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MillimeterReview: Panasonic AJ-HPX3000
Nov 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Barry Braverman
Rugged, high-performance 10-bit camcorder offers HD shooters a new choice.
The Mode Check button conveniently displays a summary of your camera settings and P2 card status. Trouble is, you've only got 3 seconds to scroll through a series of menus to find what you're looking at. If you don't make it in time, you have to start all over again.
The HPX3000 in the field
Every relationship has its share of pros and cons, and the HPX3000 is no exception. For one thing, this camera has a voracious appetite. The multi-million-pixel imager is a hungry beast, consuming upwards of 50W of power when the LCD screen is enabled. That is more than double the nominal power consumption of the AG-HPX500, and it's not something many of us are accustomed to these days.
DPs, therefore, need to maintain their battery inventory diligently to maintain efficiency. They need to carry a minimum of four to six large-capacity batteries on most shoots and recharge their bricks more often to keep maximum juice flowing. To be clear, the AVC-Intra processor is not the villain here; in fact, it consumes less power than DVCPRO HD encoders.
Most of my criticism is reserved for the dastardly Mode Check button at the side of the camera. While it's wonderful to have convenient access to a summary of camera settings, including key parameters and card status, the chaotic layout of the pages and the fixed 3-second timeout are maddening. Three seconds is insufficient time to sift through the cluttered morass of data that populates the interlinked menus.
This is not an inexpensive camera, so there's no excuse for generating this level of exasperation with what should be a simple, easy-to-read interface. In a future camera update, I would expect to see a user-defined timeout option added to allow the user to better control the Mode Check function. Then I can feel good about life again.
Another perturbing matter relates to shooters who must integrate the HPX3000 into a 23.98PsF work environment. The camera outputs HD-SDI only with pulldown, which might produce smoother images on a monitor. But it also poses a serious problem for producers accustomed to the 23.98PsF way of doing things.
I have a final complaint about the HPX3000. This camera is obviously intended for high-end production, so why is its physical configuration so unfriendly to mounting support rods and a matte box? With the rods and mounting shoe attached, gaining routine access to the camera's front controls — menu dial, white and black balance, and shutter control — is a punishing exercise that only makes the HPX3000 less attractive for the types of shows that are most likely to use these accessories. This point in itself should be enough to convince Panasonic to abandon the long-favored ENG physical profile in its top-end cameras.
