Panasonic AG-DVC 60 OK by me!

Author's Rating:

Pros: Great viewfinder, shoulder mount stability and easy to use. TWO accessory shoes!

Cons: Needs an aftermarket microphone

The Bottom Line: 
Buy this camera and get yourself a solid video experience from a professional feeling shoulder mounted camera.

Author's Review
I purchased my DVC 60 largely because I wanted to shoot from the shoulder and enjoy the stability that comes with that. This camera is the only product at this price point that gave me what I wanted. I had read the audio complaints of others and was a bit leery at first. Sure enough, there is a lot of distortion at the top end of the meters when using the built-in mic. I put an Azden short shotgun on the camera and the problem became a non-issue. The audio is perfect and the meters represent playback levels really well.

The video the camera produces shows it's Panasonic heritage. Images are somewhat softer than Canon or Sony camcorders, much like the DVX100 video. In camera effects are kept to a minimum, which is good. Low light level shooting modes are fun to have and are rare on a 3 chip camera. The viewfinder is phenomenal. It can compare favorably with with the finders on ENG camcorders that cost 10 times as much.

I would have liked to have seen some sort of flash memory storage for stills on this camera, but that's just me. The only way to make this camera better would be to go all the way and have 24p frame rates and 1/3" chips. Sort of a shoulder mounted DVX100. (Are you listening Panasonic?)

All in all a great camera, suited for high end consumers and a good back up for pros. Great price, too.