Panasonic AG-HVX200

The era of having to buy or rent separate cameras for each type of production seems to be coming to an end. The Panasonic AG-HVX200 acts as the poster child for media convergence by placing the affordable ENG-style and cine-style production paradigm into hyper drive and into your hands.

Keeping in mind that my office is located on the beautiful and diverse central coast of California, I was able to put the HVX200 to the test by taking it straight out of the box and into a myriad of challenging environments. I shot along the windy seashore, in the dusty oak-encrusted mountains, in downtown San Luis Obispo, indoor ENG-style interviews and along the Big Sur cliffs and tide pools. I also tried it out at wine festivals, classic car meets and at other similar events.

The vast majority of my testing had the camera in "run and gun" mode, with no aftermarket accessories for the camera. I shot every format and frame rate available on the HVX from 480/60i and 1080/60i for reality look news-style footage to 480p (24, PA, 30), 720p (from 12-60fps) and 1080p (24, 30). I didn’t have any cine-style accessories, but it was obvious that the HVX would be adept at cine-style production. Add on a wide-angle converter lens (see page 12 for more on what Century will release at NAB), matte box, follow focus, filters and lens attachments to achieve shallow depth of field, and "voila," you’ve achieved affordable cine-style production for smaller budget features, indie "films," commercials, music videos, business videos and dramatic television- in HD or SD.

As I used the camera, I started to notice certain features that really stood out. For instance, the size and weight of the HVX200 helped enable mobile production. I also found it well-balanced for high and low handheld applications. The record button and three-speed zoom rocker switch on the top handle make a lot of sense.

Since focus is so critical in high definition, I really appreciated the focus-assist function. It worked well, and I’ll discuss that a bit more later on in the review.

For professional-level production, manual controls are a necessity. The HVX has manual control options for basically every function. The HVX’s 1/3-inch CCDs did quite well in low-light situations. The 13x Leica zoom lens performed quite well in the field, manually and via servo.

While shooting with the camera, I used P2 cards for DVCPRO-HD and DVCPRO-50 recording, and used Panasonic DVM63MQ MiniDV tapes for recording DV footage. I couldn’t help but notice that the P2 cards filled up fast! Using P2, the HVX is quiet and you end up hot swapping the cards when they’re full- something film shooters will already be used to. I used a small battery-powered FireWire enclosure to dump off footage from the P2 cards. In the HVX menu, you simply program the camera for P2 Host mode, format the drive and dump the footage. It’s really pretty easy. For high-definition long-form productions, I’d want larger capacity P2 cards, and a CinePorter CP-2 HDD for real mobile production. Or a FireStore FS-100 HDD for more stationary productions would also do.

(Note: P2 cards have already began to decrease in price and they’re also forecast to rapidly increase in storage capacity. Go to www.studiodaily.com for NAB pricing updates.)

In just one word: stunning. I viewed it on the impressive Panasonic BT-LH1700W 17-inch HD/SD LCD monitor (read our review online at studiomonthly.com/6140.html). For comparison, I also viewed the footage on a 1080i/720p/480i capable consumer HDTV. High-definition footage was viewed via the HVX200′s analog component output. Standard-definition footage was viewed by using the S-Video connector. I found the DVCPRO HD footage in both 720/24p and 1080/24p to be pleasingly filmic. My over-cranked (surfing) and under-cranked (highway traffic) footage in 720p yielded smooth slow motion and effective fast sequences. For shallow depth of field, I used the ND filters, and set up as far from the subject as possible. A 1.6x tele-converter or Mini 35-like attachment would have helped achieve shallow DOF. The HVX200′s ability to adjust gain, gamma, detail and profiles are a major plus for the camera. I was able to tweak the HVX200 to satisfy the "look" requirements of any kind of ENG-style or cine-style project.

If you’re interested in an affordable camcorder for nearly every genre of professional production, the HVX200 just may be the perfect choice! I’m very picky, but I had a real hard time finding fault. Once accessory HDD units ship, and higher capacity P2 cards are available and affordable, the HVX will be an excellent choice for almost any type of production- ENG- or cine-style.

Menu Controls: The Menu reside under the top handle. For low-level hand-held shooting, I loved having the record and 3-speed zoom rocker on the top handle. A wide collection of connection receptacles clusters around the Mini DV tape drive.

Lens Control: The Leica 13x lens performed quite well. It’s large in size- 82mm. The action, whether manual or servo, seemed quit smooth. The controls for focus assist, filters, iris and white balance are conveniently located close to the lens barrel.

Control Buttons: Necessary professional control buttons are located behind and below the LCD. They’re easy to use and located in a logical pattern. The LCD mount seemed a bit loose, but then again, a rigidly mounted LCD is easier to break away from a camera. Outdoors I used an LCD hood, with good results.

P2 Cards: There are two P2 card slots below the viewfinder. I found the cards easy to insert, remove and use. They seemed to be solid and durable. P2 was easy to use via the HVX200′s menu system. But watch out- the 4 GB cards fill up fast! Lower cost, higher capacity P2 cards, reportedly available soon, will seriously improve the utility of the HVX200.

Mode Controls: Below the P2 slots you’ll find easy to use rotary dials for scene files, audio levels, a viewfinder detail button, a P2/tape selector switch and a simple button to switch between camera mode, VCR mode and dubbing mode.

Weight: Approx. 5.291 lbs. (excluding battery and accessories)
Dimensions: 6-11/16 inches x 7-1/8 inches x 15-3/8 inches
Formats: DVCPRO HD, DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO, DV selectable
HD Recording Formats: 1080/60i, 1080/24p, 1080/24pA, 1080/30p, 720p (variable frame rates)
SD Recording Formats: 480/60i, 480/24p, 480pA, 480/30p
CineSwitch technology for variable frame rates in 720p mode: 12, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 30, 32, 36, 48, 60fps
1/3-inch 16:9 native high-sensitivity progressive 3-CCD with 1080/60p scanning
16:9/4:3 switchable for standard definition recording, 16:9 native for HD
Lens: Wide angle Leica Dicomar HD lens with optical image stabilizer (motorized/manual mode switchable)
Thumbnail display for easy searching and file information
Auto/manual focus with focus assist (even during recording)