HPX300 wth AVCINTRA announced

Jim Carswell

Jim Carswell

Well-known member
For those who have not seen in the HVX forum or heard about this announcement it is as follows:

“Panasonic announced today the release of the new AG-HPX300, a 2.2 megapixel, 1/3inch 3-cmos camcorder. The HPX300 records to P2 in both AVC-Intra and DVCPRO HD in 1080i/p, 720p and standard definition. Featuring interchangeable lenses, a shoulder mount design, and several new features, it is clearly designed to challenge the Canon XL H1s and JVC GY-HD250. The AG-HPX300 will retail for $10,700 (inlcuding a fujinon lens) and is expected to become available in March 2009.

The CMOS chip inside the camcorder is newly designed. It features a on-chip chromatic aberration compensation, as well as dynamic range stretch, which reads the content of the image to compensate for overly bright or dark areas. Panasonic also claims that the pixel density of the CMOS chip is lower than comparable sensors.

The AG-HPX300 features a LCOS viewfinder, which includes on-board focus assist, audio monitoring and even a vectorscope. There is also a 3.2 inch LCD on the side of the camcorder.

Panasonic has also announced a matching studio configuration package for under $10,000.”
 
Here's another release from Broadcasting & Cable. It refers to 3MOS instead of CMOS.

NAB 2009: Panasonic Intros Low-Cost, High-Quality HD Camcorder
10-bit, 4:2:2 model will sell for $10,700

By Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/11/2009 12:00:00 PM MT

Panasonic has introduced a new P2 HD solid-state camcorder with 10-bit, 4:2:2 image processing, the AG-HPX300, which will be available in March at a suggested list price of $10,700.

The camera, which was formally introduced at a press event in New York Wednesday where Panasonic detailed its plans for the NAB convention in April, uses Panasonic's AVC-Intra advanced compression scheme to record HD video at 100 and 50 megabit-per-second bit rates in both the 1080i and 720p formats using solid-state P2 memory cards.

The HPX300, which has a 1/3-inch imager with 2.2-megapixel 3-MOS technology, can also be used as a studio camera and is equipped with a remote control terminal (RCU) for use with the optional AJ-RC10G Remote Control Unit and compatible studio remote control systems. Panasonic says that later this year it will release a customized studio configuration system which will include the AG-BS300 base station, AG-EC4 extension control unit (ECU) and AG-CA300 remote control camera adapter. The optional studio add-on package will sell for less than $10,000.

"The HPX300 establishes a new benchmark for performance within this price range" said Robert Harris, Vice President, Panasonic Broadcast. "It not only captures full native 1920 x 1080 HD resolution, but it allows professionals to record at a quality level that no other camcorder in this price range can equal. Without the compromise of 8-bit, long GOP, 4:2:0 recording, the HPX300 provides master-quality, 10-bit, 4:2:2 individual frame capture using our award winning AVC-Intra codec. Video professionals will immediately realize that this camera is in a field of its own."
 
Ok this is pretty good overall. What is the target market for this camera? Will this camera have shallower depth of field compared to other 1/3 sensor size cameras? If a depth of field adapter is added to the camera it will allow you to record to this 10 bit format without any hiccups correct?
 
I'm liking the entire camera, AVCIntra, High Rez on-board LCD (FINALLY), Interchangeable lens, everything looks awesome.
 
Nik Manning said:
Will this camera have shallower depth of field compared to other 1/3 sensor size cameras?
Click to expand...
No, all 1/3" cameras will perform the same at the same focal length.

However, yes, if you put on a long lens and get way the heck away. In Africa we were using 328mm worth of lens from a hundred yards away, and the dof was paper-thin. :)

If a depth of field adapter is added to the camera it will allow you to record to this 10 bit format without any hiccups correct?
Click to expand...
Yes.
 
Put an adapter in front of that 17x fujinon lens, if possible, and you would lose the nice looking form factor.

I believe the new relay lenses coming out from Cinevate can be used for 1/3" mounts, but I'm not sure if there is a crop factor involved - most likely.
 
Why the insistence on ENG-style bodies? I mean, why do we need such a large hunky body when we are not housing a tape drive? These cameras are fine on a tripod or in the studio, but for handheld applications, they have poor ergonomics. I'm not talking about weight, either. The length is preposterous.

This type of camera is what Panasonic should be thinking about. Something that lets cinematographers achieve shots never before possible (this is the camera used on Slumdog):

SI-2Kmini_productpage.jpg



Marco
 
marco0782 said:
Why the insistence on ENG-style bodies? I mean, why do we need such a large hunky body when we are not housing a tape drive? These cameras are fine on a tripod or in the studio, but for handheld applications, they have poor ergonomics. I'm not talking about weight, either. The length is preposterous.

This type of camera is what Panasonic should be thinking about. Something that lets cinematographers achieve shots never before possible (this is the camera used on Slumdog):

SI-2Kmini_productpage.jpg



Marco
Click to expand...

Sorry Marco, but you clearly have never used one of them. I love my HVX200, but when it comes to long handheld shooting or one needs a quick servozoom or you start attaching stuff like wireless audio, lights etc the formfactor is proven and works. Yes you can achieve different things with different cams and therefore they get developped like that.
 
I agree.

Little cameras can be just as limiting in different ways.

Larger cameras can be held much more steadily for longer periods of time than the little cameras.

Plus, I like the momentum of a larger when panning as well as being able hold on to something.

This hybrid large/medium format is great. Now if they had just put in 1/2" chips and SD/CF card recording I would be jumping for joy right now.
 
I have been using an HPX500 for over a year and a half, almost always handheld, and I'm over 60. In the past, as a documentary filmmaker, I have owned Eclair NPRs, Eclair ACLs and, for over 25 years, an Aaton LTR. All of THOSE cameras are ergonomically designed...

If you look further on the S1 2K resource page you will see that they have an intermediate body accessory (between the item shown here and the Aaton Bauer battery mount) that provides for shoulder mounting (it's actually a computer that allows for touch-screen programming among other things)... This is actually the configuration I've been told was used for most of SLUMDOG.. And in that configuration it is a superb little camera!

Everyone to their own, I guess, but for me I have been complaining about the chiropractic horrors of "handycams" (like the HVX200) for documentary shooting for years...

Congratulations to Panasonic for paying attention... I will replace my HVX200 "B" camera with an HPX300 as soon as it's available... After I hear the reviews, of course, but I'm optimistic...
 
Sorry, I forgot to add something - It appears that they have cut the forward body portion of the new camera lower than the 500 (similar to the old Sony DSR200), which shows that someone is actually paying attention to the needs of people like me..

With a lower body profile, you can actually see OVER the camera to your right while shooting... This is a big deal in a shoulder mount camera - if you don't believe me, try shooting in a rioting crowd when you are completely blind to one side....
 
I have some adapter questions that Barry maybe is willing or capable to answer:

1. Lightloss is a big issue with 35mm adapters. Does the 300 come close to the 500 in sensitivity?

2. I suppose the letus 2/3" rely lens will fit on this camera. But there should be a HUGE crop factor. Would a Letus Ultimate be clean enough to compensate for that unvoluntary "zooming in"?
 
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