PANASONIC AG-DVX100 Professional MiniDV Camcorder

by Panasonic

Product Details

Product Manual [1.26mb PDF]

• ASIN: B000075AEV
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,618 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 13, 2002

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Panasonic created the AG-DVX100 with a single goal in mind: To provide the ultimate handheld recording tool for video professionals. A well balanced, lightweight DV camera, the AG-DVX100 represents the crystallization of decades of advanced Panasonic video technology. It responds to today's professional broadcasting needs with a wide-angle lens and high sensitivity. It delivers the finest image quality in its class. Its manual-oriented controls are designed to satisfy professionals. And with features like the 24p/30p Cinema mode and IEEE 1394 interface, the AG-DVX100 is ready for the next generation of visual production. The AG-DVX100 packs all this performance and versatility into a conveniently small, perfectly balanced body that weighs only 4 lb (1.8 kg) in full operating condition. With the AG-DVX100, Panasonic proudly presents a video camera that excels in every aspect of news gathering, wedding, live event coverage, video production, and filmmaking. It's the ultimate handheld camera for professionals.

New 410,000-Pixel, 3CCD Image System
Panasonic designed the AG-DVX100 to deliver the highest sensitivity and picture quality in its class. At its heart is a 3CCD RGB system comprising three 1/3-inch, 410,000-pixel progressive CCDs developed especially for broadcast and professional applications. The new on-chip lens design achieves high F11 sensitivity, allowing the AG-DVX100 to record in light as dim as below three lux, for example, in nighttime news gathering. Picture quality is outstanding, with a high S/N ratio that means less noise in darker parts of the image and low smear that allows shooting in sunlight or under bright spotlights.

World's First 24p Mode and Cine-Like Gamma Handheld Camera for Filmmakers
The AG-DVX100 is the world's first handheld camera designed with cinema specifications. With its superb, film-like picture quality, the AG-DVX100 stands as a revolutionary development for independent filmmakers and anyone who produces short movies or streaming video for online distribution. The AG-DVX100 gives you a choice of three shooting modes. Select 24p (24 fps, progressive) for images with a movie film-like look and motion, 30p (30 fps, progressive), or standard 60i (60 fps, interlace). Images captured in 24p mode can be 2:3 pulldown-converted (24p Mode) or 2:3:3:2 pulldown-converted (24p Advance Mode) and recorded onto tape in the standard 60i TV format. They can also be played back using an ordinary DV VTR and TV monitor and edited with a DV system.

Fast, Smooth, Cam-Driven Manual Zoom
The AG-DVX100 is the first DV handheld camera to be equipped with the cam-driven manual zoom ring found on most professional cameras with interchangeable lenses. The AG-DVX100's pin configuration and tactile sensitivity replicate the familiar look and feel of a professional lens. Its lens provides quick, nimble zooming with a multi-speed servo-driven zoom plus three speed handle zoom. Select the zoom method that best suits the task at hand.

Manual/Auto Focus
Enjoy fast, sharp focusing either manually or automatically. In manual mode, the focus ring provides the same responsive control as conventional professional cameras with interchangeable lenses. In auto mode you get the kind of sharp, instant focusing needed in news gathering or when shooting at a high or low angle. When set to the infinity position, the focal distance is immediately prepared for the next manual focus. Pressing the Push Auto button while in manual mode temporarily activates auto focus.

Large Viewfinder and LCD Monitor
The large-diameter viewfinder tilts upward a full 100°. You can move the viewfinder away from your eye and still see it clearly, making it easy to adopt a comfortable shooting stance with unobstructed forward vision. The 3.5-inch color LCD shows your subject in sharp, vivid detail and greatly simplifies menu settings. It rotates a full 270° for shooting at a wide variety of angles and easy self-recording.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great camera with few draw-backs, December 29, 2003

By 

James Longley "documentary filmmaker" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PANASONIC AG-DVX100 Professional MiniDV Camcorder (Electronics)

I have been using this camera since January 2003 to shoot documentary material in Iraq. I have to say, it really is a good camera. For the price, it is even amazing. Even in the hotest weather in August -- which gets up to 125 degrees F -- the camera continued to function normally. I had to gaffer tape the cassette door closed to prevent dust and smoke from clogging the works, which the owner's manual says you shouldn't do because it causes over-heating, but the camera survived even that. Sometimes in extremely dusty situations you will notice noise on the recorded material, but it clears up quickly due to the self-cleaning heads feature.

In terms of picture quality, the thing that really sets it apart from other DV cameras is the 24 fps progressive scan aspect. This means that your video frames wind up looking like photographs or cinema frames because there is no interlaced "comb" pattern on moving objects. The 24p format alone is enough reason to choose this camera over others, I think. The last documentary I shot was with a Sony DSR-500 camera, which cost about $13,000. I think the DVX-100 images hold up well by comparison. The Sony, though recording interlaced images, had better image processing to extend the dynamic range, which I miss, but I guess that's what the extra $10,000 buys you...

That and the ability to shoot anamorphic images, which the Panasonic DVX-100 will only do with an add-on anamorphic converter that, I think, costs about $700 and might prevent you from super-close focusing. Without the converter, the lens on the DVX-100 can focus right up to the glass when it's zoomed wide. However, the smallest area you can focus on is about 4-5 inches across, which makes it a little difficult to do super close-up work. Not a big draw-back.

Now, after about 160 hours of fairly intense recording in the dust and heat of Iraq, the camera has developed a problem with the flip-out LCD display. Everything else continues to work fine, and I can still film using the eye-piece viewfinder (not as sharp as the LCD). I will probably buy a new DVX-100 and use the one I have now as back-up.

If you want to edit 24p material from this camera, the best (and as far as I'm concerned, only) option is Final Cut Pro 4 on a Macintosh computer. This is working well for me in the field using a 17" Apple G4 Powerbook and 500GB Lacie external Firewire800 hard drives, which you can "daisy-chain" together. No hardware / software problems at all so far.

A couple things wrong with the camera design: The sound level dials are positioned on the bottom edge of the camera where they have a tendency to get turned by accident. Solution: tape them down with a piece of gaffer tape on the lower half of the dials that you can peel back to adjust levels. Otherwise, audio recording with this camera is great -- the same quality as the Sony DSR-500 camera when using an external XLR mic, though lacking an "auto levels" setting. Other things on the wish list would be some kind of sun-shade for the flip-out LCD -- it is really hard to see the images in bright sunlight, and correct exposure is diffcult to judge.

In the future, I hope that there will be a HDV version of this camera that records 24p HD with better dynamic range + an integrated upgrade to Final Cut Pro for editing HDV firewire output. Also, I would like to see this same camera made with a slightly more durable design -- even if it cost a bit more. It's absolutely a great buy and a great camera, but for extreme conditions encountered in many film shoots it would be nice to have a truly professional, less plastic model (with a sharper eye-piece viewfinder).

But almost no serious complaints -- an amazing camera.
That said, I should mention that Panasonic has just come out with a newer model of this camera, the DVX-100A, that addresses some of my concerns listed here. Costs about $4,000.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Pro Level Camera, But Not Perfect!, April 16, 2003

By 

Roy Chan (Long Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PANASONIC AG-DVX100 Professional MiniDV Camcorder (Electronics)

Pros: Real 24P at an affordable price for serious videographers; produces filmic look; professional controls; phantom power and two-channel audio control.

Cons: High-contrast artifacting; noisy zoom and autofocus mechanisms; lack of gain adjustment and autofocus in progressive mode; only 10X optical zoom.

Summary: I just got the camera two weeks ago. It is my baby. I have already shot a short film and it looks darn near close to film. There are so many tricks this camera has it is insane. I love it way better than the XL1 or the Xl1s' frame movie mode. This is the ultimate DV camera. It's pixelation is 410,000, the Xl1s only has 210,000. You do the math.

What I didn't like was after using this camera and trying to edit the finished material I found that there were flash frames on edit points. The problem comes from the camera converting 24fps to 60 field which is what your data is when its put to a non linear to edit. Whats wrong with this camera is its trying to ride the 24p/1080 excitement that Sony's created with the HDCam product. This is not at all the same although some advertising is eluding to it.

But other than that, it is a must try!!!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stop your shopping here --- this is THE BEST camera!!!, October 27, 2003

By 

Muhammad Miguel Ali Hasan "Film Director & Po... (Sunset Beach, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PANASONIC AG-DVX100 Professional MiniDV Camcorder (Electronics)

How do you say "amazing"?

Panasonic says it by producing the DVX-100

I'm a filmmaker myself, currently filming my second indie feature on this camera ------ lemme tell you what I love about it -

1. the 24 fps is for real! No gimmicks at all! Make sure to edit with Final Cut Pro 4 to get the most out of the 24 fps capabilities

2. AMAZING PICTURE --- the picture on this thing blows away all other cameras within its price range, and even a lot of those above it!

3. Great professional controls --- manuel aperture, audio, etc --- and all easy to control!

4. The simple stuff --- nice flip out LCD, big buttons, good lense, etc

However, there is no anamorphic..... so I recommend purchasing Panasonic's 16:9 convertor for full capabilities!

In conclusion though ---- you won't find a camera with better controls and better picture quality --- its easy to use, and looks AWESOME over any TV, or luck pending, movie screen!

Buy it --- you will not REGRET it at all!