Shoot Review — Panasonic AG-DVC60

Panasonic''s shoulder-mounted AG-DVC60 has a high-quality zoom rocker with a useful “ramp up/down” feature to smooth the beginning or end of a zoom.

Every month I get emails from folks asking which camcorders I would recommend they buy. Often these requests are from educational institutions. These institutions are in a unique dilemma. They naturally see high-end camcorders as the ones they ought to buy so as not to limit their students' creativity. Unfortunately, if they purchase these expensive camcorders, they can't buy as many. This, of course, is another limitation on their students.

Typically, the compromise is to purchase one of the new low-cost, handheld, three-CCD camcorders. While these deliver acceptable quality and are cheap enough to allow multiples to be purchased, they have several downsides. First, they simply invite students to approach video as a “point and shoot” exercise. Second, even with optical image stabilization, it takes a lot of shooting experience to avoid “shakicam” video. A shoulder-mounted camcorder not only looks more professional, but it also enables more professional shooting.

While I receive many requests for product recommendations, I'm rarely asked which camcorders serve as a good training ground for learning the craft of shooting video. As long as a camcorder allows for manual focus and color balancing, it seems to pass muster for most instructors. Unfortunately, this attitude imposes another limitation on students, as they fail to gain experience working with a truly professional camcorder. This limitation is perhaps the most serious one that can be imposed upon students.

Panasonic offers the perfect solution to this problem. A few years ago, I reviewed Panasonic's AG-DVC10, which did not deliver optimal image quality. It has since been superceded by the AG-DVC60 camcorder.

The DVC60 is a unique camcorder. It has three CCDs that provide good image quality. It is shoulder-mounted, although you can shoot both low- and high-angle video because it has a 2.5in. (110,000-pixel) LCD screen that can rotate up or down. The camcorder's handle makes low-angle shooting especially easy because it has both a three-speed zoom lever and a start/stop button. The DVC60, with its carbon fiber composite body, weighs only 5.7lbs., and it ships with a long-lasting (300- to 360-minute) 5400mA battery.

The DVC60, as we will learn later, has many professional features, but let's first look at the camcorder's video capabilities. The DVC60 has a F=1.6, 16X (f=4.1 to 65.6mm) zoom lens (35mm equivalent: 39.5 to 632mm) with Optical Image Stabilization. The lens has a comfortable, multi-purpose ring. By default, it functions as a focus ring. Though shooters can obtain accurate focus with the ring, I did feel that the ring required too much movement to achieve focus when the lens was very unfocused.

Using the menu, you can enable the ring to perform as an iris control or as a zoom control, although these other control functions operate only when the camera is working in auto-focus mode. Thankfully, the AF is very fast, very accurate, and works at very low light levels. Nevertheless, ideally one would be able to switch AF off to eliminate possible erroneous focus shifts during shooting, while using the ring for the other modes.

The high-quality zoom rocker gives you the option of a snap zoom or a slow creep. For sports shooting, you can zoom in for a close-up of a player in 1 second. For shooting dramatic works, you can zoom out from telephoto to wide over a period of 100 seconds. Perhaps of even more importance, the zoom has a wonderful “ramp up/down” that provides a very professional look to the beginning and end of a zoom. Using the camcorder's menu, you can set the zoom speed curve to Fast, Slow, or Normal. This optimizes the ramp to the zoom speed. Nevertheless, the fastest and slowest speeds are still available. The zoom motor is also very quiet, an important feature when the onboard mic is used.

When you are in Manual mode, you can press the Focus button and MF (Manual Focus) will appear on the right hand side of the LCD screen. Now you can manually focus. As any shooter knows, there is a procedure to obtaining accurate focus. First zoom all the way in, then adjust focus, and now zoom back to reframe the image. The DVC60 offers a far, far better way — a way that should be standard on every camcorder. When you want an accurate focus, press the User 1 button located just above the start/stop trigger. The lens will zoom in all the way at maximum speed, quickly focus automatically (and lock this focus), and then return to the exact framing (at maximum speed) that you had before you pressed the User 1 button.

Exposure control, when not assigned to the lens ring, is via the Exposure roller-dial. For this, Panasonic continues to use the same design it has used for a decade. Press the roller-dial once, and the dial turns into a shutter-speed control. However, to adjust the iris with the dial, you must press the button twice. When in iris mode, as the aperture goes through full open, the control becomes a way of setting gain from 0dB to +18dB. From an engineering point of view, this may be a logical mechanism. But from a shooter's point of view — whether implemented in computer software or camcorder firmware — a modal control is always a pain. That's because what the control does is dependent upon which mode it is in. And you must remember the mode!

In reality, only in special situations does one need a slower or faster shutter speed. Therefore, it is ideally set via a menu item or a separate toggle switch. Moreover, one should not need to “double-click” the Exposure dial to obtain access to iris control. (The manual even fails to describe what you must do to exit from manual exposure control.) In case you require special shutter speeds, the DVC60 offers two ranges: Slow (1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30) and Fast (1/60, 1/100 — needed in Region 50 countries under artificial illumination, 1/120, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/750, 1/1000, 1/1500, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, 1/8000).

While we're on the subject, there is another reason why shutter and aperture should be adjusted by separate controls. Under some conditions, adjusting the shutter speed causes a change in image brightness just as would a change in iris setting. Thus, the user may not notice he or she is changing shutter speed. But this can create a problem because altering shutter speed also has the effect of causing the image to either blur or strobe.

You can increase gain to +9dB without any increase in noise. Even increasing gain to the maximum +18dB added only slight luma and chroma noise. Panasonic has several tricks to help you cope with shooting in the dark. First, choose SNS — IR in the menu. When you press the SNS button, the IR filter is removed from the light path and the picture will turn B&W — not green. The scene is being illuminated by an IR LED under the lens. However, the LED beam is too narrow. The camera really needs two LEDs.

If the picture is too noisy, you have two options. Using the menu, choose SNS — Super IR, which sets the shutter speed to 1/4 second. Obviously, this will obtain a clear image only if there is no motion to the subject of interest. Alternately, you can add a Panasonic AG-YRL30G IR light (MSRP of $380). The switch-on light can be set to Wide or Spot depending on the distance to the subject. You can leave the camera set to SNS — Super IR or switch to SNS — IR so you can capture subjects in motion.

I also made a quick check of the AG-DVC60's digital zoom. You can use 20X and 24X with virtually no image deterioration. There is also a 160X mode, which could come in handy for capturing disaster footage. Unlike most other camcorders, you can combine digital zoom with SNS and the 16:9 anamorphic mode. Via the menu, you can set 16:9 (Squeeze) anamorphic or Letterbox mode.

Before we examine the AG-DV60's many audio capabilities, we should look at the camcorder's CCDs and EVF. Each CCD is a 1/4in., 410,000-pixel CCD. The DVC60 is rated at 4 lux (for 50 IRE) at F1.6 with +18dB. The camera features a 12-bit A/D and an RGB Gamma Processor, the same used in the DVX100. The camera has a built-in ND filter that is auto-engaged by the exposure system. Panasonic has done an excellent job of calibrating the exposure system to minimize bright areas going white. Nevertheless, any 1/4in. CCD will have less exposure latitude than a 1/3in. CCD, and vastly less than a 1/2in. or 2/3in. CCD. However, at an MSRP $2,795 and a street price of about $2,200, small CCDs are to be expected.

Thankfully, the AG-DVC60 features a large electronic viewfinder with slide mechanism that has enough travel to support left-eyed shooters. Panasonic is number one in designing eye couplers that make using a tiny (.44in.) LCD screen a comfortable experience. You can switch the 180,000-pixel EVF between Color and B&W. You also have control over EVF brightness and detail (On/Off). Unfortunately, you cannot adjust color saturation. Outdoors, the EVF displays an over-saturated image. Indoors, the EVF is more far more accurate. The EVF may simply have a nonlinear saturation, or it may truly be displaying a slight change in the camera's chroma level. I've seen this before in other 1/4in. CCD camcorders and suspect that as light levels drop, the camera either inadvertently or intentionally (perhaps to decrease chroma noise) reduces chroma saturation.

The DVC60 features two built-in XLR connectors. You can choose among the XLRs, a 3.5mm stereo mic jack, and the built-in mic. Naturally, you can switch the external inputs between mic (-60dBu) and line level (0dBu). The camcorder features two “glow in the dark” manual audio level controls with onscreen (EVF and LCD) audio metering. (You can use the color LCD monitor and EVF at the same time.)

What really sets this camcorder ahead of its competition is the very professional set of menu-controlled functions. I can't cover each, but here is a list of the major functions: camera setup (Syncro Scan of 1/60.3 to 1/250.0, Aspect Ratio, Color Bars, 7.5% Setup on Record On/Off), shooting functions (Time Stamp, one-shot REC), and timecode (SMPTE TCG, First Rec TC, TC Preset, UB Mode, UB Preset), monitoring functions (Zebra Detect at 80 percent through 105 percent, Marker that displays a readout of video brightness, Audio Level Meter On/Off, LCD Backlight Hi/Normal), audio control capabilities (Wind Noise Cut On/Off), and Scene File Setting (Detail, Chroma Level, Chroma Phase, Color Temp, Master PED, AE Shift, Skin Tone DTL, Frame Mode for 30fps).

The menu system, implemented far better than that of the AG-DVX100, offers access to two additional capabilities. You can assign one of 16 functions to the three User buttons. (Only User buttons 1 and 2 are really that accessible during shooting.) I set User button 1 to AF+ZOOM and set button 2 to AE Lock. Other functions I considered assigning to button 2 were: AWB Lock, Backlight, Spotlight, and EVF Detail. The other option is the Scene File setting capability where you can define two custom User Settings as well select one of two presets: Black Press (to increase contrast) and Movie Like.

For those who want to create productions with a film look, the DVC60's Movie Like Scene File sets a 30fps frame recording function that electronically interpolates interlaced images to create frames with no time difference between fields. It also incorporates Panasonic's Cine-Like gamma curve. This curve lowers gamma to create an image with lower contrast that simulates the wide latitude of film.

The DVC60 delivers great video and audio and has an amazing range of functions. The only nit I have to pick is that, as within the DVX100 documentation, many functions are noted but never explained. While this will present no problems for those who are familiar with using these functions, it can prove a liability to those — including instructors and students — who are not.

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed working with the AG-DVC60. I recommend it very highly to anyone who requires quality results, many capabilities, and a reasonably low price.

Company: Panasonic Secaucus, N.J.; (800) 528-8601
www.panasonic.com/broadcast

Product: AG-DVC60

Assets: Great image quality, versatile zoom mechanism, excellent system for obtaining focus, shoulder mounting for steady shots, professional set of menu-controlled functions.

Caveats: Many functions are not fully explained within documentation.

Demographic: Educational institutions and DV shooters who want a shoulder-mounted camcorder.

Price: $2,795

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By Dan Ochiva

Panasonic offers several ways to add professional capabilities to the AG-DVC60. In addition, several companies make accessories that would be appropriate for the camcorder.

Panasonic's offerings include the AG-MC15 mic ($140) and the AG-LW4307 .7X wide-angle adapter ($215). In addition, a 2.5mm remote jack supports a VZDVR130 (or VZDVX100) VariZoom control. You can attach a DV recorder like the AG-DV2500 to the camcorder via a four-pin FireWire cable.

Century Optics has built a good reputation turning out innovative filters, lens attachments, and other accessories. Case in point: the Digital Series .55X reversible wide angle adapter.

The Van Nuys, Calif.-based company says the .55X is the first dual-purpose DV lens accessory on the market. When attached to the lens front in one direction, the .55X delivers a nearly 50 percent increased field of view over that of the DVC60's widest angle. So what's so unique? Remove the .55X optical element, flip it around, and thread it on the other way for a wide-angle fisheye effect. Although the fisheye creates pronounced barrel distortion — a look that isn't for everyone's taste — it could still come in handy if used sparingly. www.centuryoptics.com.

Because most interiors are lit from above, foreground subjects can develop objectionable shadows, or simply not have the kick you want to separate the subject from the background.

One solution: on-camera lights. Anton/Bauer developed its Ultralight 2 specifically for camera mounting. Weighing only 10oz., the dual 25W light uses a standard, universal mounting system that eliminates the need for special studs or adapters. With the head module removed, the Ultralight 2 frame folds up into such a compact profile that you could leave it on the camera at all times, without it getting in the way. www.antonbauer.com.

Getting there may be half the fun, but not if your camcorder ends up with a broken viewfinder or crushed filter ring. So put it in the bag, preferably a padded one designed to protect your gear en route. Petrol's U-Bag would be a good choice. They're soft and flexible — not the rigid cases designed for freight delivery — but Petrol builds its U-Bags with hard use in mind, with a combination of foam padding, reinforcing panels, and cold-molded, multi-laminate floors and compartments.

The U-Bag name comes from the ultra-wide “U” opening designed to make it easy to insert or remove the camera without disturbing its viewfinder or microphone. Also on tap: large accessory pockets, exterior straps to hold a tripod or other gear, and bright orange fabric in the interior to make it easy to find a lost lens cap. www.petrolbags.com.