Absolutely spectacular. Formerly used the PD-170 but after I got my hands on a DVX I never looked back.
Pros:
1. Spectacularly natural skin tones due to Panasonic's "Cinegamma" curve which you can actually program yourself. I believe Sony has now wisely added this to their newer HDV cameras. *Sony leans more toward the blue tones, Cannon leans toward the red, and if I had to describe the Panasonic I would say that it leans toward the "golden" or skin tones.
2. Large 3.5" High Quality LCD. **This is a necessity for me in any camera and is the primary reason I will not be going with Cannon AH1 for HDV. A 2.5" flip is simply not an option if you really want to see what you're shooting.
3. Exterior live adjustable volume pots and superior audio section. Both audio quality and this adjustability are features that again, I will never live without in a camera purchase.
4. Great placement of controls although I do miss the gool Ol' Sony exposure wheel in the back.
5. Spectacular eyepiece for a camera in this price range.
Cons:
1. Low light not quite like a PD-170.
2. I do miss the info-lithium.
3. Manual zoom ring not the best.
For my purposes this is by far the best overall camera that I have every used. Throw an ME-66 on it and a Evolution 100 receiver and you're good to rock.
Unfortunately, this is a dinosaur camera of the past and I am not in love with cameras (HVX-200) that do not give me a good old reliable TAPE. The only reliable backup medium that I have not had "crash" multiple times or "chemically breakdown" as with batches of DVDs that were "supposed" to last 100 years.
More HDV camera reviews!
I'me considering an FX1 with a couple of either HD-1000's or A1U's which are $800 more expensive but low light is 4lux w1/2" (HD-1000) CMOS vs 7lux w. 1/3" on A1U.
Heck, maybe I'll go for one of each and consider it "bracketing" when I have to adjust for color!
Cheers, TR
