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Reader SurveyHands-on HVX
Feb 1, 2006 11:15 PM, By Barry Braverman
A first-look review of the Panasonic HVX200, video’s latest quantum leap.
Ah, so many choices. In case you’re wondering, the frame rate of the camera cannot be changed while running, so in-camera ramping effects are not possible.
Going native in film camera mode
The HVX200 Film Camera mode enables 720p recordings at various frames rates at fixed intervals from 12 to 60fps. Recording in the HVX200's new Native mode can be highly efficient because in the case of 720p24pn recordings, only 24 frames per second (not 60) are delivered to the recording medium. The ability to record video at “native” frame rates is unique to the HVX200. The “720p24pn” reference indicates a frame size of 1280Å~720 progressively scanned at 24 frames per second. In native mode (“n”), only the active frames are recorded to the storage device. (VariCam shooters will recognize this as a major change to how off-speed footage is captured; the VariCam records 60fps to tape in all cases.) So while a 4GB P2 card ($650 MSRP as of press time) can capture only four minutes of video in non-native modes over 60p, the card's total runtime may be increased 2.5X to 10 minutes at 720p24 in Native mode. (Interestingly, the capacity of the P2 card is 20 percent less than that for DVCPRO 50 recordings, about eight minutes per 4GB card).
To facilitate selecting from a wide range of options, the HVX200 features color-coded menus. The active selection is highlighted in green; white indicates an addressable parameter in the current configuration; options in blue are not applicable at the frame rate and scanning mode selected. In this setup, the “720p24pn” Native mode is selected.
The HVX permits ready playback of off-speed clips by simply switching the camera to VCR mode and playing back the desired scene on the camera's LCD screen, electronic viewfinder, or external HD monitor. No supplemental frame converter is required to see the slow motion or accelerated effect during playback. I previewed the effect directly on the set to amazed onlookers; it's the closest thing we've ever had in an electronic camera to actual playback of undercranked or overcranked film dailies. Simple and stunning.
Note that recordings in Native mode cannot (currently) be output to an external drive (even to the FireStore); the other option for live recording other than the P2 card is direct output via FireWire to a laptop or desktop computer. The target computer must be fitted with appropriate P2-enabled Log and Capture software, in which case Native Frame mode recording is fully supported just as if recording to a P2 card in-camera. Most popular NLEs now support P2 capture, including Apple's Final Cut Pro, Canopus Edius, and Avid Xpress Pro HD.
I was able to mount the card directly on my 15in. Apple PowerBook G4 using the PCMCIA slot conveniently provided. With the updated Final Cut Pro software version 5.0.4 installed, the card mounted instantly; the media then could be put to use immediately or offloaded to a generic drive.
The HVX200 can operate as a killer standard-definition DVX camcorder, recording consumer DV 4:1:1 (not HD) to tape. The new 16:9 high-definition imager contributes an enormous amount of fineness to the SD image—a valuable consideration for ultimate output to standard definition DVD.
Objectively speaking
The poorly performing lenses usually fitted to inexpensive camcorders have long filled me with anxiety. Perhaps they ought not, as it is only logical that the HVX200 at a $6000 MSRP does not come with a $50,000 HD lens. Still, the 13X Leica-brand zoom permanently mated to the HVX performs much better than it has any right to.
Normally non-interchangeable lenses are not seen as a marketing plus. After all, the ability to switch lenses is usually thought to make a camera more versatile. But let's examine this notion further. The Leica-branded (OK, licensed) objective is admittedly modest by design, but there's a lot more here than meets the eye. Close focus? How about to the front element! Wow. And all this without the benefit of a dedicated macro function. This is possible because the camera's imager block physically compensates to maintain good lens performance.
The shifting imager allows what amounts to a very modest lens to perform like a much better one. Take, for example, the “breathing while zooming” problem often observed with cheaper optics. The HVX200 apparently monitors such performance shifts and corrects for them by continuously displacing the imager as compensation. In top-quality lenses, superb performance is achieved by the addition of expensive glass elements and multiple lens groups. Here, using the design pioneered in the DVX, such optical defects can be addressed and ameliorated, a huge advantage when compared to the mediocre-performing interchangeable lenses on other cameras that enjoy no such compensating provision.
