Panasonic AGDVC30 - 3 CCD DV CAMCORDER, User Manual

Page 1: ...AG DVC30 User Guide How to use this superbly mobile professional digital video camera recorder Mini Digital Video Cassette AG DVC30 User Guide ...

Page 2: ...Overview 2 Easy to carry and simple to operate This compact video camera recorder incorporates three 1 4 inch CCDs with 410 000 pixels each ...

Page 3: ...iled B W picture with little noise in Zero Lux Crime fighter The AG DVC30 can be a valuable tool for gathering evidence in crime investigation much like a video witness Video footage is now widely accepted and can serve as an effective legal form of backup to protect not only the victim s rights but also those of the officer as well Law enforcement officers are very accepting of this form of docum...

Page 4: ...carry the camcorder about as needed When holding the camcorder by the handle the balance is perfect The carrying handle can also be used for low angle shooting shooting while in motion and more The handle makes mounting the camcorder on a tripod and later removal a snap The handle attaches to the accessory shoe on the camcorder body and is secured in place with two screws The screws are attached t...

Page 5: ...possible to select a setting that records the INPUT 2 audio signal to both channel 1 and channel 2 The carefully designed microphone holder incorporates a damper to reduce vibrations Slides on secured by a screw The microphone holder slides onto a mounting shoe on the bottom of the handle and is secured by a screw Since it fits to the bottom of the handle the microphone holder does not raise the c...

Page 6: ...e jiggle compensation Switching OIS on or off does not change the picture quality but it should probably be turned off when using a tripod White Balance Button Each press of this button advances through the Auto Lock Indoor Outdoor and Set Mode settings The Set Mode selection adjusts the black balance as well Focus Ring When auto focus is turned on this ring can be used for manual zoom or iris adj...

Page 7: ...ng correction SPOTLIGHT Spotlight anti blooming correction REC CHECK Used to check previously recorded material D ZOOM Digital zoom WHITEFADE Fade to white BLACKFADE Fade to black PHOTO SHOT Records a 7 second still image on the tape INDEX Index recording SNS High sensitivity recording mode EVF DTL Emphasizes silhouettes in the viewfinder and LCD images LUMI FLICK Simulates the flicker in old movi...

Page 8: ...6 times Leica lens is a major competitive advantage The Zoom Rocker control is fast for sports but even more impressive is how slowly it zooms For shooting dramatic work it can take you from wide to telephoto in approximately 100 seconds What s more the Switch Mode menu allows a choice for Zoom speed curve favoring Fast Slow or Normal It has smooth start stops and is quiet so it won t affect the s...

Page 9: ...lent for wider field angle than even the AG DVX100A 32 5 mm Fit the wide conversion lens for an even wider angle AG DVC30 Maximum Wide Angle AG DVC30 0 7x Wide Conversion Lens AG DVX100 Maximum Wide Angle AG LW4307P Wide Conversion Lens Sony Mini DV Camera Recorder Canon Mini DV Camera Recorder Panasonic AG DVC30 Field Angle Comparison of AG DVC30 with its class other camera recorders Sony Mini DV...

Page 10: ... zooming from no magnification to full magnification produces a very dynamic effect For example you could start with a wide shot of a passenger ship in a bay with the Tower in the background and then suddenly zoom in on one of the flags flying on the ship By making use of the camera recorder s high magnification of 16x it is possible to blur the background of the object you are focusing on and to ...

Page 11: ...roduction is good The AG DVC30 really shows its mettle at night Superb High Sensitivity for Night View Shooting Make effective use of the slow shutter You can select slow shutter settings of 1 30 1 15 1 8 or 1 4 second For example you could mount the camcorder on a tripod and capture sequences in which only the figures of people walking by are blurred Combining slow shutter with zoom also produces...

Page 12: ...hat can be remedied by mounting a wide conversion lens I also think it is great that Panasonic has focused its attention on dynamic digital video While I can understand the attraction and effectiveness of still photography there is really no need to add a half baked still photo function to a digital video camera recorder when digital still cameras have become as advanced as they are today The AG D...

Page 13: ...igned to USER 3 in all cases because I expect to make extensive use of it What is the best way to make use of the three user buttons Case 1 Indoor Live Performance User Button 1 PUSH AF User Button 2 SPOTLIGHT User Button 3 PUSH AF ZOOM Case 2 Shooting Mainly People Outdoors User Button 1 PUSH AF User Button 2 BACKLIGHT User Button 3 PUSH AF ZOOM Case 3 Indoor Interview User Button 1 INDEX User Bu...

Page 14: ... in hiking in the mountains so I decided to pop the AG DVC30 and a tripod into my napsack and set out for a day trip to the hills I tried shooting scenery out of a car window with the AG DVC30 First of all I fashioned a window hood out of rubber from old gloves and mounted it in such a way that reflections from the window glass would be blocked out If the camera recorder is kept perpendicular to t...

Page 15: ...d center of gravity when the AG DVC30 is carried by the handle as well as to the relationship between the weight of the camera recorder and the strength of the cameraman The AG DVC30 brings new meaning to the phrase compact and functional I d like to have one as a camera recorder to take with me when I walk around It can be used in conjunction with the AG DVX100 A and a battery pack In short the A...

Page 16: ... possible to leave the camera recorder running for four or five hours continuously without the need to change tapes But using an 80 minute DV tape in the LP mode only yields two hours of video This is where the Synch Backup function of the AG DVC30 turned out to be a real lifesaver When the CHAIN mode on the setting menu is selected recording continues automatically on a backup DV device when the ...

Page 17: ...AG DVC30 U S E R G U I D E How to use this superbly mobile professional digital video camera 17 ...

Page 18: ...de the Auto Manual slide switch over to Manual Press the Focus button and MF Manual Focus will appear in the upper right hand side of the LCD screen Now let s turn the focus ring which feels very smooth Let s say you re shooting in full Manual Mode Watch how smoothly and quickly one can focus with this Focus Ring While we re in Manual Focus I d like to show you a quick way of touching up focus on ...

Page 19: ...ital Zoom or SNS mode Easy Access The DVC30 s Menu Buttons are very similar to the system found in our shoulder mount AG DVC200 Also notice the large PLAY RECORD FF REW PAUSE and STOP buttons These are definitely a convenience when playing back a tape in the camcorder This truly is a 2 4 lb small camcorder that fits in your palm yet has larger more expensive camera features Very well balanced too ...

Page 20: ... mm sec Recording Time SP mode 60 minutes LP mode 90 minutes when AY DVM60 is used FF Rew Time Approx 140 sec when AY DVM60 is used AUDIO Sampling Frequency 48 kHz 32 kHz Quantizing 16 bits 12 bits Frequency Characteristics 20 Hz to 20 kHz Wow Flutter Below measurable limits VIDEO Sampling Frequencies Y 13 5 MHz PB PR 3 375 MHz Quantizing 8 bits Video Compression System DCT variable length code Er...