1080 Varicam
- Thread starter kai
- Start date
Jaime Valles
Veteran
I think they're going to announce one at NAB this year. 2/3" 1080p onto P2 cards. Anyone have the link handy?
Rhydon
Well-known member
They do have a 1080 varicam, but its 1080i.... Currently they have nothing close to sony's higher end offerings and i doubt they will for quite some time. The sony codec bests panasonic's in terms of sheer resolution (DVCPROHD vs. HDCAM/ HDCAMSR). Doesnt look like Panasonic is too serious with the 35mm digital alternative market.
imgentertainment@mac
The Reverend
I think we will see a DVCPROHD 1080p at nab this year. Maybe not on p2 maybe on D5 or something will just have to wait and see.
"Doesn’t look like Panasonic is too serious with the 35mm digital alternative market"
What are you talking about the Vari Cam came out along time ago for the purpose to be used on film. It was the first HD camera that could do variable frame rates. Now there is a couple more. But they were still the first out the gate. So I don't think they will be far behind. Maybe even surpass Sony with say a 4:4:4 cameras like the Viper or the Genies maybe.
"Doesn’t look like Panasonic is too serious with the 35mm digital alternative market"
What are you talking about the Vari Cam came out along time ago for the purpose to be used on film. It was the first HD camera that could do variable frame rates. Now there is a couple more. But they were still the first out the gate. So I don't think they will be far behind. Maybe even surpass Sony with say a 4:4:4 cameras like the Viper or the Genies maybe.
Jarek Zabczynski
Veteran
DVCPRO200 anyone? 
joe 1008
Veteran
The codec I think is not the problem. In the case of the Varicam it´s all about variable framerates and that requires a lot of data - so the resolution is a bit lower. The european version of the HDX 400 delivers 1080p at 25p but there are´nt any variable framerates. Recently Panasonic announced the AK-HC1500, a 2/3" HD cam with P2 storage that aparently will be able to shoot 1080p at 24p.
BobDiaz
The Professor
JesterJJZ said:DVCPRO200 anyone?
I know you said that as a joke, BUT when the larger P2 cards come out, a higher data rate DVCPRO-HD becomes practical. Several possible things could be full 1920x1080 resulution, 4:4:4 color, or even a lower compression ratio.
At this point, why limit it to 200 when the P2 can run at higher data rates?
Unlikely we'll see this at NAB 2006, but a future NAB this becomes very likely...
Just something to dream about.
Bob Diaz
imgentertainment@mac
The Reverend
Well if we did get a DVCPRO 200 codec would you be able to a camera that uses p2 just in the firmware. I don't think panasonic would do that but could you??
Rhydon
Well-known member
imgentertainment@mac said:
The Panasonic Varicam was never designed to compete as a digital 35mm alternative. (Said a Panasonic design team who happened to develop DVCPROHD) 720p was only made as a digital solution to 16mm film at most. At the moment, Panasonic has no concentrated interest in that market. Sony seems to be doing very well, with even higher end offerings from Panavision and Arri. Now, that may change come NAB, we can see if Panasonic has any uber high resolution products in the pipelines. Otherwise endulge yourself with some rumors.
The AJ-HPC2000 is their newest P2 offering, and it does do 1080i, but it's no Varicam. Jan has already confirmed that it won't have Variable framerates - in fact, it doesn't even do 24p. Yeah, you read that correctly. It's basically a 60i camera at high res... presumably for news gatherers and the like but pretty much pointless for the independent filmmaker side of the market.Rhydon said:
I have to say, I'm pretty dissapointed in this offering. It would be nice if someone would stop running circles around feature sets and release a high resolution camera with a bigger chip and a modern codec, but everyone is apparently too concerned with cannibalizing their upper end to do so (and the consumer base is left with little alternative). Sony's new XDCAM HD is limited to 1/2" chips and a 35mbps datarate - even though their SD version can do 50. It's nonsense. Assumingly, this is what groups like RED and Colorspace Inc. are trying to remedy... but we don't know anything about their price yet or if they're even going to be able to do all of the amazing things they say they're dreaming up. In my opinion, a DVX with an M2 adapter looks better as an independent film solution than any of these other alternatives. And considering that it's a four year-old camera with a $500 box slapped on the front (that someone constructed in his garage, no less) that doesn't say very much for the "big, reputable" companies.
Barry_Green
Moderator
You are, of course, aware that the F900 CineAlta HDCAM system is 8-bit, right?ChuckS said:
Barry_Green
Moderator
Red = 2/3" chips and JPEG-2000 and other codecs.Haakon said:
Infinity = 2/3" chips and JPEG-2000, but apparently no 24P.
Panasonic also showed a photo of a 2/3" P2 HD-D5 camera, which is rumored to be the VariCam II, at last year's NAB presentation.
imgentertainment@mac
The Reverend
The only cameras living in a 10bit world are the Viper, Geneses, and the Arri. Everything else is 8bit. So that is not the issue. You ask someone to tell the difference in footage at 10bit or 8bit they can't with out a scope. So that is pointless. Panasonic has always been a player in the film market. More digital movies are made by a 4 year old Panasonic then any other digital camera out there. And higher end films and projects have been shot with the Vericam at 720 24p and mixed in with HD from Sony. So you have to ask you’re self. I use a Sony when I don't need any sort of frame rate effects. But if I do I use the Panasonic. So it just bowels down to it’s a tool. They all are tools and what works best for some doesn’t for others. But I do think it is naive to think Panasonic will not come out with the Varicam 2 with a 1080p 24p setting. It just wouldn't make any sense. And to say that Panasonic has not been aiming at the film game is ludicrous.
Well, boys and girls... red...1080p sure, terific, great and all... but what about cpu power and hard disk speed capabilitys ? I mean come on, the last think I want is 10bit right now ! I shot with my EOS 10D in JPG 8 bit mode from the first day and the quality is superb. I use near 50% less storage then if I shoot RAW and I dont get 50% less quality, thats fo sure, not to my eyes though. DVCPRO 100 is still not suported nativly in most of the cases from NLE systems and we are talking about DVCPRO 200... Lets focus on something more importand should we ? Stop daydreaming right away. Lets solve some basic workflow issues and then we start talking about Red. Dreamers...
(just teasing youl, but I also have a point
)
(just teasing youl, but I also have a point
)
Rhydon
Well-known member
imgentertainment@mac said:
Imagentertainment, i did not say that. I said that the Varicam was designed as a direct digital replacement to 16mm film. Sure its used as a 35mm alternative as well, but it was not designed for that purpose. If they did do that, DVCPROHD would have MUCH more resolution.
Varicam was engineered to be competitive with the 16mm market, im sure panasonic is very happy people are considering it for 35mm as well.