Taking the Panasonic HVX200 out for a spin, Part 1
February 24, 2006
I finally got a chance to take the Panasonic HVX200 DVCPRO HD Camcorder out for a spin this morning, courtesy of the fine folks at Rule Broadcast Systems.
My first impression is that it’s like using a slightly heavier and larger DVX100. The camera handles pretty much the same, and most controls are in a very similar location. So if you’re a DVX user, the transition to this camera will be very straight forward, at least in terms of handling.
The images are very clean, and one would expect this given Panasonic’s use of their 100 Mbit/sec DVCPRO HD inter-frame codec rather than the 25 Mbit/sec intra-frame MPEG-2 codec used by the HDV format. It’s hard to say without a side-by-side comparison, but I suspect from what I saw that the DVCPRO HD images are cleaner than HDV images, with less compression artifacts and relatively low noise in the shadows and very clean highlights. I’ll post some video clips soon, but here are two still frames:
- HVX200 First Look 1 (JPEG, 472 KB), and
- HVX200 First Look 2 (JPEG, 374 KB).
There was virtually no difference between the images before and after JPEG compression, but if you’re a purist, you can see the original DVCPRO HD frames as a two frame QuickTime movie (472 KB, requires DVCPRO HD codec). The camera was in the 720/24PN mode with most of the settings at their default values except I set Matrix to Cine-Like and Gamma to Cine-Like-D. I used the Marker feature (spot meter) to set the exposure so the highlights were right at 100 and also used it to make sure that important shadow areas were above dark black.
The spot meter is one of the many features that sets the Panasonic DVX100 and HVX200 apart from other camcorders in the same price/performance class. While Zebras are great for telling you where your highlights are at, they are useless as a precision exposure tool, whereas the spot meter lets you know exactly where a region of the frame falls in the 0 to 100 IRE range. I guess I like this method of exposure becuase when I used to shot film I would base my exposure decisions on both incident and spot meter readings, using the spot meter to accurately previsualize where everything fell in the black to white range of the tonal scale. Why should video be a land of information depravation? I want to know if a black dress is at 10 IRE or 20 IRE and a monitor or LCD display is not to be trusted, especially in bright sunlight, but the spot meter provides accurate information upon which to base exposure decisions.
[…] All in all I was pleased with the results, the camera as a nice look, albeit a tad softer than the Sony camera (a very subjective thing) but a more pleasing image, which I suspect has something to do with the 4:2:2 color profile and DCT-based compression used by the DVCPro HD codec, but we’re comparing apples and oranges. HDV is a 25 Mbit/sec codec, while DVCPro HD is a 100 Mbit/sec codec. But with storage prices in decline, I think Panasonic did a smart thing looking towards the future and implementing a high-end codec with this camera. I suspect the footage will intercut nicely with footage shot with the Varicam, making this a high-end camera choice for low-budget productions and a very versatile B-camera for modest budget productions. If you want to see what the image really looks like without the H.264 compression artifacts, let me know and I can arrange to get you a copy of DVCPro HD master. In a previous post I include some still frames that give you an idea of the image quality before the H.264 compressor does it’s thing. […]
[…] I wrote a detailed report of my first experiences with the HVX200 camcorder titled “First Look: Panasonic AG-HVX200 DVCPro HD Camcorder, Part 1” (a more orderly and polished version of my previous posts on the camera) for NEFilm this month, check it out. Some notes from my experience with the camera are captured in two previous posts: Taking the HVX200 out for a spin, Part 2 (which has links to a short sample movie) and Taking the HVX200 out for a spin, Part 1 (with links to still frames). Clicking on the image will take you to a photo tour of the camera on Flickr. […]
[…] I learned how to edit using a Steenbeck editing table at Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco very similar to this one here located at Documentary Educational Resources in Watertown, Massacusetts. While testing the Panasonic HVX200 camera I was struck by how beautiful the flatbed was, especially with the afternoon light coming through the window, so I shot it both as a still frame and a slow panning shot. […]
Nice summary sir! Thanks for the report.
Check out the following:
“First Look: Panasonic AG-HVX200 DVCPro HD Camcorder (Part 2, P2 Workflow),” NewEnglandFilm.com, May 2006.
and
“First Look: Panasonic AG-HVX200 DVCPro HD Camcorder (Part 1, The Camera),” NewEnglandFilm.com, March 2006.
What is the sensibility of AG-HVX200 in lux? For ej 11 or 12 f to 2000lux. What is that ?f at 2000 lux? Thank you very much, Gretting from Argentina.
Carlos
I think the official specification is something around 3 lux (F1.6, +12 dB Gain) or something like that. I think of it this way, I need on average about 110 footcandles (lux = footcandles x 10.76) on the subject for a good exposure, no gain, cine-gamma, 24p, normal shutter, f/4. The lens behaves much better when closed down a little bit. Thanks to the wonderful spot-meter in the HVX, you can calculate accurate exposures easily. I don’t like the gain on unless I have to use it in existing light work.