sorry, some more questions... DVX100A/PD170

Re: sorry, some more questions... DVX100A/PD170

Hi All,

Thanks a lot Sir Allen and everybody for all your advice and answers!

It was a great help!

I have pretty much decided on the DVX100A, the researches on prices showed sadly how much cheaper the camera in the US...

I guess that's not an option for me as they will be all NTSC and I am using Pal. Or does anyone know of a way around that or places that sell PAL?

Also I found one place in the US, that offered shipping to the EU, and the DVX100a for £1925 or $3493.88 or €2887.79.

But I am not sure how much that would be on top then, and you guys seem to have a bankholiday...

The cheapest place I found in the UK sells it for £2799 or $5080 or 4198.92 €

A place in Germany sells it for £2654 or $4812.53 or €3975.
It's a little cheaper than the UK, because it's a collective order. So I might get one from Germany...


Reading so much about mics, I am thinking of an additional Sennheiser K-6 or ME-66 or ME-67 mic now, maybe a Century Optics 7x wideconversion lens, or a 5.6 Ah Battery for the Panasonic is there anyone who knows about the lowest prices for that in the UK or Germany? What is cheap in the US?

The anomorphic adapter is probably to expensive for my budget...

Cheers everyone for their time!

I will browse the forum more,

Raoul
 
Re: sorry, some more questions... DVX100A/PD170

I just thought i'd throw in my two cents. Usually by the time people get to the point where you are at, they have made up their minds, and just need, or want, someone to confirm their decision. Yes buy the DVX100a, great cams. And I also agree about the use of other words to describe certain models of cameras, namely C*n*n.
 
Re: sorry, some more questions... DVX100A/PD170

[quote author=SirAllen link=board=Links;num=1085595424;start=15#16 date=05/26/04 at 19:55:14]7) no. THe only advantage LANC would give you over Panasonics remote control is focus control. Panasonic's is a simpler (and cheaper) design, there's even threads here explaining how to make your own zoom/remote control.
[/quote]

Just a comment... I do miss the LANC port. It's great that the DVX system makes it so easy to build remotes (I've built several), but the lack of focus control is a big problem for jib operation, especially when there's no autofocus (well, on my P). Also, the LANC remote for my GL2 allows me a wider range of zoom speeds than the on-camera rockers do... I'd love more zoom speed control for the DVX....
 
Re: sorry, some more questions... DVX100A/PD170

just to be on the other side... The sony PD-150/170 is a hell of a camrea. the imagery is great, the color rendition kicks ass and I worked with them for a long time, producing a lot of quality video (not me, the director I worked for... ;) ). Yes, the Panasonic is better. It's actually amazing, and the sure best deal.

I once shot a two camera set on a big event over here with a XL1 and our old and beloved PD-100 (It was a free 2-cam setup). Since the hired operator of the XL1 was not very outstanding, the final edit had like 90% of the shots from my cam (and I was running cam 2 just for intercuts...). Did the XL1 have more sharpness? Indeed. Did it do it any good? Not quite...

Oh, I loved that old PD-100 with a messed up firewire port, broken sunshade and the wear of a WWII veteran. About sony: those things are meant to last. To some degree you cand drop it, shake it, throw it up on the air... (Ok, maybe not...) Ah, I loved that cam... But that is just me being nostalgic...
 
Re: sorry, some more questions... DVX100A/PD170

The PD150 is indeed an utterly superb camera. I have used it (and its lesser brother, the VX2000) many, many times. Not since getting a DVX though. I find the DVX to be every bit the camera the PD150 is, plus it shoots 24P and 30P, and features better audio, better image control, more adjustability, true manual zoom...

So no, anyone disparaging the Sony PD150/PD170 as being a "bad camera" would be way off base. It is an excellent tool. A superb video camera. It's just that the DVX is all that the PD150/PD170 is, plus a whole lot more...
 
Re: sorry, some more questions... DVX100A/PD170

[quote author=alpi69 link=board=Links;num=1085595424;start=0#11 date=05/26/04 at 14:24:12]the only drawback the DVX has is the lightsensitivity. even in 50i mode the DVX needs more light than the PD-150/170.
but we have betacms here that are about as "bad".
so if you run into many dark spots without any light get the sony. if you will have either light or can bring somne for your docus...then get the DVX[/quote]

I think people need to re-focus their priorities. I think instead of asking which has the lower light capability, I think we should ask which camera has the better picture in low-light. The PD's will produce an image in lower light, but it's a damned ugly picture. I would never go past 6dB of gain with the PD, because it was grainy as hell, the saturation was gone (pastel colors) and the blacks were no longer black, but dark grey. With the DVX100/A I have used 12dB of gain with less noise, full color saturation, and black blacks.

Bottom line: if the 100/A won't produce an image, you need a camera light! A small 50w light with a soft box is all you should ever need...
 
Re: sorry, some more questions... DVX100A/PD170

[quote author=ullanta link=board=Links;num=1085595424;start=15#23 date=05/28/04 at 14:28:41]

Just a comment... I do miss the LANC port. It's great that the DVX system makes it so easy to build remotes (I've built several), but the lack of focus control is a big problem for jib operation, especially when there's no autofocus (well, on my P).  Also, the LANC remote for my GL2 allows me a wider range of zoom speeds than the on-camera rockers do... I'd love more zoom speed control for the DVX....[/quote]

I'll provide counter point... Lan-C is a lame control protocol. The focus on those zoom controllers is so inaccurate it's like that "parallel parking scene in that old Woody Allen movie". Opps went too far... backup... ooops went too far... repeat results over and over again.

As a serious jib user, I find them useless. In most jib moves with smaller cameras we set the focus and don't change it during the move, since to get the full effect of the jib move, we avoid any zoom changes. On rare occassions where the move required a focus change, we tried auto-focus. The entire crew was slack-jawed after we reviewed the footage, as the 100 has one of the best AF modes we've ever seen and it isn't nervous or jack-rabbited like the Sonys.

As for zoom speeds, a Zoe controller on a 100A is the most accurate and controllable small camera combo we've ever seen... frankly it's too close to our big cameras and studio rigs...

then again, just my opinion...
 
Re: sorry, some more questions... DVX100A/PD170

[quote author=Barry_Green link=board=Links;num=1085595424;start=15#25 date=05/29/04 at 21:07:08]The PD150 is indeed an utterly superb camera.  I have used it (and its lesser brother, the VX2000) many, many times.  Not since getting a DVX though.  I find the DVX to be every bit the camera the PD150 is, plus it shoots 24P and 30P, and features better audio, better image control, more adjustability, true manual zoom...

So no, anyone disparaging the Sony PD150/PD170 as being a "bad camera" would be way off base.  It is an excellent tool.  A superb video camera.  It's just that the DVX is all that the PD150/PD170 is, plus a whole lot more...[/quote]

As an owner of both, I agree with Barry 100%.  Although, I do still use my Sony's too for multicamera shoots.

Andrew
Crystal Clear Media
 
Re: sorry, some more questions... DVX100A/PD170

[quote author=Mitch_Ives link=board=Links;num=1085595424;start=15#27 date=05/30/04 at 19:48:12]

I'll provide counter point... Lan-C is a lame control protocol. The focus on those zoom controllers is so inaccurate it's like that "parallel parking scene in that old Woody Allen movie". Opps went too far... backup... ooops went too far... repeat results over and over again.

As a serious jib user, I find them useless. In most jib moves with smaller cameras we set the focus and don't change it during the move, since to get the full effect of the jib move, we avoid any zoom changes. On rare occassions where the move required a focus change, we tried auto-focus. The entire crew was slack-jawed after we reviewed the footage, as the 100 has one of the best AF modes we've ever seen and it isn't nervous or jack-rabbited like the Sonys.

As for zoom speeds, a Zoe controller on a 100A is the most accurate and controllable small camera combo we've ever seen... frankly it's too close to our big cameras and studio rigs...

then again, just my opinion...[/quote]

Well, just for the record, I wasn't talking about changing focus during a move... even when focusing before the move I find the remote focus helpful...

However, I'm really writing to ask about the Zoe zoom controller, which intrigues me. Can you confirm that it does indeed provide "smooth stepless zooms" on the DVX, rather than "smooth stepless controls for selecting among the DVX's three fixed zoom speeds"? If so, anyone know how it's accomplished with the DVX's simple resistance-based remote protocol? Are they doing some king of funky PWM on the resistance?
 
Re: sorry, some more questions... DVX100A/PD170

Thought I'd add the fact that the sound on the DVX100 is a whole lot better than that of the Sonys. For me, that is very critical.
 
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