With Cameras From SD to HDV to Megadef, the Question Isn’t ‘How Do You Shoot It?’ But ‘Where Do You Put It?’
By Bryant Frazer
June 1, 2005 Source: Film & Video
Yes, there were cameras at NAB this year. But the news wasn’t about how you’ll be acquiring images in the future, but what you’ll do with them once you get them. Sub- $10,000 HD cameras can record to DV tape— or, in Panasonic’s new configuration, to P2 memory cards. Mid-range SD and HD cameras are recording directly to disk drives in NLE -ready direct-to-edit formats. And megadef cameras like the Dalsa Origin pump out so much data that they demand a new post workflow just to catch the flood.
On the HD low end, Panasonic’s splashy launch of the AG-HVX200 amounted to a direct challenge to Sony and JVC, storing full-bandwidth (100 Mbps) DVCPRO HD video on a pair of P2 cards instead of writing an MPEG-compressed version to DV tape. The three-chip camera records more or less any format you need to deliver— 720-line and upsampled 1080-line images at 60i, 30p and 24p as well as DVCPRO50, DVCPRO25 and DV. The built-in MiniDV tape drive comes in handy when expensive solid-state memory is overkill. The HVX200 is priced at $5995, and you can take the P2 plunge by adding two of Panasonic’s 8 GB P2 cards for a total under $10,000.
In other P2 news, Panasonic also introduced the $12,995 AJ-SPC700, a new P2 camera with improved low-light sensitivity. Next year, look for a HD mobile recorder supporting DVCPRO HD/50/25 and standard DV.
JVC’s 24p Appeal
JVC’s ProHD cameras use 3:2 pulldown within a 60p HDV stream to store 24 progressive images, with 24-frame timecode, for later extraction by an NLE. ProHD is not limited to tape— future cameras may record to hard disk, memory cards or even optical discs. ProHD is currently aimed at indie filmmakers, and for ENG applications, JVC resurrected the 2/3-inch variant on ProHD seen under glass last year as the GY-HD7000U. It is slated to ship next April and sell for $27,950 without a lens.
ProHD is a direct challenge to Sony, which has taken some lumps for not offering native progressive acquisition in its popular HVR-Z1 HDV model. Sony pointed to strong NAB interest in the Z1, noting that the nearby B&H Photo sold out the supply of Sony HDV cameras it brought to the show.
Bigger and Better Imaging
Farther up the ladder, vendors are servicing broadcast with 2/3-inch imaging. Offering a three-CMOS chip design, Ikegami’s HDN-X10 Editcam HD will record 1080/30p or /24p (using Avid’s DNxHD codec) to Ikegami’s FieldPak2, which comes in 60 GB ( $54), 100 GB ( $90), or 120 GB (approx. $108) versions. Proxy video is recorded to a USB flash device. The camera is scheduled to ship in the fourth quarter for $55,000.
Hitachi introduced its own take on the direct-to-edit model, the Z-2500 hard drive camera. A three-chip, 2/3-inch model, it records video at 25 Mbps to MediaPACs with capacities of 40 GB ( $199) and 120 GB ( $399). The camera comes with lens and a 40 GB disk for $18,000.
More Pixels, More Problems?
On the high end, megadef cameras are coming out of the closet— and, just in time, megadef workflows are coming online to support them. When Dalsa announced its 4K Origin camera, it mentioned an optional 2K mode— but the option was jettisoned before release. "4K post pipelines are coming up the hill very quickly," says Dalsa’s John Coghill. "If somebody only wants to work in HD, we’ll rent them an F900 or a VariCam."
The Panavision Genesis, which records to an HDCAM-SR VTR mounted on the camera like a film mag, is already being used on productions like the Superman movie currently lensing in Australia (see director Bryan Singer’s video blog at bluetights.net) and the season finale of Fox’s 24 (see story, p. 14). Those will be closely watched by DPs eager to compare the images to film.
Arri’s D-20 is close to becoming a real, rentable camera— with an expected daily rate of $3000 to $5000. It will go untethered with the addition of GVG’s Venom FlashPak as a dockable recorder.
The homegrown Kinetta is being held up, according to designer Jeff Kreines, by the wait for delivery of CMOS chips from Altasens. At the pre- NAB Digital Cinema Summit, Kreines said Kinetta is working with Iridas on a new version of SpeedGrade that will work with the camera’s raw output.
