Going Pro

A new generation of DV shooters can move up to the professionallevel, leaving prosumer cameras behind.

Panasonic’s new AG-DVX100 three-chip, 60i/30p/24p camcorder isa good example of a less expensive pro camera with setup menus.

At some point, shooters who have been working with prosumerthree-chip DV camcorders consider moving up to a professional DV,DVCAM, or DVCPRO camcorder. Although still expensive (unless you canfind deal, which is possible in our slow economy), pro camcorders offermany advantages, including large, 1/2in. CCD chips that offer greatersensitivity, lower noise, and far greater latitude. And, for many, lensinterchangeability is also a positive.

Of course, the move to a pro camera involves trade-offs. Weight andbulk are two obvious penalties. Other negatives include the loss ofauto-focus and optical stabilization. And then there is the challengeof mastering the often complicated camera and deck setup menus.

While prosumer camcorders, beginning with Sony's Hi8 VX3, havesimple four-item setup menus, the setup of a pro camera is far morecomplex. It can be made even more complex by the inadequatedocumentation provided with these expensive camcorders. Nevertheless,videographers have no choice but to master menus. That's because setupmenus are now becoming available on low-cost professional cameras.

Panasonic's new AG-DVX100 three-chip, 60i/30p/24p camcorder is aperfect example. The DVX100 provides five VTR menu pages and sevencamera menu pages. The camera pages, shown throughout this column,include: Scene File, Camera Setup, SW Mode, Auto SW, Recording Setup,Display Setup, and Other Functions.

In the following charts, menu items marked in green are found onmost prosumer DV camcorders, so you should have no problems using thesesettings. Items marked in red are relevant only to the DVX100. Bluemenu items are representative of those found on more expensive DV,DVCAM, and DVCPRO camcorders — as well as the AG-DVX100. Thesecamera menu items and their sub-categories will be the focus of thiscolumn.

Items on this menu page typically need be set only during thecamcorder's initial set-up. The Hour Meter displays the totalrotational time of the cylinder head. After five minutes inPlay/Record-Pause, the camera either enters stand-by mode or shutsdown. Tape Protect defines which occurs. The User File menu enables youto Save the SW Mode menu page settings in internal memory. The Loadfunction loads the last saved User File. Initial restores User Filevalues to the factory settings.

REMOTE

DV CONTROL
DV CMD SEL

REC LAMP
BEEP SOUND
CLOCK SET
TIME SHIFT

TAPE PROTECT
USER FILE
HOUR METER

Most pro camcorders have 1 1/2in. CRT, high-resolution, B&Wviewfinders (but not the AG-DVX100). Because of the large screen, it ispossible to display a substantial amount of status information. Not allsituations, however, demand that all information be displayed. Thus,you can enable or disable the display of individual data using items onthis page.

ZEBRA DETECT 1
ZEBRA DETECT 2

DATE/TIME
LEVEL METER
ZOOM•FOCUS
TAPE•BATTERY
OTHER DISPLAY
VIDEO OUT OSD
LCD BACKLIGHT
LCD/EVF SET

SELF SHOOT

EVF MODE

The Zebra Detect 1 and 2 menus allow you to set the IRE level atwhich the two zebra patterns become visible in the viewfinder and onthe LCD monitor. Options are: Off, 80, 85, 90, 95, and 100IRE.

I would set Zebra Detect 1 to 80 and Zebra Detect 2 to 100. Thecamera's Zebra button toggles between Off, Zebra 1, Zebra 2, andSpot-Read Mode. In Spot-Read Mode, a readout appears in the viewfinderthat displays the IRE reading from the bracketed spot.

Depending on design, mics can be divided into two categories, highsensitivity (high output voltage) and low sensitivity (low outputvoltage). The former have smaller negative dB ratings than the latter.(Consult your mic's specifications.) The DVX100's Mic Gain 1 and 2items are used to match the camera's input sensitivity to an attachedmic — either -50dBu or -60dBu. The Mic ALC item enables ordisables Auto Level Control.

REC SPEED
AUDIO REC

MIC ALC
MIC GAIN 1
MIC GAIN 2
TC MODE
TCG
FIRST REC TC
TC PRESET
UB MODE
UB PRESET

INTERVAL REC
REC TIME
INTERVAL TIME

Two additional categories of items are present on this page, itemsthat set up timecode functions and those that set up User Bits. TC Modeselects drop frame (DF) or non-drop frame (NDF). TCG selects whetherthe timecode generator runs continuously (Free Run) or only whenrecording (Rec Run). First Rec TC selects whether the timecode stampstarts on the last stamp recorded on tape (Regen) or starts from adefined value (Preset) specified by the TC Preset menu.

The UB Mode menu item enables the marking of each frame with eighthexadecimal characters (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, F).You can create your own string (User) of seven characters to define,for example, a tape tag with date (AD091101). Alternately, you canselect among four camera-generated character strings: Time (time ofday), Date, TCG (timecode generator), and Frm. Rate (60, 30, 24, plus aFrame Sequence Number of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 when in 24p mode).

Two additional timecode menus are available when the AG-DVX100 ispowered up in VTR mode. The 1394 TC Regen item selects the timecode tobe recorded when recording from the FireWire connector. The 1394 UBRegen item selects the User Bits to be recorded when recording from theFireWire connector. In both cases, the On setting uses the FireWireinput information. Selecting Off uses TC Mode, TCG, and First Rec TCand/or UB Mode determined values.

Items on this page cover two different aspects of camera operation.The Mid Gain, High Gain, and ATW relate to image control, while theother items relate to setting the camera for personal tastes. The MidGain menu allows you to specify the gain (0dB, 3dB, 6dB, 9dB, 12dB)applied when the DVX100's Gain switch is set to the “M”option. The High Gain menu does the same for the “H”option.

MID GAIN
HIGH GAIN
ATW

HANDLE ZOOM
IRIS DIAL

USER1
USER2

When the ATW item is set to Off, ATW is disabled. The ATW functioncan be allocated to the White Bal switch (A, B, or PRST position) usingthe ATW menu item. When material is shot using ATW, the incidentillumination on the front of the camera is monitored and white balanceis adjusted continuously.

Because selecting and altering menu changes takes time, twoAG-DVX100 buttons (User 1 and User 2) can be assigned to specific menusettings. Choices include enable or disable: Spotlight mode, Backlightmode, Mode check (current camera status display), ATW, ATWLock (lockATW), and Gain:18 dB.

Because ENG shooting often begins in a moment of chaos, most new procameras have an Auto button that engages automatic operation tomaximize the probability of immediately capturing acceptable audio andvideo. All four functions on this menu can be activated by the greenAuto button on the DVX100.

A. IRIS
AGC
ATW

AF

Pros, of course, still want control, so the items on this pageselect which auto functions are active when in Auto mode. The AGC menudefines the maximum video gain that can automatically be applied whenAuto is enabled: Off (none), 6dB, or 12dB.

When the ATW menu item is set to Off, ATW is disabled. When AF isenabled in the Auto SW menu, and the Auto button is pressed, autofocusing is used — except when in any progressive mode.

The Syncro Scan menu allows you to adjust the shutter speed toobtain a clean image from a television or computer screen. You canselect from 1/60.3th to 1/250th of a second when shooting in interlacemode. (At 30p, the range is 1/30.1th to 1/250th, while at 24p the rangeis 1/24.1th to 1/250th.)

SYNCRO SCAN

ASPECT CONV
COLOR BAR

SETUP

Aspect ratio, either 4:3 or 16:9 letterboxed (not anamorphic), isselected by the Aspect Conv item. Although the Color Bar item displayscolor bars in interlace mode, it cannot do so in progressive mode. TheSetup item selects black level to 0IRE (correct for DV) or to7.5IRE.

The Detail Level menu adjusts the amount of image detail. With theAG-DVX100, settings below zero soften detail, while settings above zeroadd edge enhancement you do not want.

DETAIL LEVEL
CHROMA LEVEL
CHROMA PHASE
COLOR TEMP
MASTER PED
A. IRIS LEVEL
GAMMA
MATRIX
SKIN TONE DTL

V DETAIL FREQ
PROGRESSIVE

NAME EDIT
SAVE/INIT

Chroma Level adjusts chroma saturation, while Chroma Phase adjuststhe hue. The Color Temp menu allows you to bias color temperaturewarmer (-7 increases red and decreases yellow) or cooler (+7 increasesblue and decreases cyan). Master Ped adjusts master pedestal (black IRElevel and white IRE level), thereby increasing or decreasing recordedsignal level.

Adjusting A. Iris Level allows you to bias the auto-exposure systemtoward lighter or darker exposure. A setting of -3 provides 1-stopunder-exposure that helps keep (with Cine-Like gamma selected)highlight areas from losing color and detail. However, theunder-exposure noticeably darkens the image and definitely changes thescene's mood.

The Skin Tone DTL item lets you decrease detail in Caucasian skintone areas. Expensive cameras provide methods to precisely specify skintone.

The Progressive item enables you to switch between 59.94i (Off),29.97p (30p), 24.98p (24p) with 2:3:2:3 pull-down, and 24.98p (24p:ADV) with 2:3:3:2 pulldown. (For in-depth information on these modes,see “Progressive: What You Need to Know,” August 2002.)

In progressive mode, select the amount of vertical detail via the VDetail Freq menu item. The Thick setting (the only option in 60i)reduces effective vertical resolution by 25% from the potential480-line vertical resolution from the CCD chips, thereby reducing videoartifacts from narrow horizontal lines. In 24p ADV mode, Thin is thedefault because the destination is film rather than video.

By using the Gamma menu, you can alter picture contrast withoutaltering black level and white level. Expensive cameras provide menuitems to enable black-stretch and white-compress. Some cameras let yougraphically create a gamma curve to meet your individual needs.

The AG-DVX100 allows you to choose from Low Gamma (gamma curve bowsbelow linear gamma so mid-shades are pushed slightly darker, therebyproviding black-compress), Norm Gamma, High Gamma (gamma curve bowsabove linear gamma so mid-shades are pushed slightly brighter, therebyproviding black-stretch), and Cine-Like Gamma. The latter is a gammacurve that attempts to preserve both shadow detail and highlightdetail.

The Matrix menu on the DVX100 allows you to select from threepre-set image styles: Norm, Fluorescent, and Cine-Like. The lattersetting adjusts the image to emulate film.

Camcorders like the Ikegami HL-DV7W DVCAM (see my review in theSeptember 2002 Video Systems) provide many additional menus tolet you create custom matrix styles.

Panasonic provides the AG-DVX100 with six preset Scene Filesdesigned to cover situations likely to be encountered. These can beselected by a rotary switch on the DVX100.

You can rename any file using the Name Edit menu. You can alsomodify any file and then save the settings using the Save/Init menu.From the Save/Init menu, you can restore factory settings.

Preset Scene Files

Learning more

Now that a generation of DV shooters is moving up to pro cameras,it's incumbent upon manufacturers to document the functions of thesecamera in English. That means it's high time for U.S. documentation tobe written by native English writers who have an understanding ofvideo.

While we wait for camera manufacturers to shoulder theirresponsibilities, feel free to experiment with menu settings becauseyou always have the option of restoring factory settings.

To comment on this article, email the Video Systems editorialstaff at vsfeedback@primediabusiness.com.