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MillimeterPanasonic AG-DVC10
Jun 1, 2001 12:00 PM, BY STEVE MULLEN
DVCPRO25, the lowest bit-rate format in Panasonic's DVCPRO family, offers image and audio quality identical to that of consumer DV. Panasonic has promoted DVCPRO25 over DV as a format better suited to professional work. (Sony, of course, has done the same with DVCAM.) Despite both companies' attempts to induce video professionals to adopt a proprietary format, pros worldwide have proven that the non-proprietary DV format offers the features necessary for successful video (and even film) production.
In response to the rapidly growing adoption of DV among professionals, JVC has released DV with “locked audio” and Sony has released several camcorders that are switchable between DV and DVCAM. Now Panasonic has initiated a DV Proline series that includes the AG-DVC10 camcorder and AG-DV1000 deck. (I'll review the deck next month.)
Until the announcement of the AG-DVC10, Panasonic's DV strategy had been similar to that of most other manufacturers. With the exception of JVC's GY-DV500 and Canon's XL1, all DV camcorders have been built into packages that were developed for Hi8 and S-VHS-C camcorders. Thus, the smallest DV camcorders took the form of popular “passport” camcorders, while DV handhelds were packaged as “palmcorders.”
DV professionals therefore had to work with highly advanced digital electronics packed into ’90s-vintage consumer camcorders. Worse, camcorders sold by “professional” sales divisions have usually been only rebadged consumer units. Given this state of affairs, I have been lobbying hard for a miniDV camcorder that would have five primary characteristics.
First, it must be compact and lightweight. Every time I pick up a DV, DVCAM, or DVCPRO camcorder that weighs more than 12lbs. I immediately think, “Good grief, an HD camcorder would weigh only a few pounds more.” With today's digital circuitry, smaller CCD chips, lightweight tape transports, LCD viewfinders, and very long-lasting lithium-ion batteries, it's hard to justify carrying anything heavier than a 10lb. camcorder.
Second, the camcorder must not be a handheld unit. No matter how good an electronic or optical stabilization system, a handheld camera remains subject to too many negative influences. These negatives become painfully obvious when DV is converted to 35mm film and/or when shooting widescreen. Handhelds also do not look professional — a matter important to many.
Third, it must be able to shoot wide. The inherent qualities of DV make it ideal for shooting in intimate situations. Thus the most important lens criterion is neither interchangeability nor a zoom-range greater than 10X — it is the ability to shoot at least equivalent to 35mm without adding a converter.
Fourth, its CCDs must perform well in very low illumination without generating image noise — and in high-contrast situations without highlights being bleached out or vertically smeared. This requires state-of-the-art CCD technology at a high enough pixel count to support over-sampling (to enhance MTF) as well as to capture very fine detail. The count must be even higher if an advanced digital stabilization system is implemented. (Advanced systems do not cause image degradation.)
Last, it must follow a rather strict set of ergonomics that includes standardized control placement, control type, and control operation.
Given my desire for an ideal DV camcorder, you can imagine I was very interested when I learned of Panasonic's AG-DVC10. Here, at last, is a miniDV camcorder that weighs less than 5lbs., rests on one's shoulder, features a side-rather than rear-mounted viewfinder, and conveniently groups all the operating controls at the front of the camera.
The AG-DVC10 camcorder measures 8⅞"×16
Three other DVC10 features merit mentioning. First, with the exception of the IEEE-1394 port at the lower rear of the camcorder, the DVC10's back is flat and perfect for mounting a wireless mic receiver. (Note: Using the IEEE-1394 port, I had no problem controlling the DVC10 from either a Sony VAIO laptop or a Matrox RT2000.) Second, shoe mounts fit both an external mic and a fill lamp. Third, it has a mechanically engaged 1/8X ND filter.
The AG-DVC10 has a 12X zoom lens (f=4.0-48mm) that offers a distinctly non-wide f=50mm equivalent at full “wide.” (A wide-angle converter is available.) The lens has an excellent variable-speed control rocker, plus a rubberized, manual focus ring. A push-button to select manual or auto-focus is conveniently on the camera's front, near the lens.
I found I relied either on the DVC10's very fast and accurate, center-weighted auto-focus or on a multistep manual process. Panasonic cleverly designed the variable-speed zoom control to allow a very fast zoom when the camera is in record pause.
To achieve accurate focus, pause recording, engage auto-focus, zoom in fully and center the subject in the viewfinder, disengage the auto-focus, and zoom out to compose the shot. Next, adjust exposure and allow zebra pattern only on highlights you don't mind going fully white. Now start shooting.
Three 1/4in. 270,000-pixel IT CCDs employing “pixel-offset” technology offer a sensitivity of 1400lux at f/9.6. Maximum sensitivity in “gain-up” mode, which sets the frame rate to 15fps, is 5lux. When shooting under less-than-bright illumination, the recorded image had — especially on object edges — slight luminance noise. While color reproduction was good, it didn't equal that of Panasonic's AG-EZ1.
Additional problems surfaced in strongly backlit situations where green internal lens reflections, as well as green lines on horizontal edges, were generated. Areas without detail, particularly if blue, were overlaid with a pattern of thin vertical lines. I suspect the vertical lines are from the CCD itself because when I digitally zoomed into a blue-sky scene, the lines and the spaces between them grew wider. Hopefully this was a defect in the sample I tested.
Above the lens is an omni-directional, stereo mic that I would use only for emergencies. Both 12bit and 16bit recording are supported. The DVC10 offers LP recording, which Panasonic states can be used with an 83-minute miniDV tape when two-hour recording is needed.
Below the viewfinder, the three-way Mode Selector allows Auto, Manual, or AE Lock modes. Auto mode provides automatic exposure and white balance. Manual mode enables setting the shutter speed, exposure, and white balance. The AE Lock holds the current exposure. Two push-buttons are below the Mode Selector. The front-most button (just around the case corner from the focus button) is the most immediately accessible button while shooting. Though that spot should have been assigned the task of setting white balance, it's home to the menu-enable button.
The more distant button cycles through indoor/fluorescent/outdoor, and manually set white balance. Manual white balance is easily achieved because Panasonic has smartly supplied a translucent, white lens cap. (Although not noted in the documentation, a black balance actually precedes a manual white balance.) I was able to set white balance very accurately, and the viewfinder provides a good indication of hue.
In Manual mode, the Shutter/Exposure dial is active. Pushing the dial once enables setting the shutter speed from 1/60 to 1/8,000 of a second. Pushing the Shutter/Exposure dial again enables exposure control with f/stop settings from f/16 to f/1.7. Below f/1.7, gain is increased in steps of 3dB to +12dB. To disable the dial, press and hold it for several seconds.
Because DVC10 has an ND filter, shutter speeds higher than 1/60 or 1/100 of a second will rarely, if ever, be needed for exposure control. Thus there was no reason for Panasonic to design the shutter-speed adjustment as part of the exposure control system. Were shutter speed set via a menu, engaging and disengaging manual exposure would have required only a single tap on the dial. Thankfully, once engaged, smooth iris control is possible, making Panasonic's design far superior to Sony's often-used design that places the exposure control under your nose.
The AG-DVC10 offers a 0.5in., color LCD viewfinder with an eye coupler. Unfortunately, I could not extend the viewfinder far enough to get my right eye directly centered on the tiny LCD screen. Also, the viewfinder could not be rotated directly upward. The viewfinder offers a brightness adjustment but no saturation adjustment. (The too-low-resolution viewfinder image was slightly too saturated.) In 16:9 mode, the image widens appropriately. Despite menu settings for LCD brightness and saturation, the DVC10 is not equipped with an LCD panel. With even the cheapest consumer camcorders offing a foldout LCD, this is a truly strange omission.
Under menu control, you can select one of five AE programs: Sports, Portrait, Low Light, Surf and Snow, and Spotlight. I found the last mode, when used outdoors, biased the exposure down enough to prevent — while employing auto-exposure — all but the very brightest highlights from going white.
Other menu-selected functions include: video gain (0dB, +3dB, +6dB, +9dB, and +12dB); digital zoom (don't bother); EIS, which digitally zooms the picture slightly and thus degrades the image; frame mode (to record noninterlaced images at the loss of temporal resolution); wind filter; and mic sensitivity (Auto, +6dB, +3dB, 0dB, -10dB, and -20dB). I tested the automatic audio-level mode and was happy to discover it was only a limiter. In non-auto mode, audio overload was signaled by a red indicator in the viewfinder. All critical settings except audio levels are displayed in the viewfinder.
The supplied CGR-D220 lithium-ion battery supports a maximum recording time of 85 minutes. However, Panasonic also offers five- and nine-hour batteries. The D220 can be fully charged in only 80 minutes in the tiny 1/2lb. 100-240VAC charger.
Were Panasonic to enhance the AG-DVC10, it would have an even more competitive DV camcorder. A higher-quality lens that offers a true wide-angle perspective should replace the current DVC10 lens. A 3in. foldout LCD, plus the inclusion of the MC10P mic, would provide currently missing features. Because such an enhanced model would necessarily cost hundreds of dollars more, the DVC10's silver plastic case should be made a more professional dark gray. These changes, coupled with a reorganized control system, would complete the enhancement. (Editor's note: At NAB Panasonic announced the AG-DVC15, which will have a 3in. pop-out LCD screen. The DVC15, priced at approximately $3,500, also provides two XLR connectors and audio level adjustment and indicators.)
Viewed from the perspective of its dozens of positive features and its very low anticipated street price of less than $2,000, according to Panasonic, the AG-DVC10 is an ideal DV camcorder for those shooters who exercise even a modicum of control over lighting. I found I could get great video simply by avoiding adding any video gain, using the exposure control to keep zebra at a minimum, and moving the camera slightly if green artifacts appeared when shooting backlit scenes.
As with most cameras, by understanding how to use the DVC10 properly, a video professional can achieve good results.
Contributing editor Steve Mullen is owner of Digital Video Consulting, a company that conducts seminars on digital video technology. Mullen can be reached at d-v-c@mindspring.com. His website is www.mindspring.com/~d-v-c.
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QUICK FACTS
Company: Panasonic Los Angeles; 323-436-3500
Product: AG-DVC10 camcorder
Features: Very lightweight, but sits on shoulder; three 1/4in. 270,000-pixel CCDs; 12X zoom lens (f=4.0-48mm)
Price: $2,595 MSRP; expected street price less than $2,000
Website:
www.panasonic.com
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