Panasonic ag-dvx100

[Richard Brown]

The PD150 can work perfectly as a deck, and is fully controllable by 
Final Cut Pro. I would not recommend using any camera as a deck, 
however, if you can afford to invest in a proper studio deck. DVCAM 
will play back on regular MiniDV equipment (I've only tested Sony Mini 
DV cams on this.)

Sony and JVC make a variety of pro level, half-width decks which offer 
great utility, and the robustness needed for an editing scenario. The 
thing to know is your expected source footage when purchasing a deck, 
and this refers, basically, to the Canon XL1... ONLY the JVC decks are 
going to allow you to keep your sanity with XL1 footage. Sony is Sony 
and clings to rote video standards. All things Sony will play on all 
things Sony. When cameras throw an oddity into the mix (like XL1's) you 
need a company that is trying to be all things to all people. That is 
JVC, where the decks are forgiving in the extreme as to source media.

There is no fundamental difference in DVCAM, as it is the same video 
signal, essentially, as MiniDV, with the exception that the faster tape 
speed enables the DVCAM format, which maintains sync and also minimizes 
all other potential problems associated with transporting the tape more 
slowly. Where MiniDV might glitch, DVCAM likely will not. That is the 
difference between a professional format and its expectations and with 
all things amateur. The huge gray area is that all things amateur are 
getting so professional...

Thus, you must keep in mind, in MiniDV OR DVCAM shooting, that you are 
essentially trying to do broadcast level video - but even so, you may 
often be using tapes NOT up to broadcast standards. DVCAM additionally 
separates itself in having professional grade tapes in professional 
grade cases which make a difference in professional level conditions. 
Although you are using a digital format, these little tapes are 
FRAGILE. Entrusting important footage to a amateur tape in a 
non-protective case can be asking for trouble, even if your experience 
to date has proven otherwise.

The pro tapes for DVCAM will also work on MiniDV cameras, as far as the 
mini tape sizes go. A 40 minute DVCAM tape is a 60 minute tape for 
MiniDV.  When the tapes get larger, like the 184 minute sizes in DVCAM, 
the cassette size is much larger.  A big difference in the pro tapes is 
the quality of the cases. Larger. Protective, and with room to write 
meaningful information to keep a production organized. All this 
streamlines workflow.

Richard Brown




On Tuesday, July 22, 2003, at 04:23 AM, Steve Robertson wrote:

>
> On Tuesday, July 22, 2003, at 01:36  AM, Richard Brown wrote:
>>
>> The PD150 records in DVCAM format, which is a broadcast format, 
>> unlike MiniDV. It is in sync all the time. Like Beta SP or Digi Beta, 
>> etc.
>> This is not to say the PD150 cannot shoot in Mini DV, it can, but why?
>
> What effect does this have on the capturing and editing process? Can 
> FCP capture DVCAM footage directly from the PD150 via firewire? How 
> about FCE? Can either of these programs mix footage- some shot using 
> DVCAM and some shot using the more common DV format of the MiniDV 
> camcorders?
>
> Thanks,
> Steve R.
>
>
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