DVX200, the first 72 hours

I’ve now spent 3 days with a pre-production DVX200 (apologies to the family for going missing this weekend) and I now know what all the fuss is about.

The DVX200 isn’t just another 4K camera, it’s a new breed entirely. Like any large sensor camera, it delivers shallow depth of field and excellent low light performance, but it adds the speed, practicality and versatility of an integrated zoom lens.

But does it fall between two stools or is it really a master of all trades? Now I’ve spent time with it, I’m firmly in the latter camp.

A lot of it comes down to the lens – it’s very bright, very sharp and gives you the image control and depth of field DSLR-users are used to... but with the welcome addition of

• Built-in ND filters
• 5 axis image stabilisation
• Variable speed servo zoom.

With this fantastic lens integrated into the body, there’s no worries about dust on the sensor and no need to carry around a heavy case of expensive lenses. It’s even got a macro function which gives great results ultra close-up.

I have to say I’ve also fallen for the variable frame rate which at 120 frames per second can even make the raindrops look good!

As for the V-Log Lite gamma with its Varicam pedigree – I haven’t felt this way about a camera since the AF101 arrived. More thoughts will follow - we’ve been shooting an early impressions video today which we’ll upload soon. Watch this space!