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MillimeterHands-on HVX
Feb 1, 2006 11:15 PM, By Barry Braverman
A first-look review of the Panasonic HVX200, video’s latest quantum leap.
The FireWire port is a central part of the HVX200 P2 workflow, allowing live streaming to a computer or suitable hard drive like the FireStore FS-100. A USB 2.0 port is also provided for offloading of files.
In my experience the camera's 4.2mm wide-angle proved ample for most applications, so shooters will not feel unnaturally constrained by a too-narrow field of view. I should point out that the wide-angle displays considerable barrel distortion, an aberration also seen in the Sony HVR-Z1U but noticeably more severe here. Colorimetry is nearly identical to that of the AJ-HDC27 VariCam, and so for commercial shooters, the HVX200 can serve as an excellent B-roll camera for use in potentially dangerous or cramped environments.
I used the camera in the front seat of a BMW, shooting back with a little frontal fill from a LitePanel Mini. The compact HVX shooting real HD was quite the ticket. And that close-focus capability came in handy to shoot dashboard details like the pegged tachometer.
The P2 card may be inserted directly into a laptop, permitting immediate access to footage without capturing. The P2 PCMCIA card mounted on the desktop enables file transfers (theoretically) at speeds up to 640Mbps!
Into focus
One of the coolest new features in the HVX200 is the unusual 2X Focus Assist that magnifies the center of the image in the viewfinder and swing-out LCD. Finding focus on a tiny LCD screen can be particularly frustrating in HD, so this feature is likely to be much appreciated by blurry-eyed shooters. The focus assist function in the HVX200 may be applied even with the camera running, a key operational advantage. Incidentally, when checking the LCD screen and electronic viewfinder for an intruding matte box, French flag, or errant mic boom, you can feel confident that the full extent of the 16:9 chip is being displayed. Nice.
The Focus Assist provides 2X magnification to facilitate focus even with the camera running. Note how the onscreen graphics in the LCD appear outside the 16:9 image area.
Just one suggestion from an old film veteran: The camera comes up to speed instantly without the usual convulsions and is utterly silent when recording to the P2 card or laptop. While these are positive points, the red REC light in the viewfinder wasn't always sufficient to get my attention. I propose therefore that a crawling “RECORDING” message be added as a menu option. Given the short runtime of the P2 card, it becomes absolutely essential to know when the camera is running and when it is not.
Sounds like a plan
As shooters, we tend to ignore the audio section of our cameras, and that is very much to our peril. Compared to HDV's compressed MPEG audio, the HVX200 as a true DVCPRO HD camcorder can record up to four channels of PCM audio, the mapping of which is automatically configured via the camera's exterior controls. To achieve four-channel functionality, the top-mounted stereo microphone is used in tandem with the auxiliary XLR inputs.
While the audio controls and preamps seem especially quiet for a camera in this price class, the provided mic levels at -50dB and -60dB are incompatible with most professional (-40dB) microphones, including Panasonic's own AJ-MC700P typically used with VariCam models. Shooters are therefore advised that a pad may be required to adapt certain professional microphones to the HVX200.
Some caveats
You've heard the accolades. Here are a few grumblings. The top-mounted menu selection buttons are non-tactile, incorrectly oriented, and difficult to see in low light. Panasonic reportedly reworked the button configuration multiple times during the camera's long development, but to my mind never quite perfected it. I would prefer to see the button array rotated 90 degrees to reflect more accurately the operator's perspective from behind the camera. Right now, the illogically placed up, down, left, and right keys make for a frustrating experience when attempting to access the camera's menus.A fiber-optic lighting strategy ŕ la the keyboard of the Apple PowerBook G4 should be implemented to help illuminate the menu selection keys in low light. In my tests, I found routine camera setup much easier to perform using the (included) remote control. Unfortunately, the button arrangement on the remote is not consistent with that of the camera, creating more frustration along with the inevitable miscues. The SET button on the remote is particularly misplaced, usurping the spot where the right navigational arrow should be.
