Great price, looks pro, quality OK, easy to use, built like a tank
Written: Jul 15 '04
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Pros: See PROS listed in body of review.
Cons: See CONS listed in body of review.
The Bottom Line: If you don't have $2k , BUY IT. Looks pro, nice features, good quality. You won't regret it!
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| krisgay's Full Review: Panasonic DV proline AG-DVC7 Mini DV Camcorder |
LONG REVIEW BUT LOTS OF INFO!!!
I bought this to add videography to our photography business. Paid $929 for camera with USA warranty, $89 for four year Mack warranty through www.buydig.com. This camera will SURELY be outdated in one to two years- maybe sooner but the warranty was cheap so why not? If it breaks down in the next year or two after the manufacturer's warranty is done, then I'm covered. Bought head cleaner. I then found out that a head cleaning tape comes with the camera. (Wasn't listed on included items with camera on website.) Still, not a bad deal at $18 for that. The $15 "Crystal Optics" UV filter that buydig.com sold me is crap. Don't waste your money. Buy a $9 Tiffen UV filter from Adorama.com instead. Still not great, but slightly better and cheaper. Hoya multi coated would probably be cheap at this filter size- worth checking into. You might get one locally and save on shipping too. While we're on the subject of Adorama, they sell the Panasonic version 5 hour battery for this camera for $79 instead of www.buydig.com's $119 price tag. Shop around. Adorama has a nice selection of external mics (rant later in review) and add on lights too. Definitely worth a look and the pricing looks good too. Transaction with www.buydig.com was easy and fast. (Bought a Canon EF 70-200 f/4L this week at Adorama. GREAT SERVICE AND PRICE! They even CALLED ME BACK this morning to confirm shipping upgrade.)
Another lengthy paragraph. Skip it if you don't care about the case. I hate short reviews, so deal with my ranting. Some people gripe about the length/width of this camera due to the non-folding viewfinder. This makes you use a HUGE video bag that is expensive. Here's an idea for those with multiple videocameras or those who want a convenient place to put EVERYTHING in one shot, as I have done. Buy a rolling drum hardware case and customize it. My husband works for www.xlspec.com. You must buy their cases through music stores, but they're cheap for the size , nice casters, they have web cinch straps and handles as well as a web strap to pull it along. My new "gear wagon." Works like a dream. You then build a custom insert out of wood and foam the customized gear "cubbies" with inexpensive foam of differing thickness and density found at craft stores such as JoAnn's, Michael's, or Hobby Lobby. Use spray or a paint type adhesive and give it plenty of time to dry. I have a two level wooden insert in mine with compartments for everything. They are also great for light stands, etc. The molded plastic case takes paint so you can stencil your business name or web address on the side! Did I mention you can get them in a bunch of different colors? Your gear might be able to drop off a truck if you do this right.
Thus far, just having this camera to use and then just dubbing to VHS has been a HUGE hit with customers. I booked two weddings this week and just having this videocamera to offer an add on package was what sealed the deal on both. I will pay for this video camera in 2-3 months of light usage. Probably in less time as we start DVD production. (We are also using some mics and a mixer we already have for external audio feed into the camera.) We do one, maybe two weddings a month as this is a second income for us- in addition to starting to videotape school concerts, dance recitals, etc. We will pay this one off quickly and might buy a second one right away. I booked a wedding tonight ON THE SPOT because in addition to the photography value, we could also record portions of her reception in 16:9 sepia tone at a local 1920's car museum...
PROS:
The price is right, the look is certainly professional enough, familiar Panasonic interface (started using it with a 30 second glance through manual- yes it IS that easy to use!), familiar Panasonic build quality (not bulletproof, but it's VERY solid for the price), etc. I like that there are b&w, sepia, and 16:9 format available in addition to a very nice looking (not using) fade function (also mirror, wipe, etc. but I don't really like using those types of effects). The zoom feels good for this price point. Very smooth. Can be a bit jerky if you aren't gentle. If you have a nice touch, this zoom can be very smooth... Contrast and color rendition were better than I expected them to be and were definitely better than my $500 JVC miniDV camcorder. The only other video camera I have to compare this to is a friend's Canon XL1, which is just fantastic. This little guy will work okay for me and I'll hold onto the extra $3k for now. Again, these AG-DVC7 capabilities are usually improvements over most customers' consumer cams which is a selling point for modestly priced video packages. Especially in recording SOUND. Their uncle can videotape the wedding, but can he drop in a mic near the pastor and run a line to the camera at 30 feet away? I think not.
I do mention some CONS here, but please keep in mind that the bottom line is this: for this LOOK and feature set, this camera is a fantastic value! Yes, you could go out and buy something cheaper with 3 CCD's. But it would be small and would not have external audio in's, etc. The difference between this camera and the next level up is another $1000! There's a 3 CCD Sony at $1500, but it's small and has less features. And let's face it, unless you're selling HIGH end video packages, Joe Public can't tell the difference between this camera and the big dudes. To them, it looks BIG, it's good. Now we know different, but I'm telling you- this thing LOOKS GOOD. That helps, whether we all want to admit it or not! Will I upgrade to 3 CCD equipment in the future? Sure- when we can afford it and if I'm sure it will be profitable enough to sink the extra cash into better equipment. But until then, this adds extra $$$ to our bottom line without breaking the bank. Read CONS thoroughly. There are some good points in there along the way. Creating proper expectations on the customer's part is really important if you are using this video camera for business use. Show them demo footage so they know what quality they are paying for... You don't want the rare customer who actually does know the difference between one 1/4" CCD and three 1/2" CCD's to get irate when they get their video back.
CONS:
1. ONE 1/4" CCD. But, hey, what can you expect for this price in a shoulder mount design with external mic input and audio input capabilities? And really, for a 1/4" CCD I was actually expecting image quality to be worse. First round of test video was a pleasant surprise. Much better than my $500 JVC miniDV handheld tiny camcorder. Not great, but not as bad as you think it might be. I expected it to be roughly the same as my JVC tiny miniDV cam because on paper many of the technical specs are the same. Very pleasantly surprised that the AG-DVC7 performs noticeably better. I was worried it would be a $1200 shoulder mount "handy cam" that looks impressive. It's not. Wow.
2. Color rendition is, ehhhhh, well it's okay. Better than consumer cams in 500-600 range which is the top end of most people's budget. You will be able to offer them something much better than what they have at home. This alone translates into decent priced sales for weddings, dance recitals, school concerts, etc. simply because you can capture the event better than they can and they can enjoy the event without their arm going numb from holding a video camera all night. (Why people don't bring a $20 tripod and hold it in front of their seat I will never know!) If you want to make mini "love montage" videos with stunning clarity of the bride's tear-streaked cheeks, cut to tearful parents, cut back to handsome groom- then this is not the camera for your film making aspirations. If you want to add $$$ to your bottom line with simple, pretty clear video with decent contrast- then this will work like a dream for you. Plus it's so stinking easy to operate you could hire a modestly skilled assistant to do the video while you do the photography, etc.
3. A-HA! A real gripe, finally! The external mic from Panasonic (AG-MC15P)has not impressed me at all. The built in microphone seems to pick up almost as much sound and seems to have much the same pick up pattern as the external one that cost me $129. Is the external one more sensitive? A bit. Is it $129 more sensitive? I don't think so. Actually, I think it's OVER sensitive in the wrong areas. And yes, I have turned down the gain so if you were thinking that, guess again. I went PAST
-6dB and still had issues with traffic noise outdoors- from 200 feet behind camera! If I were filming a wedding right there in front of me, I'd have had serious issues with noise! If I had it to do over again, I'd save up for a better external mic. Sennheiser or Audio Technica make some nice mics with much better unidirectional pick up, thus eliminating at least some of the background noise... The Panasonic AG-MC15P picks up really well directly to the side and slightly behind the mic at up to 10 feet. Yuck. We're talking picking up a whisper or rumpled papers, etc. I did tests at home with a set of PRO level AKG headphones with 12 foot cord plugged into the camera's headphone out for monitoring... And when I recently recorded at a local city rose garden (very popular wedding site), the traffic noise directly 200 feet behind me was so LOUD on the video that the footage was virtually unusable. Yeah, yeah, I know it's a cheap mic but come on. It's supposed to be an improvement over the internal mic. It's NOT. As I'm writing this, I'm thinking about selling off the Panasonic external mic. Just thinking about it ticks me off! If you are doing outdoor work where you actually need to hear the person on camera- DO NOT BUY THE PANASONIC MIC!
4. You have to keep pressing the #$@#*(%&@$()*% "fade" button and THEN stop recording with another button push. I don't like the simultaneous two hand work here. Seems like it would make sense to set automatic fade in/out with the start and stop of recording through some sort of camera menu instead of pressing that stupid button on the lower left side of the camera all the time. HELLO?! Panasonic, are you listening? Why didn't someone notice this in development? Stupid. Maybe there's a way to do that, but I have not found it yet in the manual and I don't think this trick is hiding in there. Even consumer handycams offer this option through their menus. And why the @#$*&@)*(#$& isn't there a FADE button on the remote at least if you can't set it through the on camera menus? If you can start/stop recording through the remote, either put the FADE on the remote, or put it in the menu as an auto function! Little gripe in the grand scheme of things, but very annoying.
5. Contrasty situations with glare can be a problem, particular reflections, causing the camera to go in and out of focus. But I am working on learning how to better use manual focus, etc. on this unit so maybe my experience with that area will improve.
BOTTOM LINE: BUY IT. SELL MODERATELY PRICED VIDEO PACKAGES AS AN ADD ON TO EXISTING PHOTO BUSINESS. OR RECORD EVERY DANCE RECITAL, SCHOOL CONCERT, ETC. THAT YOU CAN. MAKE MONEY. GO SPEND MONEY ON MORE TOYS.
Signed, crazy female teacher/gearhead with WAY more gearlust than cash
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 929
Recommended for: Professional Videographers - Broadcast Quality Videos
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Epinions.com ID:
krisgay
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Reviews written: 4
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