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DIGITAL DUEL
INTRO
If you take picture quality seriously then
digital is the only way to go; if you really mean business it has to be a 3-CCD
machine. We put the Panasonic and Sony DVC top-enders head-to-head
COPY
Whilst the dividing line between professional
and ‘domestic’ camcorders has become blurred since the arrival of digital
equipment, there is still one feature that separates the men from the boys, and
that’s the number of CCD image sensors. That’s not meant to imply single-chip
camcorders are in any way inferior, far from it. However, when it comes to
accurate colour reproduction and freedom from noise, three CCDs -- one for each
primary colour -- is the only way to go. Incidentally, it’s worth dispelling
the myth that three CCDs give three times the resolution, it doesn’t work like
that; in the end it’s the recording system that defines how much fine detail
can be captured.
The complex optics used in 3-CCD camcorders
are expensive to manufacture, consequently only a very small handful of
machines have this feature. We’re looking at two of them, the Panasonic NV-DX1,
and the Sony VX1000. As a matter of interest they were the very first DVC
camcorders. The Sony machine appeared here in early 1996, though Panasonic were
actually the first to launch in Japan, in the Autumn of 1995 but it didn’t
arrive in the UK until a couple of months after the VX1000.
In addition to the triple CCD image sensors,
they share a number of other similarities. To begin with they’re expensive,
compared with regular machines. The Panasonic DX1 is the cheaper of the two at
£3000, whilst the VX1000 will set you back an eye-watering £3600. Yes, that is
a lot of money, but it’s worth putting it into context. Professional,
broadcast-quality camcorders with similar capabilities, cost upwards of £12,000,
so you could say they’re a bargain...
They both look the part. The Panasonic
machine has the more radical design with what looks like a Walkman-sized deck
mechanism, strapped to the side of a black drain-pipe, with a lens at one end,
and viewfinder at the other. The VX1000 on the other hand echoes previous Sony
Hi8 machines with a plump silvery body, fat lens and distinctive carry handle,
fronted by a purposeful-looking microphone. In terms of layout the Sony machine
is a little easier to get on with, though the big pivoting viewfinder on the DX1
is very versatile. It comes in handy for waist-level shots, and the larger LCD
panel can be more easily viewed at a distance.
As befits serious semi-pro machines they each
have a full-set of manual exposure controls and relatively few gadgets, though
the VX1000 is the more versatile of the two, with a 3-mode program
auto-exposure system that has shutter and aperture priority and twilight modes,
plus a couple of handy exposure aids. It’s the sort of machine that anyone used
to modern SLR still camera will feel immediately at home with. The DX1 on the
other hand is better suited to those who think that too much automation and
gimmickry is a cop-out, and prefer to retain full manual control. Don’t let
that put you off though, both machines are as docile as kittens when used in
their full-auto modes. Anyone can use them, and expect to get excellent results
in all but the most difficult shooting conditions.
Other common features include image
stabilisers (Panasonic use an electronic system whereas Sony favour no-loss
optical Steady-Shot), colour LCD viewfinders, photo shooting modes, three
stereo soundtracks (2 x 12-bit/32kHz or 1 x 16-bit/48kHz), timecode recording
(VITC on the Panasonic and RCTC on the Sony model), editing terminals
(Panasonic 5-pin on the DX1 and Control L/LANC on the VX1000) and S-Video (Y/C)
outputs. Manual exposure settings are displayed on the viewfinders and they
have ‘cinema’ recording modes, with black bars on the top and bottom of the
picture. They’re both powered by lithium-ion rechargeable battery packs that
last for up to an hour, though 40 minutes is a good average. The large, bright
lenses on these machines have 10x zooms with electronic enlargement up to 20x,
and both feature manual white balance systems, to take advantage of their
improved colour recording capabilities.
The higher price of the VX1000 is largely due
to a number of additional creative facilities. It has a switchable
neutral-density (ND) filter, for shooting in very bright conditions, a
slow-speed shutter (down to 0.25th second), self and interval timers, custom
presets for colour level, white balance and exposure settings, fader with
overlap effect and a zebra-pattern generator. The latter is a feature common to
a lot of professional machines, it superimposes a series of stripes on areas of
the picture that are over-exposed, making manual iris adjustment a lot easier.
One rather more important additional feature is the VX1000’s FireWire digital
output. It’s used to connect the VX1000 to other items of digital video
equipment. Admittedly there’s not a lot you can use it with right now, apart
from a solitary Sony DVC video recorder (and some professional equipment), but
it could, and probably will become the standard digital video interface for
VCRs, editing equipment and PCs in years to come.
PERFORMANCE
Digital video always comes a bit of a shock
to those accustomed to high and low-band analogue recording systems. Whilst
there are some minor technical differences between DVC and broadcast video,
most people would be hard-pressed to spot any differences on a domestic TV.
Both camcorders perform very well, in fact there’s very little to choose
between them, as far as resolution and picture noise levels are concerned.
Samples of the Panasonic DX1 we’ve tested have achieved in excess of 450-lines;
the Sony VC1000 can manage maybe a dozen or so more lines, but these small
differences are well within the 5 percent error range of our tests and are not
significant. The lack of noise is far more important; images look incredibly
crisp and detailed. They’re stable too, with almost some of the lowest levels
of jitter we’ve seen, at all replay speeds, including still frame.
Differences do begin to emerge with colour
reproduction, however. The impact of those triple CCD sensors is immediately
obvious in the sharpness and subtlety of colours, the almost complete lack
noise in areas of high saturation and wide tonal range. Varieties of shades, in
plants and flowers for example, really stand out, they almost glow. Left to
their own devices, with the white balance controls set to automatic the Sony
machine gives a very slightly warmer picture. The DX1 is just a tad cooler.
Both models can be manually set to suit individual preference or lighting
conditions, though it is slightly easier on the VX1000 with it’s wider range of
adjustments.
There’s a remarkable similarity between the
audio recording systems on these machines. When used with an external
microphone dynamic range, frequency response and background noise levels are
all but indistinguishable. It’s a slightly different story with the on-board
microphones though. The VX1000 produces a much broader stereo image, and it has
better forward sensitivity. The top-mounted microphone on the DX1 is less
directional, and is also prone to picking up handling noises and motor whine in
very quiet surroundings, when the AGC is wound up. The DX1 sound system is more
flexible, though, with an audio dub facility. The VX1000 soundtrack can only be
dubbed during post-production. Panasonic could have gone further though, there’s
no audio line inputs, so dubbed audio has to come through the microphone
channel.
SUMMARY
There’s little or no point talking about winners
and losers, based on AV performance and price, which in any case varies quite
dramatically at street-level. If you’re can live without the frills, and
digital connectivity isn’t a requirement then the DX1 is the one to go for. The
dearer VX1000 has some useful additional exposure facilities and the
potentially important FireWire interface.
Both machines will knock your socks off!
BOX COPY 1
DIGITAL ALTERNATIVES
Sadly Sony have just discontinued the
DCR-VX700, which had the same basic spec as the VX1000, but a single chip image
sensor, and a £2700 price tag. There might be a few left, it’s well worth
considering. The Sony DCR-VX9000 is unquestionably the ultimate DVC camcorder.
This shoulder-mounted model uses full-size DVC tapes and is squarely aimed at
serious semi-pro movie-makers. You’ll have to dig deep though, it costs around
£4500. At the other end of the scale there’s a good selection of DVC compacts
around the £2000 mark, from Sony, JVC and Sharp. They’re designed for demanding
family users and snap-shooters. Performance in all cases is excellent.
BOX COPY 2
THERE’S STILL LIFE IN THE ANALOGUE DOG YET...
Don’t write off analogue camcorders just yet!
In fact they’re perfectly adequate for the
vast majority of movie-making and desktop video applications. DVC is still
expensive, and the extra quality is relatively unimportant if all you want to
do is make movies for your own enjoyment, or you’re on a tight budget. Hi-band camcorders
(S-VHS-C and Hi8) are capable of good results. The most flexible Hi 8 machine
has to be the Canon EX2 Hi, mainly by virtue of it’s interchangeable lens
system, though at £2700 it doesn’t stack up very well against digital
equipment. You don’t have to spend anything like that much though, the best Hi8
camcorder at the moment, as far as features, price and performance is
concerned, is the Canon UC9Hi, which sells for just £800. You should also take
a look at the S-VHS-C Panasonic NV-SX3 at £750 and Sony CCD-TR810. If you fancy
a few more bells and whistles then think about the Canon UC-X30 (£1100), and
the old Panasonic NV-S88, a real classic, and worth tracking down.
SPECIFICATIONS
Make/model Panasonic NV-DX1E
How much? £3000
OPTICS
Lens f/1.6, 6-60 mm
Zoom 10x optical, 20x electronic
Pick-up device 3 x 0.3in CCDs
Min illum 4 lux
Filter diameter 49 mm
MAIN FACILITIES
auto/manual focus, manual iris, fader, manual
white balance, insert edit, audio dub, image stabiliser, accessory shoe,
time/date recording, timecode recording, self-timer, high-speed shutter (1/50 sec to 1/8,000th sec), record review,
retake, tally lamp, frame-record, photo shooting mode, manual audio recording
level control, 0.7in colour LCD
viewfinder
AUDIO FACILITIES
2 x 12-bit stereo PCM, 1 x 16-bit stereo PCM,
external microphone socket, headphone socket
GENERAL
Sockets: composite/S-Video and audio out (proprietary),
microphone, headphone (minijack), 5-pin edit terminal (mini DIN) DC power in
Dimensions: 144 x 121 x 267 mm
All up weight: 1.8 kg (inc. tape and battery)
PERFORMANCE
Resolution 470-lines
Colour fidelity good
Picture stability excellent
Colour bleed none
White balance average
Exposure excellent
Auto focus very good
Audio performance excellent
Insert edit clean
CV RATINGS
Video quality 9
Audio quality 9
Edit facilities 9
Build quality 9
Ease of use 8
Value for money 9
Overall rating 93%
SONY DCR-VX1000
Make/model Sony DCR-VX1000
How much? £3600
OPTICS
Lens f/1.6, 5.9 - 59mm
Zoom 10x optical, 20x electronic
Pick-up device 3 x 0.3in CCDs
Min illum 4 lux
Filter diameter 52mm
MAIN FACILITIES
auto/manual focus, manual iris, programmed AE,
fader, manual white balance, insert edit, image stabiliser, accessory shoe,
time/date recording, self-timer,
high-speed shutter (1/4 sec to 1/10,000th sec), record review, retake,
tally lamp, frame-record, switchable ND filter, aperture and shutter priority,
still, slomo, 16:9 recording mode, custom picture presets, zebra pattern
display, fade/overlap, photo shooting mode, RC timecode and data recording,
manual audio recording level control,
0.6in colour LCD viewfinder
AUDIO FACILITIES
2 x 12-bit stereo PCM, 1 x 16-bit stereo PCM,
external microphone socket, headphone socket
GENERAL
Sockets: AV out (phono), S-Video out (mini
DIN), digital video out (DV jack), microphone, headphone and Control L
(minijack), DC power in
Dimensions: 110 x 144 x 329 mm
All up weight: 1.6kg (inc. tape and battery)
PERFORMANCE
Resolution 480-lines
Colour fidelity excellent
Picture stability excellent
Colour bleed none
White balance excellent
Exposure excellent
Auto focus average
Audio performance very good
Insert edit clean
CV RATINGS
Video quality 10
Audio quality 9
Edit facilities 9
Build quality 9
Ease of use 8
Value for money 8
Overall rating 92%
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Ó R. Maybury 1997 0603
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