HPX170 - A Second Look

I know what MSRP means, BH has a habit of putting up their prices early. See: EX3 @ 8320 when MSRP is 8999.99
 
This month's American Cinematographer has a thick multi-page Panasonic advertisement insert that shows off the P2 series. It mentions the HPX-170 and that is DOES have NTSC/PAL switchability.
 
I posted this link in the HPX first look thread,
maybe some people didn't spot it.

But some company called EAR (who i have never used and don't vouch for)
list the MRSP at $5999.00
and are listing their price at $5195.00,
bundled with a 16GB P2 card and book...

take a look here if your curious:
http://www.ear.net/cgi-bin/estatusp?p=1&mode=stp&q=PAN-AGHPX170

Given that Neither Jan or Barry have a confirmed price yet,
and that they have info straight from Panasonic direct.
I think its safe to say that much of the pricing specifics are still up in the air...

Only thing for certain,September can't come soon enough!
 
Barry:

What are your views on the addition of SDI to the HPX170?

Will that raise the price on the HPX170, or is something else.

I know the SDI out cams cost more, but I had thought perhaps incorrectly that SDI is digital and the cam is digital so no conversion is required.
 
Well, adding SDI and TC IN/OUT caused the price of the XHG1 to be $3,000 more than the XHA1. That seemed excessive, but -- that's the way it turned out. Similar for the Canon XLH1A vs. XLH1s, there's about a $3,000 price difference. Unlike the original XLH1 though, the 170 includes timecode and audio embedded in the stream (same as the newer G1 and H1-S).

Also, I haven't tested this but I've been assured that this works: the firewire input is supposed to pass through the component HD and SDI output jacks. Much of the 170 seems to be built using the P2 Gear's hardware, and the P2 Gear allows that, so I'm thinking this is probably true too. That would mean the HPX170 could be used as an intermediary between your edit station and your HD monitor (either component or HD-SDI), and it also means that the FireStore users could now finally monitor their clips in HD!

I'm tellin' ya, the 170 is where the party's at.

The tape deck should be a minimal-cost item, there are entire $299 cameras out there (maybe even cheaper now) that use DV tape. Even so, Jan's said the 170 should be in the same price bracket as the 200A, it does everything the 200A does (except tape) and it does a ton of things the 200A doesn't. I'm still hoping for a lower price range based on it having a smaller model number.

If, however, SDI is what's so expensive, then that bodes pretty well for the HMC150 which is largely the same camera but without the SDI (and, of course, SD-cards instead of P2, AVC-HD instead of DVCPRO-HD, and no VFR...)
 
Wasn't one of the issues with using the HVX200 for pass through the heat generated?

This isn't an issue if indeed the passthrough has been implemented?
 
That's what we were told, yes. But the P2 Gear is based (apparently) on newer hardware, and the 170 uses that, as far as I know.
 
Regarding DRS: This would make the 170 a definite purchase for me, if it were available in 720p30. When you folks talk about it being available only in 1080i60/720p60 does that mean:

1) On the prototypes, with perhaps fuller functionality on the production cam?
2) In some official literature (where)?
3) Possibly: available in over-60 modes of 720p30,24/1080p?

Hopefully,
Barry
 
It needs the faster frame rate. It's only available at the full speed of the system, 60P or 60i. If you wanted it in 30P, you'd have to shoot 60P and drop every other frame.
 
Regarding the 170 as an intermediary- does this mean I could edit in Avid and use the camera firewire in>component out to monitor in true HD output?
This is something Avid will not let you do unless you buy their $5,000 HD board upgrade.

Could this be a workaround?
 
I saw the 170 today at Cinegear. It looks good, I love the focus line feature and the waveform. Using the joystick (a la DVX) was such a joy.
 
As David also states above,
had a chance to check out the camera today at cinegear,
and it is just stunning.

i was 99% sure after reading Barry's second write up that it was gonna be my next camera - seeing it today just made me want it even more.

as an aside,
It looks and feels amazing rigged out with the Redrockmicro rods and matte box.
(And their prices are quite phenomenal!)

A match made in heaven!
 
For people at Cinegear: What did you guys think of the picture? Major improvement over HVX200? How about compared to EX1?
 
I wish this camera would include a "tag" button, so when you were shooting an interview, and the subject said something you knew you'd use, you could hit the "tag" button, then in the editing room, go straight to those markers.
 
There is a similar feature to that on the HVX200 called "shot mark". I would assume that i's also included in the 170

Later,
Jason
 
David Shawl said:
I saw the 170 today at Cinegear. It looks good, I love the focus line feature and the waveform. Using the joystick (a la DVX) was such a joy.
Click to expand...

Argh! I was at CineGear and somehow missed it! I will blame the extreme heat (anybody there knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about).

Glad to hear the HPX170 is shaping up so well. I look forward to getting one. :)
 
thesnazdotcom said:
I wish this camera would include a "tag" button, so when you were shooting an interview, and the subject said something you knew you'd use, you could hit the "tag" button, then in the editing room, go straight to those markers.
Click to expand...
It already has that, it's called the "text memo" feature. You can mark any shot good with the shot mark, but you can also mark spots within a clip using the text memo feature. You can assign up to 100 spots within a clip. All the P2HD cameras offer this.
 
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