Panny's DVC30 and Infrared Screen Grabs/Videos

B

Brett Erskine

Member
I'm interested in checking out the picture quality of the infrared mode on the Panasonic DVC30 camera. For the users that have one please post a full frame frame grab or very short video. Unfortunately no one seems to stock it and I don't want to blindly buy the camera without seeing it in action.

Also a few questions:
1)When using the infrared mode are any of the following shutter speeds selectable? 1/60th, 1/30th, 1/48th, 1/24th?

2)I'm trying to AVOID that odd look you get in peoples eyes when using a infrared light. Correct me if I'm wrong but if the scene is lit with a infrared light thats set up at a angle from the subject and camera then I wont see this problem. I would love to hear from someone that has had first experience.

Basically I want to know if the camera can produce a black and white video that could pass for normal standard def video that has been turned b/w. Thanks!
 
I would also be interested in checking out the ag-dvc30s' cinelike features...I've heard nothing but good things about this little babe.
Anyone has any footage to share?
 
I just got one. Give me a day or two and I'll put something online.

I'm really impressed with the lens and the film look. Not 24p (30p, but a "fake 30p") but it still looks great! The film gamma look is very nice.
 
I shot these on the way home last night - sorry, they're not the best examples. I'll try to post some more. I also have some footage but no place to host.

Scene Setting: User 1 (default)
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Scene Setting: Movie
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Scene Setting: Movie
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wow the dvc 30 has some vertical flaring..... Its not bad, i mean my Sony trv70 has these Solid white stripes that go up and down the screen top to bottom.... but still. wonder if thats from the lens or the CCD?
 
Thanks! Sorry I didnt check my PMs. In not in the habit of getting them on this forum. Anyways anything you can show me would be great. To better explain myself I'm trying to shoot in extreme low light situations but don't like the look of on camera lighting nor the effect it has on people when they know they are being filmed by guy with a bright light in their face so I was hoping that this camera was the solution. Its a run and gun situation so set lighting isnt a option. The only way to do this is to have a camera that works in extreme low lux situations even at 1/60th or 1/48th of a second with little or no noticeable gain. I'm talking under 1 lux here. Anyways the b/w infrared image on this camera is said to be great but no one has ever posted a example of it on the internet nor has anyone been able to answer if it can operate at 1/60th or 1/48th shutter speeds when in infrared mode. Hell I would prefer to shoot in color if I could but I'm trying to keep the budget for such a limited application under 2500 for the camera. From what I've read this looks like the camera to use...but wheres the proof?

So DVC30 owners tell us - or better yet SHOW us whats up. Thanks.
 
x2mag68 said:
wow the dvc 30 has some vertical flaring..... Its not bad, i mean my Sony trv70 has these Solid white stripes that go up and down the screen top to bottom.... but still. wonder if thats from the lens or the CCD?
Click to expand...

I'll try some more night grabs and check on that vertical flaring. I was on my way home yesterday from a long trip and I just happen to have the Panny sitting in the passenger's seat. The camera was in manual but I couldn't adjust any settings and drive at the same time.

Brett,
These grabs were in total darkness about 2 feet from each subject - using only the camera's LEDs - 0 dB gain. I tried to adjust the shutterspeed in the infrared mode but I could only adjust the gain. Maybe someone else would know if this is possible. Sorry again - these are probably not the best examples (newb quality). The shadow is from the lens hood (I guess it needs to be removed when the IRS is on):
SNS%20Grab%2001%20copy.jpg


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Thanks for posting pics...again! You've been very helpful. I noticed some strange green banding going on. No problem - just stripe it out in post. The contrast is pretty terrible though. I wonder if someone used the optional hot shoe mountable IR light if it would give the footage a better contrast range.

Still wondering if its shooting at a "normal video frame rate" in IR mode though(60i @ aprox. 1/60th). I dont need the exact numbers. Just need to know if the motion blur and frame rate look like normal video footage and not some low frame rate mode.

From what I've seen as of right now I would say I could pull out a better looking picture with a DVX100 in about a 1 lux situation thru carfeful gama and CC in post. Never the less this is a infrared camera so it can operate in TOTAL DARKNESS. Thats something that the DVX100 can't do. Unfortunately the quality seems to be just too low to be considered a professionally create image.

Anyone else want to through their two cents in or offer up some more examples?
 
That footage looks very good. I wonder in 60i or 30p how different this camera would be from the DVX. Their tech specs are pretty close (DVC30 has 1/4" CCD's) same lenses and whatnot.

I am actually thinking about getting one of these to use in conjunction with my DVX for certain projects.

More clips would be helpfull though.

EDIT: Before the DVX people pounce on me, I am meaning ONLY in 60i/30p DVX mode vs the same with the DVC30. I realize the no 24 modes are very valuable, and the Cinegamma extras are important too. I only mean base settings in those modes.
 
Here's the full-length test video I shot. I'm finally getting the hang of this H.264 stuff.

http://homepage.mac.com/loncaric/iMovieTheater14.html

More zoo footage. I wish I had a tripod with me that day. The shot of the eagles is zoomed all the way in handheld, so you can see how the IS works. It's also zoomed directly in from the previous shot with the eagle sign in the foreground, so you can see the zoom range. Also, the room that the second goat was shot in was very dark so you can see what low light looks like. It was gained up to 18dB if I remember correctly.
 
Good looking video. Are you tweaking it at all in Vegas of After Effects, or is that straight as the camera shot it.

This thread should have been moved to the screen grabs section, so more people could see it too.
 
No tweaking at all. In fact, that's all auto white balance. Everything was edited in Final Cut Pro with no processing.
 
Well hell, I wanna see some tweaked footage man! :beer:

Looks great all the same, and that's simply out of the camera. Wow.
 
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