HPX250: RE: advice on new HPX250

B

BillinSC

Active member
RE: advice on new HPX250

Hello all,

Tomorrow my new HPX250 arrives. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on the opening and setting up of the camera.

Sincerely,
Bill
 
I have been using an HPX250 for over a week now and am very pleased with the results. I cannot get hold of Barry's book yet so have gone with the Alan Roberts BBC 371 settings. I have had a lot of cameras over the years and this one really is one of the best. The 5 year warranty is the deal maker for me. I have EX1s that are great but the additional cost of extended warranty is not cheap. The P2 system is expensive but once you have the cards that is it. The quality of the pictures make this camera what it is, in real life they cut seamlessly with material shot on cameras 10X the price. The odd niggles people have with this generation of Panasonic cameras such as autofocus are not worth worrying about. In professional hands (non auto mode) this camera delivers the goods.
 
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BillinSC said:
Hello all,

Tomorrow my new HPX250 arrives. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on the opening and setting up of the camera.

Sincerely,
Bill
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Well Bill, my option is don't use any of the scene files with the unit, IMHO they are really bad. Send off for Barry's book the same day (postcard should be in the box), to really get full use of the camera and its features his book explains it all. You can always use the manual that comes with (CD), I printed mine in book form and have it in my bag along with Barry's book. Practice, Practice and more Practice, before you shot a paying job. I have had mine about 2 months now and finally getting used to where everything is, and quickly make changes. I don't use auto anything (except focus when on the move), its full manual for me Zebras on, Wave form on, and I love it. I agree with Bruce, don't listen to others complain about certain features. I too was worried, but now that I actually have one its not an issue like I thought is was going to be. 1080 at 100 is best picture at f4 super sharp, this is why I bought this camera great picture and P2 (wanted a rock solid device that I didn't have to worry about losing footage on and P2 is the only way to go for peace of mind) and 4 audio channels ( I know you can only use 2 XLR and the onboard, but better than only 2 inputs total) and best of all 10Bit 4:2:2.

Enjoy your new camera!!!
 
I've found that the internal NDs aren't enough for very bright outdoor situations, and it's worth having an ND on the lens to keep it stopped down a bit. Great camera though.
 
rzr219 said:
You can always use the manual that comes with (CD), I printed mine in book form and have it in my bag along with Barry's book.
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Load the PDFs onto your phone, that doesn't weigh anything, doesn't take space in your bag, and is searchable.
 
Bruce196 said:
In professional hands (non auto mode)
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You say that as if the two were mutually exclusive. Rather you should distinguish two classes as either "production" professionals or "event" professionals. Both are professional in the sense that they get paid for the work and have high standards of quality, but the latter (those producing event videos) often have to rely on a camera's auto-capabilities to do the job. When you have 2, maybe 3 seconds to frame the shot, set proper exposure, focus and start the recording or you lose that shot forever, proper auto focus and auto iris can make all the difference in the world. Just because event videographers require properly functioning auto features doesn't make them any less 'professional'.
 
"In professional hands (non auto mode)"

Sorry I did not mean it in a derogatory way. Having been shooting for 45 years (since Standard 8 film) I have never had a problem using the tried and tested zoom in, focus, pull out and shoot method whatever the camera or subject. I do not trust or expect any auto system to be reliable as with sods law it is bound to do something at the wrong moment - but that is just my thoughts. I do find the Push Auto Focus button handy at times and it looks as if Panasonic have addressed some of the identified weaknesses of the new range with the upgrade that is in place for the 130/160 and on the way for the 250.
 
I thank all of you. I received the unit yesterday and in going through a few things in the manual it references an HPX250EN and an HPX250PJ. Is there a difference? The unit came from B&H photo.

Sincerely,
Bill
 
Strangely enough the instruction manuals refer to them as different products, however, B&H does not have anything but the PJ. Of course I bought a spare battery based on the B&H website, although according to website, they specify different batteries in the basic operating instructions. They refer to using on a CGA-D54 with the AG-HPX250P and the CGA-D54S with the AG-HPX250EN. They have the same power levels on the batteries. It was my understanding too that you could use this camera anywhere in the world. It is the little junk like this that makes one wonder. At least there were no unexplained tsunami's or other seismic events when I used the CGA-D54 with the camera.

Oh well, the learning curve. I probably should not have read the instruction manuals. If anybody has any insight regarding the differing models, please let me in on the secret. I would like to know what I have gotten myself into.

Sincerely,
Bill
 
The different suffixes relate to different global markets. I expect that with the HPX250 the only difference will be in the EMC testing, owners manual, accessories, and perhaps some default settings. I can't see any actual feature differences. The battery model differences will probably just be an approvals thing too.
 
Thanks guys, I do appreciate the tips. Funny how they get the documentation in so much detail and just clutter the process.

Sincerely,
Bill
 
Out of curiosity, I have been working the various modes of the camera and various display options. I selected the focus bar to see whether it really does much. According to the manual it goes across the screen as the focus sharpens, yet the best it does is about 40% of the way. Is this normal?
 
I have noticed the same thing. However try this check first. Make your Y Get to 70% first then focus somewhere around the same area. If you don't have enough light then the focus bar does not get very high, or at least that's what I have found. When I do a white balance this is what I do and the bar gets much higher. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks rzr219. I actually spoke with Panasonic support about a few things today and we discussed this. I actually shot my first real footage today. They could do a better job of explaining their audio set up in the manual, but once I got the hang of it, it was very easy. Used Sennheiser G3s with the ME2 lavalier and it worked well. I still have to used to the set up on the video end.

The only nagging concern I have is the general plastic feel. I know they cut the weight, but I wonder how long it will last. Has anybody had issues with the scene wheel selector? Mine seems a little slack and fragile. Anybody have any thoughts on longevity? Thanks!
 
I can only tell you what I have seen. At first I was turning it very carefully as I felt the same way. Once I found some settings I like and made them my own and stored them on a card and memory, I don't flip it much now (99% I only use a few different looks so I have consistency). However after awhile I just started turning it and not thinking and have not had one issue with it. I also agree about the sound but Barrys book goes over it much better.

Robert
 
Interesting about the scene files. So basically then you can set up your own scene files and load from the card instead of the presets on the wheel? Please forgive my ignorance, I am still wading through the manual.

Sincerely,
Bill
 
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