The First Footage from the Panasonic DVX200 Looks a Lot Like the GH4, Which Is Great

All joking aside, German DP Sebastian Wiegärtner posted this brief reel of footage from a pre-release version of the DVX200 this morning, and it looks quite lovely. Check it out:

Here are the notes that Wiegärtner included along with the video (the camera is limited to 4:2:0 internally, though it should have about 12 stops of dynamic range):

Shot on a pre production model in UHD resolution and 50p. Sadly the compression of Vimeo and YouTube is so high, you just really can't judge the image. All I can say: This is the perfect camera for Documentaries and fast TV work, where you have to be fast and where you still want to achieve a cinematic image. Due to the M4/3 sensor it's way easier to focus than with a Super 35 or Full Frame sensor. Almost everything shot full wide open. Native ISO of this camera is 500.

I used the flat V-Log profile, applied VariCam 35 Rec 709 and graded everything very hard + added some grain to the footage. This was shot during the Panasonic #DVX4Ktour. Shot on Location in Kyoto, Japan.

My very first impression of this footage is that it looks really similar to what you'd expect from a GH4. Even with the web compression, it's easy to tell that there's a ton of detail in the images, which isn't surprising considering the UHD resolution. Just look at the trees in those first few shots. Very crisp. Very clean. Not to mention that the color and skin tones look great overall. It's important to note that this video has an aggressive grade on it though, along with some additional grain, so this is by no means exactly what you'd get straight out of the camera, especially in V-Log.

Ultimately, it looks like Panasonic has a real winner on their hands in terms of the documentary and broadcast camera market. While it's still not clear how much the camera will cost — all we know is that it will be less than $5,000 — the DVX200 is shaping up to be an excellent option for shooters wanting a larger sensor in a more traditional medium-sized camcorder body.

Source: Sebastian Wiegärtner