Panasonic DVX200 4K Camera -- FULL OVERVIEW with new footage (Op-Ed)
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2024
- First impressions of the Panasonic DVX200, 4K camera. I shot with this per-release camera in Japan along with cinematographers from around the world.
In the US, with tech guru,Trey Solberg, we cover this camera from lens to battery with likes and dislikes as well as lots of sample footage. Generally we refer to the tech specs but our gear videos are more focused on performance and usability. For detailed specs and documentation please visit the manufactures website. (Note: This is a per-release camera. Some tech specs are subject to chance upon release.) Spec Sheet: pro-av.panasoni...
Great to see the return of your Gear Videos Jonathan!
+Dragonreel Films Thanks Ken. I have to ramp it up before you take over
used the camera for an event shoot this weekend. didn't care at all for it. lots of cool features. but none of it mattered when the rubber met the road in a run and gun situation.
1. autofocus seemed to suffer from ADHD. even subtle motion in the subject sent the focus to searching.
NOTE: in post-shoot, online searching, i have found that there are autofocus settings i was unaware of. so this may or may not be as big a deal as it seemed in my situation.
2. it's heavy
3. aperture ramping is a downer
4. monitor placement is clumsy and not as "flexible" as it is on my hpx170. while manipulating the monitor for various shooting angles, i found myself actually supporting the left/fore weight of the camera by holding the monitor. i'm actually very afraid that this will break the monitor off at some point. in addition. i often shoot with my hpx170 in what i call "semi-stealth" mode. by flipping the screen and folding it back to the body. which leaves me facing the side of the camera rather than forward. that way people don't as readily see me aiming the camera at them.
5. like in nearly every modern laptop: SHINY FUCKING SCREEN!!!! the shiny screen makes it very, very hard to use outdoors without some kind of sunshade. this is going to make manipulating the screen even more crucial. which will in turn make my fear of breaking it off even more of an issue. the screen is pressure sensitive rather than capacitive, so i'm not sure why making it glossy was required. whatever the reason. glossy screens + outdoor use = not optimal.
6. minimum focus distance. HUGE DOWNER. yeah, you can switch into macro mode. but i'm not used to having to. i was trying to do a rack focus from a cocktail buffet to the person serving themselves. i couldn't get far enough away from the food, to get it in focus. minimum focus with my hpx170 is like a foot.
additional concerns:
- in doing some more research it seems that there is considerable propensity for moire in UHD and 4k modes.
- display / output lag.
i had plans to buy this camera this coming week. now. i have no plans to even use it again. : (
+Wayne Granzin YIKES ! That sucks ! I have my share of likes and dislikes with this camera but when I used the pre-release model I did not experience half the problems you ran into. Sorry you had such a poor experience with it. What camera are you considering now?
and THANK YOU for such a thorough field report - I wish it had been better news.
+Jonathan Lawrence: probably nothing. the bulk of my work is corporate / business and events for both.
my current workflow is a 5d3 for interviews. then my hpx170 for b-roll / run-and-gun. i was hoping this would be both a reasonable upgrade from the 170 AND get me close enough-in a shallowER depth of field conversation (as most of my clients ask for that)-to eliminate the 5d3.
if i shot a higher volume of more controlled situations. this camera would probably be a super choice. but for run and gun in a 1080 delivery workflow. it just doesn't hold a candle to my old, dusty, hpx170.
Wayne Granzin
I hear ya - I adore shooting my 5D3 with Leica glass - Still making money with it ... And thats the thing.. If it works dont change it.When I start losing work because dont have the gear for the job then it is time to move up or rent.
A good review, JL! It would be kinda nice if more cameras were livened up like this one (the red was sharp)
It's Just Bob - let’s do it !
Really great presentation - laid back, informative, and none of the fan boy mentality you seem to get so often.
Thanks - We are just happy to get to play with this stuff. :-D
I wanted this camera to work out having been a huge fan of the original dvx100 line and the hpx170. I was a Panasonic guy. Fat colors and they changed the game with the 24P look. Then people started getting snobby about the native 720p and then 4K became a buzz word. "Gotta have 4K, man" "Oh, you don't have 4K? I'll call Joe. He has 4K." It was starting to happen. So when the dvx200 was announced I pre-ordered it, confident that Panasonic was gonna nail. I could offer 4K and still run and gun. I just found it too cumbersome and fiddler. You can get a nice image but I never have a lot of time to monkey with it. Having had a Sony A7Sii for 4K prior to getting the dvx200 made it that much harder to fall in love with the 200. I had to sell it. Now, if Panasonic would move past a 4/3 sensor and jam a full size sensor in the AF100, they'd have something!
+Surf Collector I'm with you in many respects. Though I didn't find the DVX 200 cumbersome since I often work with large rigs. The nice thing about it is how lightweight it is compared to other cameras. As much as I adore full-frame sensors - I am kind of over the ultra shallow DoF especially for run'n'gun - Im not even rushing into 4k but if I were and I were picking a camera today at this moment Id lean toward the GH4 because I dont need to shoot in moonlight and I still love DSLR ---- I'll be testing the Ursa Mini soon too,
+Jonathan Lawrence I've been running and gunning with the Sony A7Sii for a while now and the advantage of the full sized sensor, for me personally, is the fact that it's so light sensitive you can shoot at a higher ISO which forces you to stop down, increasing your depth of field. Or if I want a shallow depth, I can shoot the iris wide open and use the ISO or ND to make stop. Try the A7Si or ii. Infinitely more flexible than the GH4. Superior image as well. I've used the GH4...
+surfcollector THANKS - That is one of the best benefits to using unthinkably high ISO is the ability to stop down - I'll try to get my hands on the A7S II . a friend who does photography, not video sold all his Canon gear and moved into the Sony AS7 world. He LOVED it at first but now He tells me he regrets it because they can't take the abuse in the field the the 5Dm3 took.... I don't abuse my gear but that gave me pause for thought.
You guys were just great; thank you for a thoughtful, insightful and entertaining video!
+Mark Fletcher Thank you - We really enjoy doing these and hope to do more. We appreciate the encouragement
You guys are great.... funny, engaging, and very informative.
Keep up the great work.
+JPhilip Majors Thank you kindly for the encouragement.
your showing us high quality samples, but this video is in 720??? why is that. how can i really see the quality from this video?
Great point. and very curious that it is 720. While I did not upload 4k - I did upload 1080 ( I never master in or upload 720 unless it was shot that way ) Sorry for the inconvenience, making it difficult to see the true quality for yourself. I don't think YT allows to replace a video file but now that you have pointed this out I need to look into it. Thank you.
First off thank you for this fantastic review! I've been waiting to see what the DVX200 can do. wow! I'm impressed! I watched the cine style scene you guys shot and it looks freakin awesome! I currently use the ac160 and sometimes my trusty old dvx100b But I cant wait to get my hands on this beauty.Thanks again!
+EL Carlos Diaz THANK YOU!!!! The DVX200 is a really nice camera and gets a great image. If you get one please post a link here to some of the things you shoot with it. I'd love to see it.
+Jonathan Lawrence will do!!! btw that was epic Japan footage! i was waiting for some flying samurai action and bad dubbed english dialog. But seriously folks. great footage. the way you edited it and the music you chose was telling a story there!
+EL Carlos Diaz Great - I look forward to seeing what you shoot.... Japan was a blast - I would LOVE to have done some cheesy cool Samurai action - Maybe next time. Thank again for your kind encouragement .
Hey guys
Very nice (and both instructive, informative and funny) review. More of that - Thx a lot!
I think this is my new camera. I have a Panasonic HMC151, wich I haven´t used a lot lately. instead I went down the DSLR-path and also the GH3, but I miss the HMC in many ways. I never really got used to all the lenschanging, external soundrecording, heavy rigs and changing ND-filters all the time. I like to be able to control everything onboard, and thats what was possible with the HMC - and now with this DVX200 - they are much alike actually - besides from imagequality, resoultion etc.
Cheers from Denmark
+Moxtell Productions Trey and I talk about what a pain it is to get our dslr rigs fully functioning. I think you might find this camera quite refreshing. -Please let us know your thoughts if you go with the dvx200. Thanks for the kind words.
+Jonathan Lawrence I sure will :-) My only concern right now is the noise issues that some is experiencing. Do uou have any comments about that? Cheers :-)
Well done fellas, thanks for the info. Question about batteries: Does it use the standard Panasonic batteries or is it something new? I'll be upgrading from the HMC150 and have batteries for days; I don't much feel like having to buy a ton more.
THANKS - I do know that at some point during my time in Japan one of the assistants gave me a battery that did not fit the camera. We looked at the one i had just taken out and it looked exactly the same. He was confused but was told the battery would not work. I can only guess that the battery he gave me was a standard Panasonic battery, and that there is some slight difference in the battery this camera uses. Sorry I cannot be more helpful. Perhaps an official Panasonic rep or user will have a better answer for you.
I very much enjoy non sponsored reviews. You guys tell it how it is :)
I come from the SLR fraternity and in 2014 purchased a GH4 strictly for filming in 4K. I am finding the SLR look and feel to be very limited. Interchangeable lenses for one thing. I cover a lot of construction related projects and the number one thing for me is the ability to have a wide angle. I was disappointed to learn that the DVX200 lens only goes down to 29.5mm.
I run the GH4 with a 14-28 mm (35 equivalent). Could you recommend another 4K camcorder that has a wider lens?
Thank you very much.
+Martin J.Galloway - I still love shooting DSLR. I have a full set of Leica primes that I use on a full frame sensor. But for some of the industrial stuff I do from time to time I prefer a variable lens. I must admit that 29.5 does not sound very wide but when I shot with the DVX200 in Japan as well as here in LA there were no situations where I wished I had a wider lens . But you know what you need for your work more than I do, for sure. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment!
Entertaining and informative. well covered. Thank you.
+Harry Frith Thanks for the encouragement. Glad you liked it. We had a blast doing it.
Panasonic first 4K point & shoot camera with the abandoned 4/3 sensor that was claimed by Toshiyuki Terada with Olympus 4/3 system is not dead. This is taken from left over 4/3 sensor that Olympus dropped the Olympus E-5 replacement.
The lens is not IS nor it it interchangeable. It's very slow at F4.5 over 125mm.
ATG suggests to get two Sony A7r II or Canon EOS-5Dsr or Nikon D810.
The best is to go with Sony so you can use all outdated lenses as well as EF and AI lenses with ATG Gold AF Adapters, much better than Metaboner.
+angelisone Thanks for you perspective on this.
What a fantastic review.
When mounting a .3X fisheye lens on this camera, i cannot get the picture in focus. What is the work around to fix this issue?
zooming out to wider end of the lens
Thanks guys! Currently I am in the market for just such a camera to replace my GH3 so I can run and gun. I know there are issues viewing footage via UA-cam but from what I have seen the images look soft/noisy to me. I would hate to drop over 4 grand and be disappointed. Are the images in fact on the soft side? If you are sponsored by Panasonic please divulge that so I can take your reply with a grain of salt. :-)
Cheers,
Greg
+Greg Allen - Thanks for commenting. Neither Trey nor myself are sponsored by panasonic. We are both long time independent video guys just trying our hand at gear reviews so our opinions are unbiased - We do try to remain positive about the products we talk about unless they are pure rubbish (which this camera is not) As you any softness you see is probably from the 1280 compression to youtube. The images we see on our end in full 4k are quite sharp. We mentioned that we saw some noise in log and at ISOs of 800 and higher, again - mostly in log. We think for the right style of use this is a really good run'n'gun camera. Hope that helps.
+Jonathan Lawrence Thanks for the reply! I am glad that from your end you are seeing quality video. That eases my worries a bit. :-) I am looking forward to using this camera for client shoots...
Cheers,
Greg
+Greg Allen If you can, rent one from a local dealer for a weekend and make sure it is right for you.
Hi Jonathan,
Thanks for the suggestion.
I was actually looking at that option last night. :)
Cheers,
Greg
Greg Allen Smart Man :-D Best to you. Let me know if you get the camera
hey guys great job! thanks for the review.
you mentioned a 6 frames delay on the output. measured at the HDMI? or the SDI? or both? i'm looking for a new camera. and like everybody searching for the "the everything in one"... for my live productions 6 frames on the SDI may be a deal breaker...
+BoguschMedia Thanks. Glad you liked the review. I will check with Trey on the SDI. He may have tested that on his own. The 6 frame delay for sure was in the HDMI out and a slight delay in the LCD - I wish I had more information on the SDI to give you. If I find out anything different from Trey I will let you know.
Good stuff, fellas!
Thank you Matt
So would you recommend this camera or is there something better in it's price range? We are thinking about purchasing this camera for our Video Production (we are an ad agency). We do mostly interviews, corporate video, casino shoots, universities, utilities, etc.
+dawhitecastle - Hi, It is very difficult to recommend anything for someone's specific need and workflow. Trey and I agree this camera is really good for the types of production you listed. If you are not already invested in thousands of dollars worth of lenses and are looking for an all in one solution then this is a great option. Consider renting one from your local rental house and see if you like it as much as we did. Please let me know what you decide.
I think we will probably go for this one. I also consulted with my college professor who got me into these panasonics with the DVX100B in 06 when i bought one. I love the form and function so it will definitely feel like home. i have a GH4 also, but I miss the camcorder functionality (having 3 dedicated rings, built in ND filter, all the manual buttons, XLR, etc.) so I may even trade in my GH4 towards one of these, or just add it to my GH4.
dawhitecastle That's GREAT - There is a kid on the job that I am on right now who has a GH4 - Very impressive image - I'd say hang onto it if you can. You are so right about how great it is to have everything you need in one camera without having to 'frankenstein' a workable rig - I love my 5Dm3 what what a pain somethin=mes. If you get the DVX200 I'd love to see what you create with it.
Hi ,I have a problem, and I would like you to help me.
When I'm shooting a music concert on this camera the focus runs out even when I'm shooting on manual.
What can I do?
Hey guys, awesome review. I would love to use this camera for the TV show that I shoot, but it looks like there isn't 4 channels of audio. Can you confirm? Currently using a Panasonic AG-HPX300, and use CH1 & CH2 for lav mics, and CH3 for the (oh crap/ ambient SOT) shotgun mic. Do you have a recommendation for a similar camera? It would probably have to shoot AVC-Intra to get the 4 channel audio. Thanks again!
+Ryan Erdmann Sory for missing this earlier - Trey is really the audio guy but I know that we only used two channels though I don't recall if it has more - You can check the spec - sheet here pro-av.panasonic.net/en/dvx4k/... I realize how important it is to get that 'OH CRAP SOT " :-P I will run your question by Trey when he returns.
I can't take you guys seriously when you can't even get yourselves in focus. The back of your chair however is nice and sharp. It's all in the details.
Hi guys, a quick question about the DVX200 lens.
in the past Panasonic released the HMC154 cam with X13 zoom and afterward the HMC160 with a much better zoom and overall lens.
How would you grade the DVX200 lens?, specific on the zoom field. I do a lot of conferences and the ability to shoot from a far is imported to me
+Artcore I may not be the best person to give advice on the zoom lens since I mostly shoot primes but to my needs and tastes I'd say The zoom lens on this camera is rock solid and very responsive to the touch - Some of the cinematographers I worked with on this camera were able to get impressive telephoto shots - I have shot in conference rooms and banquet halls before with other cameras and I think this would hold up well in that situation - but only you truly know your needs.
+Jonathan Lawrence thanks you for answering
I guess you are right, I will have to check it myself. Ill go and compare the 154 and the 200 as soon as it hits the local store.
I also mostly shoot prime but conferences needs another care...
+Artcore This would be a great camera for most live events like conferences, sports , reality shows.
Great video, thanks for the information!
Hey Jonathan, can you tell me this, with the lag, how will that effect us if we are putting footage live to screen
+Robert Eventshd If you have a video feed out to an external monitor and a client is listening to the audio on a headset then the picture and the sound will not be synced for the client in the live feed. IF you are just sending the image out as a reference for people to watch you should be fine. But if you are shooting fast action the lag (about six frames) might make it hard to follow the action or pull focus. I hear that Panasonic is trying to correct this before they release the camera
+Jonathan Lawrence - Is this just external monitoring? Not the built in little display?
Where did you purchase your Panasonic DVX200?
+Allure Dawn It was a pre-release demo model on loan from Panasonic.
Great review, subscribed!!
+Chris Chris THANKS! I just checked out your page and subscribed - Outstanding work.
+Jonathan Lawrence Thanks I just bought this + Atomos Ninja Flame 7" 4K HDMI + 2 of SanDisk Ultra II 960GB SATA III 2.5-Inch 7mm Height Solid State Drive (SSD) with Read Up To 550MB/s- SDSSDHII-960G-G25 Cat 7 Cable + E-SDS 196ft HDBaseT HDMI Extender over Single CAT5E/6/7 Cable with Bi-directional IR + Tiffen 72mm UV Protection Filter + Hdmi 4k 1 to 4 Splitter = lost of cash $$$ :( ") This is for a event + video village I am doing for sports
+Jonathan Lawrence Also looking for what glide I can use with this as for now all I can see is the body weight but not the total weight with lens, body, mic etc... Maybe you can tell us this :)
What cameras did you use to shoot your review?
We shot this with Sony X70
Great thanks for sharing!!
My pleasure
Nobody says/knows can this camera record UHD 50p simultaneously onto both slots :(
Please check the speck sheet in the show notes pro-av.panasonic.net/en/dvx4k/pdf/ag-dvx200_spec.pdf
I think the answer you want is listed under DUEL CODEC
No, I dont want dual codev, I want same codec, UHD 50P. It does not say it can be done, it only says it records simultneously. I need help from someone who has this camera.
I agree - Someone who owns the camera may have that info - Best to you.
Bought it. Sold it. Nice try Panasonic. Not real plasticy?? The fake carbon fiber and red back make it so amateur looking in your hands. And can we all stop jerking off about dynamic range? It seems like just a buzz word now. It doesn't matter to 90% of people that shoot. No one complained about dynamic range until the industry told us we should care. Spend time with this camera if you can before buying one.
+surfcollector Yeah - The plasticy feel was my initial reaction to it as well and the carbon fiber skin was a strange design choice, Trey and I mention these in our review. Also many of the DPs I worked with in Japan questioned the aesthetics of the red back. All that aside I found the camera to be functional as an ENG style camera - Several people I have met that bought this are quite happy with it. I hear your point about 'the industry or manufacturers forcing sales by hyping certain things. I remember the same argument when the pushed 16:9 in a 2:3 market , back when general audiences hated letterbox. Personally I am not huge on 4k because I dont want the expense of upgrading all me systems and storage...but DR is something that appeals to me greatly - And now that it is available in HD I am quite happy. Sorry this Camera didn't work out for you.
Isnt it AVCHD codec compressed?
+Eddy Chartrand According to the manual,
Video Recording Format:
Recording Format: MOV, MP4, AVCHD pro-av.panasonic.net/en/dvx4k/pdf/ag-dvx200_spec.pdf
Jonathan Lawrence great thanks
Cheers