Unsurprisingly in an economy that has everyone running their ROI numbers over and over again, trying to make sure their purchases are in line with potential revenues, the pre-NAB camera action this year seems to be focused on hitting that sweet spot in your wallet. New solid-state cameras from JVC and Panasonic are geared to cram as many high-quality features as possible into pro cameras that hit pre-defined price points.
Arguably the most aggressive entrant in the sweepstakes right now is JVC’s new GY-HM100U ProHD model, which offers dual-SDHC memory-card recording to Final Cut Pro-ready .mov files for the easiest possible shoot-to-edit workflow, no intermediate codecs required. It lists for $3995.
No interchangeable lenses at that price point, but it’s built with a Fujinon 10:1 HD zoom that works in manual- or auto-focus and manual- or auto-iris modes and has a macro setting for close-up work plus optical image stabilization. The sensor configuration is a newly developed ¼-inch three-CCD affair, and images are processed through a new 1920x1080 progressive DSP.
Image resolution is dependent on bandwidth — at a bit rate of 35 Mbps, the camera records up to 1920x1080p/24, /25, and /30, or 1920x1080i/50 and /60. Recording at 25 Mbps will get you up to 1440x1080i, and 19 Mbps limits resolution to 1280x720p. With two 32 GB SDHC Class 6 memory cards loaded, the camera can record more than six hours of footage in the 19 Mbps mode. Audio recording is two-channel 16-bit/48 kHz uncompressed LPCM via XLR inputs.
That might not be the camera you want if you’re out to make an impression as a hardcore shooter — at little more than 14 inches from head to toe, and weighing barely over 3 pounds with battery and mic attached, it’s an unobtrusive piece of kit. If you’re looking for a shoulder-mounted camera, JVC will step you up to the GY-HM700, with its 1/3-inch three-CCD imager and a detachable 14x Canon KT14x4.4KRSJ HD lens. Like the HM100U, it offers direct-to-edit recording.
In an unusual instance of cooperation across the camera industry, JVC has teamed up with Sony to offer recording to an optional SxS solid-state media recorder in .MP4 format — you can use those files in any NLE system with presets for recordings made with Sony’s XDCAM EX cameras. Features include a pre-record mode (continuous recording to an on-board cache so you don’t miss the shot), a continuous clip mode that enables in-camera editing, combining multiple takes into a single clip, and most of the same bandwidth/resolution/frame-rate combinations found in the HM100U.
It weighs about eight pounds, including lens, viewfinder, mic and battery. Suggested list price? A still thrifty $7,995.
Also this month, Panasonic announced the new AG-HPX300 ($10,700), its latest AVC-Intra enabled salvo against the MPEG-2 contingent. The new 1080i/p/720p camera, slated to start shipping in March, is built around a 1/3-inch, 2.2-megapixel progressive-scan imager with an included interchangable 17x HD Fujinon lens. It records video in variable frame rates in the AVC-Intra, DVCPRO HD, DVCPRO and DV formats.
The lightweight, low-profile shoulder-mount camera was designed to handle interchangeable lenses without being awkward for the operator. It has a ½-inch LCOS color viewfinder and a 3.2-inch LCD monitor on the side panel, and new focus-assist functionality. The camera can record variable frame rates in 720p mode, in steps between 12p and 60p. In its 1080/480 24pA mode, it can be set to employ 2:3:3:2 pulldown, which makes it easier for NLEs to extract 24-frame footage on ingest.
Also in Panasonic’s NAB line-up will be the previously announced AG-HPG20 P2 HD Portable Recorder/Player — the company bills it as a “bridge” device for shooters who want to record from HD-SDI camera outputs to AVC-Intra on P2 cards, — and the new AJ-HRW10 Rapid Writer ($9,995), a portable recorder that pairs a five-slot P2 memory drive with space for two 3.5-inch removable hard disks for quick and easy data-offloading in the field.
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