quality between squeeze, letterbox and 4x3 when the final output is for a 16x9 hd television. If you are shooting widescreen for normal 4x3 tv's then shoot squeeze.

If you post in the marketplace looking for a dvx book, you will probably get one at a good price.

But again, welcome to the boards. And any question you have has been or can be answered. Well almost anything...Even the meaning of life... Which is, the number 42 naturally.

Oh and when I first got on the boards, I never searched anything, but now they have a new and improved search utility that is great. Try it out, because most questions, especially dvx questions, have been asked numerous times, by people like me who never searched for anything...

Congrats on the new cam...Just pray it doesn't develop the infamous clicking noise, then your in trouble.
 
The original charger should work fine. I have several non-Panasonic batteries and never had a problem with the charger.
 
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