Beating the HPX370 vs. PMW-320K horse

[Movie Nick]

Sold my PDW-355 and am about to buy a new camera. Had my mind set on the PMW-320K, when I decided to take a hard look at the HPX-370.

Disregard completely the recording media. One does SxS/SD cards. The other P2 cards.
Disregard difference in depth of field. 1/2 vs. 1/3.
Disregard recording format. MPEG2 4:2:0 8-bit 35mb/s vs. DVCPro HD/AVC100 4:2:2 10-bit.
Disregard post production / editing workflow.

As I understand the facts, the Sony comes with a better stock lens than the Panasonic. They are equal in sensitivity and noise levels. They both have full HD chips. They both have similar functions - e.g. 4 channel audio, wireless slot, low power consumption.

On paper the HPX370 looks like the better camera - 4:2:2 10-bit recording. Yes, only 1/3 chip, but still same sensitivity/noise levels. Looks like the only drawback is the lesser quality lens.

So why oh why is the Panasonic $7200 and the Sony $11900? What am I missing? Why should I get the PMW-320K instead of the HPX370?

Please. I need your input.

 

[TheDingo]

Any way you can rent or borrow either camera to try them out first hand ?

 

[cheapass]

Sorry, but I think you essentially answered your own question with most points you brought up.

 

[wannabeapilot]

the hpx certainly looks better on paper ,excepting the 1/3" chips vs 1/2"

also p2 cards are currently much cheaper than sxs

100mb/s 422 is also very appealing

 

[Duke M.]

Playing the devil's advocate:

Sony Pros:
Bigger sensor
SDHC with an adapter is lots cheaper on the media
Better lens

Sony Cons:
Price
4.2.0
8 bit

Panny Cons:
AVCHD at 100Mbps would have to be transcoded to something easier to edit.
File storage space

I think its just going to come down to personal preference, ergonomics, button location, etc.

 

[Bassman2003]

I have not worked with the HPX-371 but I think the only way to know is to shoot something with the camera and see how it compares to the Sony. I have read reports all over the map regarding the HPX-370. Some say it is mushy and noisy and others say it is the best thing since sliced bread.

My list of cons for the Panny is the lack of menu controls. The Sony's have every option you can think of to get the color and image you want. To my eyes the EX line has a brighter gamma than the HPX series which is difficult to get the crushed like black look out of the camera.

Just wondering why you sold the PDW-355? It is so close to the PMW-320 that it would be almost a lateral move.

Overall, this is a tough comparison that might be better answered by what other camera might be used along side to match.

 

[TheDingo]

Panny Cons:
AVCHD at 100Mbps would have to be transcoded to something easier to edit.

The HPX-370 can use the AVC-Intra 100 Mbps CODEC, which is a 10-bit intra-frame CODEC that is very easy to edit because it is based on I-frames. This is quite different from the super-compressed inter-frame AVCHD CODEC that uses bidirectional B-frames to squeeze things down to a very small size, but takes a lot of computing power to properly decompress.

Being able to shoot with a 10-bit 4:2:2 intra-frame CODEC without being forced to use an external recorder would be a big deal for me, which is why I am very keen on the new HPX-250 camera which should be here in September.

 

[Gary Huff]

Exactly Dingo. I think the Sony cameras are great, but greatly hindered by that XDCAM Ex codec. Coupled with an external recorder unlocks those cameras' full potential, but that's yet something else you have to bolt to your camera, power up, and provide media for. The HPX-250 looks great and having it spit out P2 cards filled with a full-raster, ready-to-edit codec like AVC-I is my wet dream.