OK for ENG backup work

Author's Rating:

Pros: Best value for money in a Mini-DV procam

Cons: No XLR mounts but addaptor avialble

The Bottom Line: 
Its cheap and works what more can I say?

Author's Review
I Work in Television and had a project in the field we went out with two camera's a Sony DSR-PD150 and had a DVC-7 along for backup.
While in the jungle in the Southern Philippines a sudden downpour came at night- as luck would have it our 4 times as expensive Sony that broke down- moisture or a short we never figured it out.
We used the AG-DVC 7 for five days, and never had problem -except for needing to rig an adaptor for a XLR mic- I never will figure out why Panasonic got rid of the two extra chips and two XLR Mounts this camera when it was called the AG-DVC10 and Later AG-DVC15 had.
To make a long story short- we got back to Manila from Mindanao used the camera for playback to a pro-NLE system and it worked fine with its IEEE1394 port - we edited our stories and to our surprise- found both the video and audio quality was just as good as had we brought a Betacam or a more expensive camera pro-rig.
When we returned our gear to our rental place- and I found out the price - I saved up and bought a unit and am thinking of buying another one to back up my first it is a very good buy.
Panasonic did good job with this camera- and it has earned me many times its value in a month.
I just wish they would explain to me why there are no XLR mounts on it- shame- For ENG newsgathering work its ok.
But if you need to do major film work and edit NLE perhaps the AG-DVX100 or cheaper AG-DVC80 is what you need.
But in a fix this rig worked fine- and as a professional I must admit- it is worthy of the name PRO-Line.
Also no interference from wireless microphone as with other MiniDV cams- lets just say am happy with it.
I have gone into hot zones with it- done temperature changes and run into downpours in the last month getting soaked either with a cameraman shooting or doing the job myself.
The thing works- it shoots- its easy enough to carry for hours and one thing Prota brace does make a waterproof kit for it -buy it if you do outdoor work.
For wedding and corporate work it is an affordable alternative to the more expensive- DSR-250- at $5,000.00
with this thing running now less than a thousand bucks a piece- its great for the job.

Mike Cohen
Broadcast Journalist