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I've been wanting a 3-chip DV camcorder for awhile. After producing many thousands of hours of analog video, I grew to really enjoy using the Panasonic professional grade video equipment, and the great customer service Panasonic offers. I researched many different models of DV camcorders, including Canon, Sony, and JVC. The AG-DVC30 offers more bang for the buck, and with the optional XLR adaptor, it really puts it in the professional class. The picture quality is excellent, and with all the manual camera features. this is a great DV 3-chip camcorder. I hope to get several more for multi-cam capture.
I have had a Panasonic cam-corder for several years - a high end consumer model. (NV-MX8 / PAL) It had given me some technical faults during its life, but picture and sound quality were never in question. After a tiny JVC cam-corder that was my first Mini-DV based video camera, I swore never to get such a small unit again, so I was not interested in a pocket-sized unit at all. The small size, tiny buttons, low capacity batteries and so on all made for a pretty unfriendly camera in my opinion. I have tried a couple of the latest hard disk based cameras, and although there are some great looking designs, I did not like the images they produced. They seem very hard and 'jerky', especially when tracking fast movement. I far prefer the results from regular Mini-DV. (revised Dec. 09 - I still have the DVC-30. It is reliable and over-all picture quality hard to beat. The main thing that is keeping me loyal to Mini-DV is that I don't need to archive all my videos to DVD's or whatever. I am more tempted by some of the new hard disk HD Cam's, but still really like the DVC-30). I thought about HD for a while, but I had several batteries for my MX8, a bunch of filters, as well as a Panasonic wide lense that I did not want to give up on. This played a large part in point me towards the DVC-30. The on-line reviews that I found were generally full of praise for general quality and balance, and it obviously found a level of acceptance amongst more professional users than I am. The sound quality from the on-board mic seemed to be a dissapointment for most users. I looked around for some time to find a good place to buy. The choice seemed to be between a miriad of 'Bate-and-Switch' on-line retailers, or regular retail stores asking top-dollar for what has to be viewed as a camera that has been around for a while. I decided that I would keep looking and bidding on eBay until I struck lucky. It seemed to me that I would have to pay between $1200 and $2000, depending on what was included with the camera. I was happy with the package I got. I was very happy to get one with very few hours recorded on it, but be aware that when a camera is repaired, the hours counter can be re-set back to zero, so this is not an absolute guarantee. I haven't used the camera very much yet, but so far I am happy. Picture quality , color saturation, exposure are all fine. Low-light, although flagged as good in some reviews, was to me just adequate. In good light, I would say the results are very good. For the rest, the reviews I based my choice on, proved to be pretty fair. Sound was very poor, and I had to get a Rode Videomic to get the sound up to par. I felt that Panasonic has may be kept volume on the low side to avoid noise pick-up from the camera. The only other thing I was not impressed with was the image stabilizer. The DVC-30 has a good optical stabilizer, but it was far below the performace of my old MX8. With the MX8 I could litterally run alongside of a subject and get pretty good, steady images. With the DVC30 you just get motion-sick watching the results! Overall, the quality and feel of the camera are exactly what I wanted and I would recommend the DVC30 to any serious prosumer videographer where quality is more important than the latest gadgets. Happy videoing!Read full review
I have found no fault with the camcorder. It has performed as expected . I( am using it to record from a home movie screen some cherished scenes from 89MM movie film from ww2 and beyond including the hydrogen bomb test from the air at einawetak M.I. I then narate the scenes and transfer them to DVD for my grand kids.I was able to down load the users manual frim Panasonic and make a Manual in large print which gave me a perfect program on the first try. The price I paid and the fast shipment was excelent. I am very proud of my purchace since now My film are now Narated in didgital format. . Thanks EBAY.
Wow! Where do I start? I've owned this camcorder for almost a year now. I purchased it along with the optional XLR adaptor to shoot video depositions and "Day in the Life" documentaries for attorneys. I had previously been using a Sony DSR 250 which cost more than twice as much and is over four times as heavy and bulky. Under normal lighting, the image quality of the DVC30 is equal to that of the DSR 250. It far surpasses the 250 in low light situations! Its only drawback is that it uses miniDV tapes with a narrower track pitch than the 124 minute tapes I use in the 250. This is only a theoretical problem however as long as you don't knock the unit around which would mess up the head alignment. For the money, you can't find a better equipped or higher quality miniDV cam on the market!Read full review
Great cam comercial grade excellent picture quality decent sound to get a great sound you will need the xlr microphone adapter and a xlr microphone the infrared feature its awesome in night shoots this its a blased its light well balanced body its manesium ( not cheap plastic ) just get it and see it for youre self
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