Panasonic Announces New HPX-170

I kinda hope that this will drive the price of the 100b down a little more...I'd still like to have one as a starter cam. That'd just give me a little more $ to put into the actual production.
 
For those attending NAB:

Could someone please get some photos of the other angles of the camera to post up?

Do they actually have a working model of the 170? Or is it just a shell?
 
There doesn't seem to be any improvements to the LCD resolution on the 170 or 200A (guess they still want to sell monitors...), but Panasonic did add a focus assist.

The only working floor model of the 170 didn't have a working menu, however I did keep pressing the button like an impatient guy at an elevator. They also brought back the DVX-style joystick play/shuttle controller.

The Panasonic rep did seem to really want to sell me on a slot to attach a 'lock' to tether to your tripod (or something else). She also mentioned that the HPX-170 'should' be cheaper than the HVX-200A, as she put it, "because this one has no tape mechanism". There was no price point announced and all the reps, when asked for a release date, say "fall".

In a nutshell it looks like the 170 is a 200A without a tape drive. There are (as stated repeatedly here) improvements to the sensor and better low-light capability. But now a 6-pin firewire slot has been added. Also added a ND filter, focus assist, HD-SDI, 20 variable frame rates (opposed to the HVX's 11), a wider lens (28mm), a 72mm thread (opposed to the HVX's 82mm) and a waveform monitor. Might be something else I'm forgetting but my morning java is wearing off. I'll try to grab a few pics today to post tonight.

Chris
 
jetaddiction@mac.com said:
does it have 82mm thread lens. uses the same lens as the hvx200?
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The HVX-200A has an 82mm lens/thread (same as the original 200).

The HPX-170 has a 72mm lens/thread (same as the DVX-100 series).

I am also told that (despite this difference) they are essentially the same lens.
 
jetaddiction@mac.com said:
does it have 82mm thread lens. uses the same lens as the hvx200?
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No. The HVX200A is the same as the HVX200, but the HPX170 uses a 72mm lens. It's smaller and lighter, with a wider focal length range (3.9mm-51mm, vs. the HVX's 4.2mm-55mm). Still a Leica Dicomar, everything looks basically very similar, probably the same basic design etc., but it is physically smaller.
 
Those Pix on Camcorder info appear to be two separate cameras. For example, one of them (similar to older mock-ups I've seen?) has a rigid viewfinder, while the other photos show it nearly straight up. The "older" also looks more like gray in some areas, though that could just be lighting.
 
I wish Panasonic added a Frame rate dial on the camera body.
I think Sony did this with the EX3.
 
Barry_Green said:
No. The HVX200A is the same as the HVX200, but the HPX170 uses a 72mm lens. It's smaller and lighter, with a wider focal length range (3.9mm-51mm, vs. the HVX's 4.2mm-55mm). Still a Leica Dicomar, everything looks basically very similar, probably the same basic design etc., but it is physically smaller.
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Since both the HPX170 and the HMC150 have 72mm filter threads, does this mean the bayonet mount for W/A lenses would be the same as the DVX, so I could use lenses I might already have?
 
Summary changes in HPX170 compared to the HVX200 :

improved light sensitivity (0.5 stop)
increased S/N
less smear
HD/SD- SDI
20 in stead of 12 frame rates
flip frame
6-pins FW
last clip delete button
PAL/NTSC switchable
3 types of focus assist, wave form + vectorscope (can be switched off on demand)
framerate change out of menu structure
joystick type of control of play functions like in the DVX (and not 90 degrees rotated)
lens 72 mm (instead of 82 mm of the HVX)
no DV tape deck (which makes the cam lighter and smaller)
extra ND filter
anti-theft provision

correct me if I am wrong or missed something


When you sum it up like this it is a huge change !!!
 
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I wonder if they also improved the battery mounting system (the first HVX200s suffered from breaking "plastic" tabs in the battery bay). Maybe they made them now from metal ?????
 
William_Robinette said:
The 170 goes back to the vertical battery mounting system the DVX uses, not the horizontal of the HVX.
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You know, when I first saw it I thought the horizontal system was really odd - but now I've gotten used to it. I think that's one of the things I'll miss if I move over to a 170 when it's released. Seems much faster to pop the battery off horizontally, ergonomically it just feels better.
 
Luis Caffesse said:
You know, when I first saw it I thought the horizontal system was really odd - but now I've gotten used to it. I think that's one of the things I'll miss if I move over to a 170 when it's released. Seems much faster to pop the battery off horizontally, ergonomically it just feels better.
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That's funny, because I have the direct opposite experience. At first I thought the horizontal batt on the HVX would be awesome, but after using it, it is sooo awkward. Every other battery system I have used has been vertical so it's what I'm used to I guess...
 
nice move panasonic ! totally tapeless and more sensitive than the HVX200 at a lower price. I wonder how that AVCHD model will fare compared to this one.
 
Don't know if this was mentioned or not, but Jan mentioned today that the HPX170 has an lcd flip function for 35 adapter users.

Does indeed have additional framerates (20 in all). The focus assist (one of the three focus assist functions) can now remain on instead of cutting off after a few seconds.

She mentioned that NTSC/PAL switchable is still up for debate, but it sounds like it may be an upgrade option at the very least... but nothing confirmed nor denied on that feature.

don't know if the 200a will have the lcd flip or not, and the focus assist that stays on rather than automatically cutting off... But, a lot of little features like this mentioned about the 170 that really look like they will help fill out the camera.

(EDIT: Just read a few posts up, so covered already :) )

Jan mentioned "around the same price as the HVX"

later,
Jason
 
Jason Ramsey said:
Don't know if this was mentioned or not, but Jan mentioned today that the HPX170 has an lcd flip function for 35 adapter users.

Does indeed have additional framerates (20 in all). The focus assist (one of the three focus assist functions) can now remain on instead of cutting off after a few seconds.

She mentioned that NTSC/PAL switchable is still up for debate, but it sounds like it may be an upgrade option at the very least... but nothing confirmed nor denied on that feature.

don't know if the 200a will have the lcd flip or not, and the focus assist that stays on rather than automatically cutting off... But, a lot of little features like this mentioned about the 170 that really look like they will help fill out the camera.

later,
Jason
Click to expand...

Any word on if this will be on the HMC150 as well?
 
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