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First off, Let me comment in this review that I am slightly bias to the Panasonic brand. I am objective & analytical enough however to give an unbias review to this video camera though. I was first introduced to the Panasonic brand in 1982 when my father had recently purchased a portable video camera & vhs system. Back then, only a select few families could afford pro-consumer equipment, and he acquired it through his military connections. Therefore, I have grown accustomed to the build quality & performance of their equipment. This particular camera is not only an upgrade from the dvx100a, but for me as well since I sold my dvx100a to get this one. I can honestly say it is money well spent. The menu is a bit more extensive and it gives you more options. If you are a control freak, this camera has a multitude of adjustments that you can make to fine tune your video recordings. I am just entering the scene in videography on a semiprofessional level, so I cannot go into great technical details of the dvx100b. I can say that it shoots amazing, crystal clear video. Once you figure out how to adjust for proper lighting, and acquire that perfect viewpoint, being able to focus & being able to zoom from the remote is a plus also. To be honest, if you do not need to shoot in HD, but wanted a true professional cinematic video, I strongly recommend this particular model. I looked at the Canon XL2 & Sony's HVR-A1U, but I ended up coming back to something tried & true. Besides the picture clarity, the second biggest selling point for me is having switchable line in/mic XLR inputs. That was huge for me. Bottom line is if I decide to go the HD route, I planning on getting the hvx205a, but beyond that, I am looking at getting at least one more dvx100b.Read full review
Excellent prosumer camera. There should be a class like "Almost Pro" for this cam. Have been using it for a couple of months now. Total control of the image you get, full auto works very well also. Am surprised how light and balanced it feels for hand-held shooting. 60i is definately broadcast quality. 24p looks great with soooooo much image control. Best bang-for-buck standard definition camera you can get. Only two negatives so far. 1) 10x zoom is a little short, but you might not need more for your projects. Add on lenses don't do much for it either. 2) Little knob-type-control-thingy for the VCR and menu navigation has to go. Really bad. But, then again, I've yet to see this type of control done well and ANY camera. All-in-all, if you're in this price-range and can't afford the step up to HDV, like me, buy this camera. You WILL NOT be disappointed. Cheers!Read full review
This camera is about $1000 less than a Canon XL-2, but it betters that camera in picture quality, picture quality controls, viewfinder, connectability - in fact, the only thing that the XL-2 has better is interchangeable lenses. How often will you need that? Probably never. This camera has an excellent picture, XLR audio inputs, actual controls on the camera body, not buried in menu screens. It has a responsive manual zoom, variable zoom speed control, well-placed control knobs. It's designed like a pro camera with white balance, audio levels, color bars, even a time date stamp optional. It has a Leica lens! I use mine for legal video, depositions and field inspections; it goes anywhere. Check out this three-way match-up between the three cameras in this price class at DVX User: http://www.dvxuser.com/articles/shoot3/ I almost passed this camera up due to too many amateurs raving too loudly about the XL-2 , but I'm glad I read the articles and got the DVX-100B. Anyone who uses it will tell you its better than the others by a long shot. Why pay the extra money only to have the ability to change lenses? This is NOT a high-def camera, but there's not much absolute need for that quite yet. High-def becomes very expensive very quickly, and my clients frankly don't want to pay for that. This camera should serve well for many years.Read full review
I love my dvx100b. This camera is the best standard definition on the market. The 24p mode is a very nice addition. I know that this camera won't measure up to the real professional cameras, but for the money, this camera can't be beat. It really all depends on what you were used to before you bought this camera. A very nice piece of equipment especially for serious hobbyists, indy filmmakers on a budget, and wedding videographers. The internal mic is nothing special, but every serious videographer know that you rely on the xlr inputs, not the internal mic. The only thing I would prefer would be for it to be sdhc card cable instead of transfering video to editing consoles via firewire. That said, the firewire transfer works great once you get used to its operation and this camera still reigns supreme.Read full review
About the only thing which Canon can say about the XL2 v, the DVX-100, is that the Canon has a 20X v 10X zoom. In every other way important to me the Panasonic is a steal. Professional mic adapters, XLRs. Great flip out, large, LCD. Canon has none! For eyeglasses wearers this is a must, but the EVF is excellent too if you prefer. It is about as clumsy as the XL2, I still like my SVHS cams! Very easy to move control functions into manual. I feel that the DVX is much more easily fine tuned than the XL2. Well, I guess it is not as funky and cool looking as the Canon. But if that was all I really wanted I still would be shooting with my old Eclair! I do miss 16mm, but with a DOF adapter SD video can come very close. What will be the best buy when I change to HD in 2-3 years? Lord knows, but in SD the best Pro bang for the buck is the DVX I believe (I do some TV work with 3 DVX's synched together, try that Canon!)Read full review
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