1. When is 24p the right format for me?

When you wish to capture a sequence of images with a "cinematic" look. For example, independent film production, film school training, and additional video sequences to be inter cut with existing film archives. The AG-DVX100 can also be applied as a "B Roll" camera on set, complementing the primary HD video camera or 35mm film camera. It is also a very economical way to shoot multiple camera coverage in 24p.

2. When is 30p the right format for me?

When you require an NTSC formatted output with maximum vertical resolution, no interlace artifacts and easy conversion to still frames. For example videotaping of legal documents or police forensics / evidence recording. The 30p capture mode is also ideal for the production of streaming video or downloadable video or as a component of flash animations, due to its very high efficiency in compressing to a low bit rate, and compatibility with computer graphics software applications.

3. When is 60i the right format for me?

When you require high speed motion capture without film style motion judder. For example sports, local news coverage and general video documentary and industrial training tape production. With suitable post production software, the 60i mode can also be used as substitute for fast frame rate film capture for slow motion sequence applications in independent film production.

4. If I'm not distributing my program on film why should I shoot 24p?

Most prime time television episodic programs are shot in 24p - either 35mm film or HD video - and therefore a very large audience exists that equates the "24p look" with very high production values. In this case the material is most often delivered as a 4:3 aspect ratio presentation, but other 24p based non-film outlets - such as DVD (DVD-R or DVD-RAM) - could be 4:3 or 16:9 widescreen aspect ratios.

5. Does shooting 24p with the AG-DVX100 mean I need new Non Linear Editing process?

No. This is because the AG-DVX100 camera has been specifically designed to work in an NTSC DV editing environment to minimize your necessary 24p investment. Any existing IEEE-1394 based NLE should be compatible with the live camera IEEE-1394 output and tapes recorded by the AG-DVX100.
A compatible IEEE-1394 based software editing application typically costs under $1,000 (computer hardware extra).You may also be able to add a specialized PCI bus hardware accelerator to your computer providing real time video transitions and effects. See the Resources section of this site for links.

6. Will I need a new 24p capable DV studio VTR to playback an AG-DVX100 24p recorded tape?

No. The AG-DVX100 camera provides a "3:2 pull down" telecine process directly in the camera head, so that the 24p signal captured by the CCD based imager is converted to an NTSC compatible signal for mini-DV format recording and playback.

7. Will I be able to use an existing NTSC monitor to view 24p camera output or tapes?

Yes. This is again because the AG-DVX100 provides a built in "telecine" process which converts the 24p video signal captured by the CCD based imager to an NTSC compatible signal for editing and monitoring. So just plug the AG-DVX100 into any NTSC monitor, or insert a tape in your existing DV studio deck.

8. Do I need to utilize a separate DAT audio recording for high quality audio?

No. The quality of audio on the AG-DVX100 is comparable to the film industry standard DAT recorder. With professional XLR audio connectors, 48V phantom power and 16bit/48KHz sampling, the AG-DVX100 represents the state of the art in DV format digital audio.

9. Can I shoot tight in on my subject with the AG-DVX100?

Yes. With the AG-DVX100 standard lens, the shortest focal length is 4.5mm, the approximate equivalent in 35mm still photography to a 32.5mm wide-angle lens. Wide angle lenses by their nature provide a deep depth of field which will help with close up shots. An even wider-angle external adaptor will be available in the near future. Advanced Optical Image Stabilization provided within the lens elements assists in removing vibration induced image impairments when operating in such an informal capture style.

10. How can I reduce the depth of field to make the background less defined?

Depth of field is related to how wide the lens iris is opened. By reducing ambient lighting or by selecting a neutral density filter, the light transmitted to the CCD pickup is reduced and the iris can then be opened wider. This will reduce the depth of field. In general you want to shoot as wide open as possible for this effect, so using less intensive lighting, more strategically placed lighting and moving back from the subject, it is much easier to "lift" the subject off of the background. Conversely "stopping down" (closing) the iris will increase the depth of field, allowing a greater range of objects to appear in sharp focus. This is usually accomplished by adding more light to the scene.

11. What do I need to do to shoot in widescreen 16x9 aspect ratio?

For widescreen 16:9 operation with the AG-DVX100, select LETTERBOX recording mode, or use an external ANAMORPHIC lens adaptor. Letterbox has the major advantage of WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) operation, but an anamorphic lens adaptor provides higher vertical resolution which may be more important for film out applications. If LETTERBOX is selected, the normal CCD based imager signal output of 720 pixels H by 480 pixels V is cropped down to 720 pixels H by 360 pixels V. The remaining 60 pixels at the top and bottom of the picture forced to black.

12. Can I use an anamorphic lens adaptor with the AG-DVX100?

Yes. For 24p DV recording intended to transfer back to film, an external ANAMORPHIC lens adaptor provides up to 25% higher vertical resolution than the LETTERBOX mode. This is because the source image is optically converted from widescreen 16:9 aspect down to a 12:9 aspect (4:3). Therefore the entire surface of the CCD based imager can be used to capture the image, yielding a full 480 lines of vertical resolution.

13. What is the lens filter diameter?

72mm. screw in filters can be used with the supplied lens.

14. Does the AG-DVX100 avoid edge tearing (interlace combing) artifacts on moving objects?

Yes. The CCD based imagers used on the AG-DVX100 are progressive scan devices, which means the images they capture are much more like a sequence of still photographs than a traditional video signal. As you know, a still photograph NEVER suffers from edge tearing - which in the video domain is called combing and is caused as a byproduct of interlace based scanning - instead, fast moving edges blur out, whereas slow moving edges are well defined. A cinematographic film camera of course normally exposes a sequence of still frames at a rate of 24fps, in order to provide the illusion of continuous motion, and this is the process emulated by the AG-DVX100 when in 24p mode.

15. What is the Cine-like Gamma feature?

An important difference between traditional video systems and film (other than frame rate and interlace scanning) is the range of bright to dark areas that can be correctly exposed in a scene. Video has been optimized for high ambient lighting during image capture (studio) and viewing (living room) Therefore image brightness has been much more important than contrast ratio. Film, when used in cinematic presentations, has a very high wide dynamic range providing great detail in both the brightest and darkest areas of the image. The Cine-like Gamma feature of the AG-DVX100 emulates this wider exposure range characteristic and provides additional protection against "white clipping" which is a common DV camera field acquisition problem.

16. What are the lighting requirement differences between NTSC DV and DV at 24fps?

Proper lighting is key to achieving good images with film, and this statement is also true with a video based 24p capture system. The AG-DVX100 is more light sensitive when operating in 24p mode that in traditional 60i mode. So experiment with the quality of light in the scene - for example try lighting less intensely and for some shadow detail, perhaps using a wider lens iris setting. With video it is usually better to underexpose slightly rather than overexpose, as you can recover a lot of information in post production with underexposed video, and almost nothing if it is overexposed.

17. What is the best blank videocassette media to use with the AG-DVX100.

The AG-DVX100 is compatible with all brands of mini-DV videocassette, but for optimum performance we recommend the use of Panasonic DV Master Series videocassettes. The elimination of traditional "wet" oil based lubricants in favor of modern "dry" synthetic lubricants leads to greater resistance to tape dropouts, and more reliable operation in high humidity environments.

18. What are the advantages of 24p on the AG-DVX100 compared to PAL mini-DV systems?

Three primary advantages. First, the ability to use any existing NTSC monitor, studio VTR or editing system (and to use the camera itself as an NTSC camera when not shooting a 24p project). Second, PAL systems have a frame rate of 25fps which means a tricky 4% speed change for audio and video elements when transferring back to 24fps film. Third, existing PAL mini-DV cameras are interlace scan systems, which means that each half of the frame is captured a at different time. This means the final film out frames suffer from image tearing at the edge of moving objects, or require additional motion analysis and de-interlacing post-processing which tends to introduce image softening and other potential artifacts.

19. Why doesn't the AG-DVX100 record in DVCAM format?

There is no difference in the digital video image quality recorded by DV and DVCAM cassette formats, however mini-DV cassettes offer a 50% increase in recording time for an equivalent tape cost. All three DV compression based formats - DV, DVCPRO and DVCAM offer the same high quality component digital video recording based on a 5:1 compression ratio and 4:1:1 luminance to color sampling ratio.

20. But doesn't the DV format suffer from excessive tape dropouts?

Dropouts can be a problem with consumer grade DV videocassettes when applied to professional video applications. By replacing traditional "wet" lubricating oils with "dry" synthetic lubricants, Panasonic Master Series DV videocassettes eliminate the primary cause of tape dropouts in professional DV applications. In addition, unique pre-cleaning heads in the AG-DVX100 video drum also ensure the tape path is free of debris prior to the recording or playback heads passing over that section, which also minimize possibility of tape dropout.

21. Can 24p tapes recorded on an AG-DVX-100 play back in my IEEE-1394 equipped DVCAM deck?

Yes, provided the DVCAM deck can play a mini-DV format cassette, the 24p recorded mini-DV cassette recorded by the AG-DVX100 will play back on an existing DVCAM playback deck, and any existing IEEE-1394 based non-linear editing system commands should operate as normal.

22. Is the AG-DVX100's 24p recording format 24.00fps or 23.98fps?

In order to maintain complete compatibility with existing non-linear NTSC based editing systems, the precise 24p image capture rate of the AG-DVX100 is 23.976fps, which is commonly known as 23.98fps. This is recorded onto the DV videocassette as an NTSC compliant 59.94 fields per second (60i) signal through the process of pulldown. This is the same process and output frame rate that a telecine operator typically uses when transferring 16mm or 35mm film to a 525 line (NTSC) videotape format.

23. What do I need to know to get the best film print from DV 24p?

Talk to several vendors of film out services. See the Resources section of this web site for links to some key vendors that specialize in DV to film transfer. As DV 24p is a new concept we are all on a learning curve, however, some general rules will apply - keep detail enhancement controls OFF, try and use an ANAMORPHIC lens in order to maximize the vertical image resolution, and keep the post production process all digital - avoid at all costs dubbing to an analog tape format during post production.

24. Is it possible to author a 24p native DVD from DV 24p?

In theory yes it is. At this point in time only a few specialized DVD authoring systems recognize 24p (i.e. 23.976 frames per second) as a valid input signal. Most authoring systems expect to receive an NTSC compatible 60i (i.e. 59.94 fields per second) signal. A 24p sensitive DVD encoder can work 25% more efficiently than with 60i, because it only has to encode 48 fields / 24 frames per second compared to 60 fields / 30 frames per second. For any given Megabit/per second budget, that offers the potential of higher quality DVD encoding. Motion pictures released on DVD are encoded at this lower (24p) frame rate, so a 24p native video DVD (DVD-R / DVD-RAM) should be compatible with the majority of DVD players.

Now I've got the DV Cinema camera, how do I get into filmmaking?

Several film and video schools teach classes on video and film based cinematic storytelling. Don't be afraid to try new things with the camera and push this new technology to the limit. The size and weight of the AG-DVX100 along with the long recording times of the DV tapes and lithium batteries allow a style of filmmaking that is simply not available to traditional 35mm filmmakers. See the Resources section of this web site for some links. Good luck and enjoy the ride!