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Panasonic Pro AG-DVC20 Reviews

Great Camera!
by Sumter J. Hogan Jr. from Douglasville, GA., 2010-01-15

I use this camera for community tv production. I find it reliable and easy to use. It has good "low lux" sensing and performs excellent in studio and field shoots. I've acutally (I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS) dropped this camera from shoulder height, and it suffered no internal damage. It has a little bruise on the top of the case, but that's all the damage I can find. That incident was in August 2009, and the camera still works flawlessly. As most of you know, I do not recommend using Sony tapes with this camera. Most of you understand that you cannot mix Sony and JVC/Panasonic tapes due to the differences in lubrication used on the tapes. Make sure you get a good tripod for this camera; It will thank you for it later. One FINAL warning, throw away the strap that comes with the camera. It may cause the camera to slip of your shoulder. If I had the money, I would own three Panasonic DVC20s. I bought the optional six hour battery. It has never disappointed me. Some ads don't mention it, but the camera comes with two (2 hour) batteries.

sj

Ideal Prosumer Camera at this price range
by JL from Pittsburgh, PA, 2010-01-14

The Panasonic AG-DVC20 is probably the best (if not only) "Pro-sumer" MiniDV camera in its price range. The DVX100 (and now the HVX) is the staple of the low budget filmmaker. But if you want a professional look at a lower cost the AG-DVC20 is the way to go. Here's why it's still better than anything you can get at BestBuy or Wal-mart.

These cameras were the workhorse of our College TV station. They were great for on location, news packages, interviews, sports etc. They toughed out freezing temperatures, snow, rain you name it. We used them during live broadcasts of sporting events. They surprisingly held up with our PRO $10,000 cameras. We couldn't tell the difference from the control room. Plus the camera ops always wanted to use them, because they were so light and had good auto-focus.

It's MiniDV- still the media used by professionals. No one uses DVD recorders or HD camcorders that only record compressed video files (that probably won't be compatible with your editor). You can always get a hardrive to record the video using the DV out, so you won't have to capture tapes, if you don't want.

Shouldermount- obviously for functionality and professional look, being shouldermount is one of the best features of this camera. It also has a handle on the top with a record button and zoom controls, so you can hold it low or in front of you. You can also hold the camera over your head or flip the LCD all the way around, to watch as you record a blog. It even folds closed with the screen facing out. The remote also comes in handy when recording yourself.

Has a mini microphone input, so you'll need to use an XLR adapter for your professional mics. But these days most consumer cameras don't have mic inputs at all. And more and more prosumer mics are made for mini, since it's becoming popular with this range of camera.

Has two shoes for mounting a light and a shotgun microphone at the same time. There's also room on the body for you to Velcro a wireless mic receiver, light battery pack or hard drive.

There is no ND filter built in, but you can buy one that screws on, as well as polarizer filters and the like. You will definitely need an ND filter in direct sunlight.

I would not say it is good in low light. I would try not to use the "gain" (as with any consumer camera). Instead make an effort to supply ample light, buy an onboard light, or sharpen your skills in finding the best available lighting on your shoot.

Also, it is interlaced, which looks great if you watch the video from the camera on an analogue TV. But if your output is going to be for Web or Progressive DVD, you'll need to check the de-interlace or interpolate fields box in your editor. But you'll get a crisp image that easily.

All in all, this camera has many pro features, at en extremely low cost. It's designed for professional use. If a DVX is not in your price range, this will make an excellent first camera.

One of my all time favorites
by Michael M. Partain , 2009-03-22

It's supposed to be entry level but so far it's turned out first class footage for everything.. Of course, I do know how to shoot..but it will work for anybody..and don't let the gripes about the menu discourage you. It's a simple menu and easy to use. I use a battery powered sound board to mix sound before I send it to the cam..but this AG 20 records sound better than any other I've ever used.

Now all I need to do is learn.
by Michael P. Garrity , 2009-02-20

This is my very first camcorder. I actually researched and bought a Canon GL2 two years ago for my elementary schools newscast. This is quite a bit bulkier, but was significantly less expensive. My concerns were to make sure I got good sound and good low-light results. The low-light results are there and with the external mic I picked up it satisfies my other concern. I am very pleased with the product for the price.

Very Dissapointed
by Gabriel Macho from PLC , Venezuela, 2009-01-25

This camera with three ccd lack of brilliants color and the low ligth performance is too bad that i decided to sell it and buy and HV20 or HV30, controls are hard to use, the AG-DVC7 is a better model than this, panasonic went too backwards with this cameral, if u plan to buy a camera, get the sony hdr1000 o the canon GL2.

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