HPX300 Production Diary

puredrifting

puredrifting

Major Contributor
If you are considering the HPX300, you might find my production diary an interesting read. The article went live this morning http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/production_diary_hpx300_brockett.html

The 300 is a really great camera and the director and the clients were very impressed with the footage we captured with the 300. I would be happy to answer any questions about shooting in the real world for paying clients on a high pressure shoot with the 300. I find this type of experience to be eminently more valuable than the standard review where the person reviewing just rolls test footage of charts.

Thanks,

Dan
 
Hi Henry:

Yes, sorry for the delay but life intrudes. I am glad to finally have the diary completed. More good P2 articles to come, I am working on another right now.

Dan
 
Dan,

Awesome review. I've used just about every P2 camera on different occasions and I'm excited to begin using the 300 in my everyday business.

Again great article!

Tom
 
Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it. Now the problem is, I have the 170 and the 5D MKII and I still want the 300. It really is a superb tool and elevates the quality of your productions for very little money.

Dan
 
Great write-up, Dan, and the video you linked to looks great. The cameras you used really do match very well - good to know. I also concur with your assessment of the "jellocam" issue - unless you're really looking for it, it's a non-issue for 99% of footage. Still, I'm happy to hear that Panasonic engineers continue to look into ways to address that 1% where it could make a shot unusable. All things considered, it's about compromises. I chose the 300 because I was more than happy to live with the rolling shutter in exchange for the incredible quality this camera is capable of.
 
That is exactly how I feel about the CMOS/Rolling shutter issues and I know that is how Jan relates to it in the same way as well. It is up to us as DPs, videographers and image makers to use the right tool for the job and no, the HPX300 is definitely not the right tool for every situation, no camera is. But it is the right tool for the mass majority of video situations and if you are halfway good, you can create beautiful, detailed images with the 300.

It is interesting, I have been shooting a lot with my 5D MKII lately and nobody seems to really make such a stink over the Jellovision and skewing that occurs with the 5D MKII. To me, the 5D MKII is a much more difficult tool to use effectively. The 300 is very simple and easy to use, the controls and ergonomics are super intuitive and the AVC Intra images look so beautiful. It is also incredibly "pro" in its look and controls.

Glad to hear that you found the article to be helpful, it was a pleasure to use the 300. I hope I can get some more projects lined up this year so I can afford to buy one for myself.

Thanks,

Dan
 
Great reading, almost regret that I ended up with the 500 a few months ago...:)

I like both the "lab" style test with all the charts, AND the field reviews as there's more to "reality" than numbers and test charts.
 
Thanks Dan. I was just about to buy a 500 having ruled out a 300 but you have made me think twice. This weekend I am being loaned one to test. Thx!
 
Very smart decision Ned. The 500 is a good solid camera as well but ends up feeling and looking quite different. Less noise, better in low light and no CMOS/Rolling shutter issues. But the VF and LCD on the 300 blow the ones on the 500 into the water and the AVC INTRA 100 codec on the 300 is superior to my beloved DVCPRO HD.

Still, if I was selling a broadcast show today, I would probably buy the 500 because it is already certified Silver by Discovery and nobody at any cable net is going to throw a fit that you aren't shooting with a 2/3" chip camera. But if I were just doing my own content, I would buy the 300, it is newer technology and can create sharper, more detailed images.

Let us know what you think.

Dan
 
Nice writeup, Dan. I feel very good about my 300 and I'm looking forward to what we'll be working on in the future. Thanks for your work, and your video looks great!
 
Thanks Jason. Let us know when you can post some of your 300 projects to check out, I am interested in seeing what others are shooting with the 300.

Dan
 
I must now show you what I made last weekend for the Cinesol Fim Festival's 36 hour film race competition: "Sex, Trafficking and Luchadores"

That's right. Mexican Wrestlers. Check it out: http://www.vimeo.com/6578892

"Luchadores" won Best Film, Best Writing, Best Use of Elements, Best Ensemble, Best Credits Sequence and Audience Favorite at the awards ceremony last night and was completely shot with the HPX300 (except for the credits stills shot with my Canon 20D) and I'm damn proud of it. The camera is great to work with in a pinch and handles well in low light. Also, the movie is a lot of fun. Enjoy!
 
Hmm...no, not really. I did shoot one test and it sounded fine but I didn't do any real audio testing when I had the camera/ The project I shot with it was MOS. Have not heard anything negative and I love the sound quality of my HPX170 so I would suspect that the 300 is as good, if not better.

Dan
 
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