Hpx500 ???

Yeah,
I know about the info thats on the Panny's site, just wanted to see if anyone has seen demo footage and there reaction.
 
It's a better HVX. It's like an HVX that's taken more steroids than Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire together. It's a stop and a half more sensitive (i.e., you can get comparable brightness in 1/3 as much light) and it has two stops more dynamic range. It's a tad sharper than the HVX, but it really depends on what lens you're using -- better glass will give better results. At the booth they have a huge expensive cine-style Canon lens on it and the results are fantastic.
 
Barry, what lens were you using when you were in alaska? And do you know what size the chips are? i'm guessing they are not Native 1920x1080 or 1280x720. I know Panasonic says they are using pixel shift tech on existing SDX900 chips, are they like the 960x540 chips in the HVX200? anyways i'm really interested in buying this camera when its available....
 
They're actually not SDX900 chips, it's a different chip block that's a native progressive block that supports up to 60fps. And yes it uses 960x540 active pixels and the same spatial offset technique from the HVX200. And yes they have it running next to the native 1280x720 HPX2000, so anyone can freely compare the one against the other. If you can tell a difference, you've got better eyes than I do (other than the HPX500 having 1 stop more dynamic range than the HPX2000).

In Alaska I had the 16x Canon CAC with the doubler on it.
 
Barry! Were you demoing at the Panasonic booth yesterday? I tried looking for you to say "Hi" and all, but I didn't see you anywhere. Pat and I figured you must have ninja-ed your way over to the RED booth or something for a quick look.

Oh, back on topic, I couldn't get a chance to see the HPX500 for myself, the Panasonic booth was flooded with people looking at EVERYTHING P2 related! It was an impressive sight to see to say the least.
 
Thanks for the info Barry, what about the EVF? would you say that it is a more capable EVF than what is in the HVX200 for HD work? and which one was on the Cam that you tried? I'd imagine it had the 2" 16/9 one......anyways thanks again for the info, very much appreciated.
 
So, the HPX500 is basically a shoulder mount HVX200 with some cool upgrades.

- 3 X 2/3" 960X540 Chips = better low light by about 1 1/2 stops than the hvx

- Interchangable 2/3" lens

- 4 P2 slots for longer record times.

- not sure about details on the LCD but i think its the same as hvx, the EVF may be that same too?

- 4 channel audio

Did i miss anything?

I wonder, since the chips are pretty much the same between the two, the HPX will probably resolve the same TVl on charts as the HVX which is about 540 TVl...but i guess it would depend on the HD lens used!? but would this mean that the HPX500 will not be fully accepatable by Discovery HD as an unrestricted format? or would it depend on the lens? will one have to buy a 20,000 dollar lens to make programs for Discovery HD and the like?
 
What is the retail/street price expected for the HPX500? I understand the list is $14K per panny's website...
 
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ncje said:
Disappointed.
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I agree. However, I'm thinking that this might be a big stumble by Panny if they keep to this price of 14K. Consider that you are really not getting that much more compared to the HVX200 which retails for under $6K - are you telling me the feature set of the HPX500 is worth more than twice as much as the HVX200? I don't think so!

The other thing to consider is what market segment is this targetted toward? Anyone who is in that market, would probably be just as well served by the HVX200. If you have 14K to throw at a camera, I'd say you are getting into the territory of Red, if Red stays under 20K. And who has 14K but not 20K? And who would therefore take the HPX500, if for a few K more, they get Red? Of course, Red is pricier simply because you need to accessorize it more, and though I have every faith in them, let's face it, they have no track record and no camera out as yet. Still, if Red pans out (sorry for the v. weak pun), then I really wonder about the HPX500 market wise.

The HPX500 to me is frankly a replacement for the HVX200 - and should not cost more. Obviously, with no competition at this time in this segment of the market, Panny gets to put out any prices they want, and more importantly, they don't have to replace the HVX200. Still, I think with Red on the horizon they could get killed on the HPX500. And killed by Canon (A1) for the replacement to the DVX100. That leaves the HVX200... for now. Sorry, but Panny marketing department does not impress me at this time: giving away the DVX100 market, and fumbling the HPX500.
 
Well Im not entirely sure about that. This is a pure shoulder mounted 2/3 inch cam, Id say the biggest target market is the eng, event, doco guy/girl, which really isnt the red crowd. It does have the cross over ability to narrative. It has a similar FEATURE set as the HVX but I dont think it should be confused.

With 4 16gb p2 cards included and 4 p2 slots for use, that tells me long shooting times. For my money the cam does seem worth it at this stage ranked amongst its peers with similar specs. Its just that those peers are now using 1080 chips and I need to look 3 years ahead.
 
Agree with ncje, the HPX500 is one HECK of a deal! Just look at what the cam offers! It's much more of a "out-of-the-bag-ready-to-go-cam" than a Redone will be, and its cost is QUITE A BIT lower than Red. Like ncje said, it's for a different customer alltogether.
B&H has packages with lenses that are really out of this world considering what was available just a few months ago really:
B&H Link

Base cam is $12'500.00; with lens & 4 x 16GB P2 cards, $20'000.00
 
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I think it is worth more than the hvx200. It is the cheapest 2/3 chip camera and it does every hd broadcast format. This cam is for the TV folks, but still should seriously be considered for movie making.
 
OldCorpse said:
I agree. However, I'm thinking that this might be a big stumble by Panny if they keep to this price of 14K. Consider that you are really not getting that much more compared to the HVX200 which retails for under $6K - are you telling me the feature set of the HPX500 is worth more than twice as much as the HVX200? I don't think so!
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I have to agree that the price points per upgrades are high (if you don't already don't own a good lens.) I love the idea that Panny has finally gotten down to business on a lens switchable HVX but $14,000 for the cam ~ $4,000 for the P2 cards ~ $4 - 6,000 for a good lens = over $20,000. Before I throw down $20,000 on this cam ~ I'm going to seriously consider an additional $10,000 throw down for Red! As Wellington said at Waterloo, in for a penny ~ in for a pound!
 
Can we compare the HPX500 to the SDX900 ? - which is still highly popular among the ENG folk. SD to SD should they not be the same? Same chip set and pixel count and all?
 
Guys, like Vidled posted, the camera is NOT 14 000, but 12 500- B&H are normally very conservative in their pricing, and 12 500 should not be the best price for the camera. I bet Abel Cine or other DVXuser sponsors like Speccom can come up with even better deals... The only think making me think of other solution is the Mini-Red.
 
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