Advice on buying: HPX170 vs all

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Untitled04

Active member
I've been scouring dvxuser for quite a while now, and I still have yet to see answers to the questions I have.

I will be shooting a feature next year in a mostly outdoor urban setting (majority being at night) using natural light. Furthermore, I do a lot of long takes and long shots. I would prefer not buying a 35mm DOF adapter, but if people think it is necessary then I will.

Lastly, sound is a big concern for me.

My budget is in the range of an HPX170, maybe a bit more. So do you guys think this is the best buy for my situation?
 
I would say go for the HVX or the new HMC150 which you could find for less. Plus, then you can afford a better DOF adapter, better tripod, audio gear, lighting kits, etc...

I am not sure if the HMC150 can do it too, but the HVX and HPX can undercrank and overcrank the frame rate as well which can create some polished professional results. I think it can go anywhere from 4 fos to 60 FULL frames per second if I'm not mistaken.
 
Thanks Andy for the advice.

I actually was initially going to buy the hmc150, but I'm here in Korea, about to buy from a panasonic dealer. What's interesting is that the hpx170 and the hmc150 are priced the same exact price. I asked them why, and they said they have too many hpx170s and the 150s are new.

I can definitely purchase a 150 from the states, but I will be saving at most about 1,000 dollars. So is it still worth it then?
 
Well the HPX vs. the HMC is actually a big difference so if you can get either for about the same, then I would totally go for the HMC. The one thing I like much more about the HMC is that SD cards are very cheap and P2 cards are much more expensive, but if you have the budget, then you can afford a few P2 cards. Which 35mm adapter were you looking at? Have you seen the new Letus?
 
So do you think the HMC's quality is up there with the HPX?

Yea, I was leaning towards getting the letus extreme. Is the letus ultimate the new one?
 
If you could get an HPX170 for the exact same price as the HMC150, I say get the 170, no questions asked. You'd be getting time lapse/interval recording, intraframe recording, 4:2:2 color sampling, variable frame rates for slow-mo and fast-motion, the "frame rate hack" for recording as low as 2fps, standard-def recording, true HD-SDI output, and on and on.

No question I'd take a 170 over a 150. There's a $2,000 price gap for a reason. If you're able to bridge that gap, get the 170.

Unless, of course, the P2 workflow just won't work for you, and you don't mind missing out on the various features the 170 offers over the 150. If recording to a cheap SD card is your primary concern, the 150 would be the preferable option.
 
Not trying to hijack this thread, but if you use FCP, you will find out the P2 workflow not quite "flowing".
 
Well, FCP doesn't really "flow" with any tapeless system. That's FCP's problem, not the tapeless workflow's problem.

You can make footage from any system work in FCP. You just can't use it as it was intended.
 
Looking at the original post, my concerns would be shooting with the 170 at night, in urban areas, without supplemental light. Depending on the exact nature of the lighting and the situation, the 170 may not be the best choice. I was never very impressed with its low-light capabilities in those types of situations. Others mileage may vary.

--SM
 
Adequate, yes it is. Don't take me wrong, I love tapeless, I could not go back to tape anymore. My rant is with Apple for not including native P2 support in FCP 7
 
Not trying to hijack this thread, but if you use FCP, you will find out the P2 workflow not quite "flowing".
Click to expand...

i dont know what you guys are talking about. ive been using fcp with P2 for nearly 3 years. and i have found it very intuitive, straight forward and problem-free...
 
Thank you all for the advice. Yea, I was leaning towards the 170 because they basically jacked up the price on the 150 and slightly reduced the 170 here in Korea.

After more research though, the 5dII has caught my eye. The low light capabilities are pretty amazing and no need to buy a 35 mm adapter.

What do you guys think? Workflow is not a problem for me. I don't mind paying for p2 cards. I just want the most best camera for my needs. Honestly, the whole 35 mm adapter thing is overrated to me as well, so I don't know. Just want it to look decent enough. The writing and directing is what's going to carry the film anyways.
 
I think they are referring to the fact that FCP doesn't natively support the MXF file structure. Yes you can 'ingest' the clips. Yes it natively supports the DVCPRO HD format, but FCP does not play well with MXF (at least like other NLEs do).

I will say that even with having to 'hack the system' (I am an avid raylight user), FCP and P2 really are wonderful. Tapeless workflow is so much better than linear access; I have been a P2 user for 2 years. Remember the days of dual deck edit suites? Remember the days of rewinding to and placing on a shelf? Remember the days of real-time ingestion? I hope to never go back to tape.

The other big problem not mentioned in this thread is that no one has truly figured out an archive solution for tapeless aquisition. Sure there is DLT, LTO, Blu-ray, HDDs..etc. But nothing has become the defacto, tried and true standard for tapeless archiving. We are really just storing the media in temporary ways until this thing is figured out.


Jason
 
Raylight (or Calibrated or MXF4QT) really do solve all the issues for FCP. Well, not necessarily "all", it depends on how they support metadata, but they certainly overcome nearly all the gripes about P2/MXF support.
 
I think to really answer your questions effectively we need to know more about how you're planning to shoot this thing. Will you have a DP? If so, he or she will likely want input on the camera choice. Will you have a sound crew? If so, maybe the 5D is a good choice and double-system sound will work perfectly well. If you're trying to fly as solo as possible on this, recording sound into the camera, forgoing location lighting and not hiring a DP, then I think you have a completely different set of questions and concerns.

--SM
 
Hey Stephen,

It will be little to no crew most of the time. I will have a DP, but with not much experience, so little input. And as I've said before, the film will not have many setups as the majority of the shots will be without movement, long takes, long shots, but obviously nothing longer than 12 minutes. Best way to think about it, my style is very much minimalist along the lines of Ozu, Takeshi Kitano, Kiarostomi, Melville, any Taiwanese new wave director (i.e. hou hsao hsien) So basically, I am not trying to make a stylish action movie.

And lastly, sound is of the utmost importance to me, so I will be hiring a professional/s. I just need the picture to hold up on the big screen and work with as much natural lighting as possible.
 
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