when shopping for an hpx500...

J

justaddcoffee

Member
hey folks -

i'm in the market for a used hpx500 and lens (because it's the most reasonably priced 2/3" hd cam i can find). what are the big pitfalls to watch out for? common problems the hpx500 suffers? how many usage hours are too many? i know that's like asking how many miles on a car are too much but... and possibly (and most important), is there something on the horizon i should hold out for? does sony have something i should be considering (if the new f3 had an ENG lens...).

any help or opinions are welcomed.

thanks,
scott.
 
i saw it on ebay and i'm very interested. i have your auction on my watchlist. is the viewfinder still the original? is the pictured shotgun mic included?
 
Viewfinder is the original. The mic is included. The quick release plate is included put I didn't picture it. I shot I Titleist Golf spot just last week with it. It is a fine camera.
 
I own an hpx500 and just love it. Works all the time and produces a beautiful picture. Also, it shoots DVCProHD which is 4:2:2 and cuts like butter in the editing suite.

I also own an AF100, which I love, but the hpx500 makes the money. -m

justaddcoffee said:
hey folks -

i'm in the market for a used hpx500 and lens (because it's the most reasonably priced 2/3" hd cam i can find). what are the big pitfalls to watch out for? common problems the hpx500 suffers? how many usage hours are too many? i know that's like asking how many miles on a car are too much but... and possibly (and most important), is there something on the horizon i should hold out for? does sony have something i should be considering (if the new f3 had an ENG lens...).

any help or opinions are welcomed.

thanks,
scott.
Click to expand...
 
Yep it does cut like butter in the editing suite - god knows i appreciate it all the more after editing with dslr codecs hehe.
 
i'll be doing my editing in FCP 7, which i understand can use dvc pro hd as a native format (new to FCP 7). anything i need to worry about there? i guess i just need to get the panasonic program that downloads from the camera to the mac. does the mac see the P2 files as neatly wrapped single clips or is P2 a pain to import? at my last tv station, we shot everything on jvc which which recorded in quicktime and life was wonderful. is there a good way to convert P2 into quicktime (like mpeg streamclip)?
 
Log & transfer(in fcp) rewrapps mxfs into quicktime files for editing, or you could shop for a mxf plugin for fcp...
 
For safety always use Panasonic P2CMS - then convert to quicktimes. Keeping the original file with all the Metadata can and will save your a$$.
 
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