Distinct Opinions

I am very confused by Barry Braverman's comments in the Decemberissue of Video Systems magazine. When comparing DV filters forSony's DSR-PD150 and VX-2000, he states, “You might confuse theappearance of this consumer model with the more costly PD150, but yousure won't confuse the quality of its images.”

I am not sure if he has a defective camera. I have spoken tonumerous Sony reps for confirmation, and have been using both camerasfor more than two years. There is absolutely no difference in thequality of these two cameras' images. The electronics and imagingcomponents of these two models are identical. I am surprised he didn'talso mention the DSR-250. It too shares the same components.

The differences in these cameras lie within the transport and audio(XLR inputs and DVCAM recording mode). The CCDs, DSP, and lenses areexactly the same.

Anyway, as soon as I read this I had to write in. Having used bothof these models extensively, I can honestly say I have no idea where hecame up with this statement.
Andrew Dieb
Crystal Clear Media

Barry Braverman responds: My observations regarding the VX-2000vs. the PD150 come from my experience in testing these camerasside-by-side. I find the images produced by these two cameras to besubstantially different, especially in the densest shadows where DVshooters encounter the most frustration. In general, consumer-grade DVcameras discard more shadow detail to produce denser blacks and highercontrast. This is often to compensate for the lower-quality optics usedon these cameras that lack contrast in the first place. That's the wayI see it. You're certainly entitled to a different opinion.

Your review of the Panasonic AG-DVX100 was the most comprehensiveI've seen (November 2002). Good job.

When I saw the camera demonstrated in 24p mode at a small tradeshow, my observation was that the images moved in a strange, jerkymanner. This jerky motion did not resemble a film properly transferredto video. (In fact, a DVD playing a Hollywood movie was playing in thenext booth, so I could easily make a comparison.) The jerky motionreminded me of streaming video with an erratic connection speed.

I talked to the Panasonic reps doing the demo. In response to myquestions they switched between a few different frame rate modes. Itseemed to me that all the 24p modes had jerky motion, although thedifferent modes were jerky in a variety of ways. No one else seemedconcerned about this, and it is never mentioned in reviews. I realizethat 24p is a good frame rate for transferring to film or PAL, butbased on the demo I don't think the 24p rate succeeds in giving aconvincing film look to NTSC video. Instead it gives a weird, jerkylook to the motion.

If I am correct that this camera always produces NTSC video withjerky motion when the 24p modes are used, I think the value of thecamera is questionable. It seems to me that if a producer plans tospend the money to transfer to film, then he will probably want (andcan afford) to use a higher-end camera. I suspect most of the potentialcustomers for this camera are hoping to achieve a film look with NTSCvideo. I think once the novelty wears off they will bedisappointed.

Am I missing something? Can the motion be smoothed during theediting process?
Michael B. Freeman
Media production supervisor
SFGTV, San Francisco
Government Television channel 26
San Francisco

Steve Mullen responds: Great question. The 24p/ADV mode has themost uneven motion, but when transferred to film, all will be well. Itall depends on how well material is shot and who is doing thetransfer

The 24p mode has judder, which should — when shot correctly— look like film transferred to video. Demo situations don't workwell for showing this mode. Used correctly, 24p — especially whenprojected on a large screen — creates a very convincing filmlook, like fine-grain 16mm or Super 16. If you don't like the judder, Ifind 30p a nice alternative to 60i or 24p.

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