CAMCORDERS: Shooting my new film on the HPX170, give me your advice

M

M. Windon

Member
Hey so I’m doing something bold and shooting my latest feature on a couple of HPX170 cameras. I’ve ordered the LA7200 anamorphic adapter and outboard recording to ProRes HQ via SDI at 24p.

I never used these cameras back in the day, though one of the many reasons for choosing this setup in modern times is the CCD sensor, anamorphic option and the compact form factor. If anyone has scene files or good advice on the best setup to achieve maximum sharpness, dynamic range and low noise, I welcome your input. Thanks 🙏
 
This site has gone through many changes and I don't know exactly what or how much is archived but scene file discussions were abundant in those years (meaning you'd find many here if they are still up).

Barry's books had great examples and pictures [and lots of info about the camera(s) of course].

Definitely play around with them as you can get some nice colors and skintones from that sensor with the tweaks, but not much will help with DR though.

I don't know about the HPX170 but the HPX250 had this hidden feature (IIRC) where you could get more light sensitivity but it came at the cost of ghosting with too much movement (something like that, it's been a long time).
 
All the old HPX170 threads are archived here:

HVX200/HPX170

HVX200/A, and HPX170 Discussion
www.dvxuser.com

I don’t see that there ever was a stickied thread on scene files like there was with the DVX100, but there’s plenty of good info in there. (Validity of decades-old URLs not guaranteed.)
 
NorBro said:
This site has gone through many changes and I don't know exactly what or how much is archived but scene file discussions were abundant in those years (meaning you'd find many here if they are still up).

Barry's books had great examples and pictures [and lots of info about the camera(s) of course].

Definitely play around with them as you can get some nice colors and skintones from that sensor with the tweaks, but not much will help with DR though.

I don't know about the HPX170 but the HPX250 had this hidden feature (IIRC) where you could get more light sensitivity but it came at the cost of ghosting with too much movement (something like that, it's been a long time).
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Thanks. Yeah I completely understand DR is weak and the HPX170 has plenty of limitations versus today’s cameras, though the limited image is the reason for choosing this camera. I’m going for a very high contrast look, though I still need sharpness and low noise. Hopefully modern post tools will help get the best out of this camera.

I’ve never had to dial in settings regarding “V Detail” or “Detail coring” or “Master Pedestal” etc… and I got no idea what these adjustments do. Gonna figure it out with advice and tests. Cheers.
 
M. Windon said:
Thanks. Yeah I completely understand DR is weak and the HPX170 has plenty of limitations versus today’s cameras, though the limited image is the reason for choosing this camera. I’m going for a very high contrast look, though I still need sharpness and low noise. Hopefully modern post tools will help get the best out of this camera.

I’ve never had to dial in settings regarding “V Detail” or “Detail coring” or “Master Pedestal” etc… and I got no idea what these adjustments do. Gonna figure it out with advice and tests. Cheers.
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You can get many cameras to have that dynamic range (based on the conditions and some post), but what's harder is to get that real low-resolution look. Sometimes people get close but it's never the same.

Those two detail settings are for sharpness. Sharpness is much easier to replicate in post (IMO, it's exactly the same as in-camera with that model) and I never messed around too much with them, maybe 1 or 2 clicks here and there for challenging pictures like landscapes where detail is more mushy vs. close-ups.

The MP setting affects perceived dynamic range. Same/similar as adjusting shadows, contrast, etc.

The color settings were always the best because contrast, colors, skintones are always what dominates the picture's IQ, and doing less color work in an older format is usually better (but contrast work in post barely degrades the image and you don't need much to crush the image a bit).
 
The forum search tool is weak. You can find threads that mention the HPX170 using this google search - hpx170 site:dvxuser.com. Or add more words to the search to refine it.
 
M. Windon said:
Thanks. Yeah I completely understand DR is weak and the HPX170 has plenty of limitations versus today’s cameras, though the limited image is the reason for choosing this camera. I’m going for a very high contrast look, though I still need sharpness and low noise. Hopefully modern post tools will help get the best out of this camera.

I’ve never had to dial in settings regarding “V Detail” or “Detail coring” or “Master Pedestal” etc… and I got no idea what these adjustments do. Gonna figure it out with advice and tests. Cheers.
Click to expand...
On the HPX170, controls like V Detail, Detail Coring, and Master Pedestal are broadcast-era signal-shaping tools, not core shooting settings. V Detail adds artificial sharpening to vertical edges and can create halos or a “video” look, so it’s best kept low or off for progressive, cinematic work. Detail Coring tells the camera to sharpen only real edges and ignore fine noise: lower values look sharper but emphasize grain, higher values look cleaner but softer. Master Pedestal shifts the overall black level: lowering it deepens blacks and contrast but can crush shadow detail, while raising it lifts shadows and flattens the image for grading. These settings exist because the HPX170 was designed to bake a finished look in-camera for broadcast. You can leave them near default or slightly restrained and focus on exposure and lighting instead.
 
JustinBrown said:
On the HPX170, controls like V Detail, Detail Coring, and Master Pedestal are broadcast-era signal-shaping tools, not core shooting settings. V Detail adds artificial sharpening to vertical edges and can create halos or a “video” look, so it’s best kept low or off for progressive, cinematic work. Detail Coring tells the camera to sharpen only real edges and ignore fine noise: lower values look sharper but emphasize grain, higher values look cleaner but softer. Master Pedestal shifts the overall black level: lowering it deepens blacks and contrast but can crush shadow detail, while raising it lifts shadows and flattens the image for grading. These settings exist because the HPX170 was designed to bake a finished look in-camera for broadcast. You can leave them near default or slightly restrained and focus on exposure and lighting instead.
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This is super helpful. Thanks. I’ve been out running tests today. Still have more to do. Once we put it through Resolve I might try and share those tests here. Cheers.
 
UPDATE: First, this thread has been helpful, so thanks to all who have assisted explaining the "Scene File" options of the HPX170.

I've done just over a week of tests and settled on the following, which I believe could also be helpful to other users of this camera (and other variations like the HMC150 and HVX200A... or most old school Panasonic P2/Varicam era cameras).

1. The best version of the HPX is the HPX171E since it is the international model which can instantly be switched between 50hz and 60hz, so it can do 25p and 24p (though it's actually 23.98p like most other non-true 24p cameras). The standard US model HPX170 is 24p only and the HPX172 in Australia is 25p only.

2. Although the SDI is outputting a clean feed in uncompressed 10-bit 422 HD, there is an internal downconversion to 8-bit... so the actual signal coming out of the camera is Uncompressed HD 8-bit 422. However, it is easy to grade and takes a beating before seeing any banding or 8-bit artefacts.

3. The best external recorder is the Convergent Design NanoFlash. Why? It can remove the 2:3:3:2 pulldown. Unlike modern cameras, the SDI output is only interlaced, not progressive or even PsF (like the Sony F900R), so the incoming signal to an external recorder is 23.98p over 59.94i or 25p over 50i. This is a little confusing... but now it becomes more confusing: to get the recorded footage into a 23.98p timeline in Resolve, an “inverse telecine” needs to be performed or a 2:3:3:2 pulldown removal. Resolve cannot do this, neither can the Blackmagic Design Video Assist 12G. The NanoFlash can do this live by removing the 2:3:3:2 pulldown directly from the camera and recording true 23.98p. It's old technology for an external recorder, though it was specifically designed for cameras like this. It also records HD in a higher bitrate than ProRes HQ, giving the best possible image quality from this camera.

4. The Leica lens is wide! Equal to a 28mm full frame lens. It's also very telephoto on the long end at 367mm. The OIS is minimal at the wide end, but super stable on the long end.

5. This is a CCD camera so there is no rolling shutter. It's a global shutter giving film-like images. CCD cameras produce a much more natural image than CMOS, and this is the primary reason why I'm exploring this camera in 2026. CCD sensors also handle noise in a different way to CMOS. The noise is much finer black grain, without colour. It looks more like 16mm film grain on this style of 1//3'' camera. It can be pushed and pulled in grading without getting noisy. It doesn't even need noise reduction since the image is super clean to begin with.

6. The Scene Files are confusing at first because the language used to describe what each setting does requires an “English translation” :). For example, why call noise reduction "detail coring"? or Black level "Master pedestal"? Or Saturation "Chroma Level" Weird. Anyway, much like Sony's picture profiles, Panasonic's Scene Files can produce more video looking images or more film looking images depending on what you dial in. I've tested just about every setting and settled on the following:

Operation Type FILM CAM
Frame Rate 24 FRAME
Synchro Scan 180.0d
Detail Level 0
V Detail Level 0
Detail Coring 0
Chroma Level -3
Chromas Phase 0
Color Temp Ach 0
Color Temp Bch 0
Master Ped +26
A. Iris Level 0
DRS OFF
Gamma CINELIKE D
Knee AUTO
Matrix CINE-LIKE
Skin Tone DTL OFF
V Detail Freq THIN

There's no ISO settings. Cinelike D gamma definitely is the fastest gamma and provides the most dynamic range. I'd guess the ISO is somewhere between 320iso and 400iso (though that's just my experience telling me this and not measured on any kind of chart).

7. Autofocus is decent but it can hunt. Panasonic since forever have a bad reputation with autofucs and it's on the better side with the HPX. Focus on a 1/3'' camera is much easier than full frame, but it still hunts on night shots or low contrast shots. My lighting style is generally high contrast, so it's doing a fine job for me. The manual focus assist and override functions while in automode are good and definitely help, though this takes some practice and experience to handle it.

8. The HPX171E is extremely lightweight and can easily be handheld all day without hurting your wrist. It's a sensational handheld camera and also ideal for Ronin use. Though, it is physically quite long, so balancing it on a Ronin RS4 Pro requires some finesse and patience and a lot of experience. It took me 3 hours to balance it the first time only because I wanted the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G on board the gimbal. Trying to find a suitable position for it, for me to see it, whilst also counter balancing it (back and forth, left and right), took some figuring out with different rig-builds. I eventually settled on using an ARRI baseplate from one of my F55 cameras and used the hardmounted rosette on it to hang the monitor/recorder below the HPX body. I also put the DJI focus motor on for emergcency use when the autofocus isn't reliable. Now though, I can switch from handheld to Ronin within 1-2 minutes with it fully balanced. Since I switched to the NanoFlash recorder, it's 100x easier. Shooting with a massive 13x zoom lens on a gimbal is a blast. The paralax at the long end is truly Tony Scott-style :) :) :)

9. The benefit of Handycam style cameras is “practicality” and “ease of use”. This is defintely an extremely simple and easy camera to film with. You have everything built in, a 13x Leica zoom lens, OIS, internally NDs, a global shutter CCD sensor with little to no "film-like" noise (grain), decent autofocus, uncompressed 8-bit 422 HD at 23.98p, a built in stereo microphone with 2 more channels of full-size XLR input, timecode, remote star/stop and camera control via the hand held remote… and did I mention EXTREMELY GOOD battery life? A single 5400mAh 7.2V battery is giving me about 6 hours of record time.

10. If you've never worked with a camera like this and curious to know what it compares to, the best example is an iPhone 17 Pro. The HD from an 18 year old HPX171E is every bit as sharp and detailed as 4K from a 2025 phone... and far more practical and fun to use.

I'll have more to add soon, including photos of my setup and a video demonstrating my tests.
 
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