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The Panasonic AG-DVX100A has been around for a couple of years. An upgrade of the original DVX100 released in 2000, it does everything you want a Mini DV camcorder to do (especially 24p) and then some. Now there's an upgraded model, the AG-DVX100B, which lists for a little more money ($3,995) but promises even more functionality. According to Panasonic, production of the 100A ended in December, although several dealers may still have them in stock. The important question is, Does the 100B live up to the reputation of its predecessors?
New features include increased resolution on both viewfinder (to 230,000 pixels) and LCD panel (to 210,000 pixels). The viewfinder and LCD are capable of full-frame viewing. The camera's imager is native 4:3; to achieve 16:9 capture, the camera offers the option of letterbox or squeeze mode. When shooting in squeeze mode, the camera allows unsqueezing of the image in the viewfinder so that widescreen images do not appear distorted. Scene and camera setup files may be transferred between DVX100Bs over FireWire. Additionally, the DVX100B is able to sync to external timecode. The DVX100B ships with a more powerful battery (CGR-D54) that can drive the camera for nearly five and a half hours. The camera also features dedicated remote focus and iris connectors.
On the outside, the cameras are practically identical. When you open the 3.5-inch LCD...