Is 24P for Me?

The Panasonic AG-DVX100 is a great camera. When we reviewed it, we loved the lens and the customization options. And, more importantly, we shot some great video with it. But when our readers mention this camera, they almost always want to talk about one thing: 24p. The question is: What is 24p and do you need it?

24p Video = 24p Film
Aggressive marketing and popular discussion have created quite a buzz around consumer 24p. Before the Panasonic camera, some people advocated using a PAL 25fps system to get a film frame rate from consumer video. Unfortunately, many people seem to think that if they just shoot 24p, their video will look like film. Admit it though: We are all guilty to some extent of believing that technology can solve our artistic problems. As far as we know, there is no technology that can magically transform poorly shot footage into high art.

There are many reasons why film looks like film and video looks like video. For example, film cameras tend to have narrower depths of field, which gives the cinematographer greater artistic options. Of course the reason for this is that film cameras are much larger, tend to have better optical systems and, of course, cost a lot more. And film itself is more expensive. This tends to make filmmakers shoot much more carefully. And the people running film cameras have more experience than the average home video enthusiast. Is it really so surprising that film looks better th…

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D. Eric Franks | August 2003

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Is 24P for Me?

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