Brand New Panasonic AJ-HPX2700 for $19.5k?!?

[Bassman2003]

Wow, it does not seem that long ago that the first HVX-200s were coming out.

Look how far the market has come (and come down) in that short time period.

2/3" 1080p cameras going for under $20,000.

There is no way this could have been predicted or was on the minds of Sony or Panasonic just a few years ago.

It is like watching the financial system fall apart last year.

 

[Guest]

Oh, I just realized you're barry green.

Yeah, I agree. (insert pithy comments here)

 

[Christian m]

I must say that I do see a gap in the Panny line that this Sony is hitting. I want a 2/3" HPX300, I would be in seventh heaven with that. Under $18k WITH a decent lens with CAC function, AVC INTRA100, at least four P2 slots, etc. The 2700 is just amazing but as discussed earlier, realistically about $40k to $50k minimum with really good glass, a really good tripod and Anton Bauer battery setup.

The HPX300 will be precluded from many delivery specs, only because it is 1/3".
The HPX500, while still a viable camera, is looking a bit last generation technology and the VF makes it a no go for me, my vision is getting worse as it is, I can't live with the handicap of an SD viewfinder when shooting HD.

To me there's a big BUT here, all very good with this 1080p native stuff. But with Sony adding a cheap lens to their PMW350 and Pana basicly giving away one for their HPX300. Are these lenses good enough? Or are just Fuji and Canon ripping us all of with 30k HD lenses?

While electronics have dropped drastic in price, and thus cameras, mechanics still cost almost the same as 5-10 years back. With some reservation as I've only been in this game for a few years, I have yet to see any precision gear like tripod heads or optics that are cheap to manufacture(and that work properly)...it just cost a lot to make a HD lens that's good enough for HD and are supposed to last 10 years or so.

Luckily I'm young and stupid and have for some reason managed to live with the horrid VF on the 500, even for actionsport shooting:happy: Even more lucky that Panasonic seem to be more on pair with sony in the small market here in Norway. College i studied at invested in Hpx171/2100/2700 recently, the two top drama series on tv are shot with Hpx2100 and 3000. Maybe because Panasonic offer way more for the price than that Sony has to offer when 10bit 4:2:2 are a preferred spec?

 

[zeke]

To me there's a big BUT here, all very good with this 1080p native stuff. But with Sony adding a cheap lens to their PMW350 and Pana basicly giving away one for their HPX300. Are these lenses good enough? Or are just Fuji and Canon ripping us all of with 30k HD lenses?

While electronics have dropped drastic in price, and thus cameras, mechanics still cost almost the same as 5-10 years back. With some reservation as I've only been in this game for a few years, I have yet to see any precision gear like tripod heads or optics that are cheap to manufacture(and that work properly)...it just cost a lot to make a HD lens that's good enough for HD and are supposed to last 10 years or so.

Luckily I'm young and stupid and have for some reason managed to live with the horrid VF on the 500, even for actionsport shooting:happy: Even more lucky that Panasonic seem to be more on pair with sony in the small market here in Norway. College i studied at invested in Hpx171/2100/2700 recently, the two top drama series on tv are shot with Hpx2100 and 3000. Maybe because Panasonic offer way more for the price than that Sony has to offer when 10bit 4:2:2 are a preferred spec?

I think for productions with an established HDSDI workflow, the new Sony is going to be a hit. Now with KiPro, IO HD and NanoFlash you have affordable options there too. We will probably see lower budget productions being able to step up their game.

 

[puredrifting]

To me there's a big BUT here, all very good with this 1080p native stuff. But with Sony adding a cheap lens to their PMW350 and Pana basicly giving away one for their HPX300. Are these lenses good enough? Or are just Fuji and Canon ripping us all of with 30k HD lenses?

This new stock Fujinon lens on the 350 will most probably be decent. But there have always been "industrial level" 2/3" lenses and there have always been top of the line "broadcast lenses" for 2/3" cameras. Are they better? Undoubtedly. But you do have the law of diminishing returns at work here. Are they worth $30k more? Depends on your quality requirements, how good of a format you are shooting and how skilled of a photographer you are.

FWIW, I used the HPX300 on a pretty large project I shot in the Spring. We shot with an HPX300 prototype. The lens was pretty good, especially considering it is free. But it had a huge amount of breathing and was not wide enough for my taste. But the lens I would want costs more than the HPX300. So would I buy a 300 and make do with the stock lens? For most of my shoots, yes. But I would always have the option of renting a kick ass $20k lens when I need it. A good option to have.

The market for broadcast $30k lenses is very small worldwide, hence the price is going to be very high. If EVERYONE was buying them, they would be $500.00. Simple economy of scale. This lens on the 350 looks pretty decent to me, plus autofocus.

Dan