It looks like a good camera to me and I think it might speed up Panasonic and Canon into making some improvements. Now how long should will we wait?

If Panasonic would come out with a DVX200 with 16:9 , real 24p and HD, they would clean Sonys clock.

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Bob, you mean a sub-$5k Panasonic DVCPro HD camcorder in the DVX form factor. That would be most interesting, wouldn't it?

<<<-- Originally posted by Chris Hurd : Bob, you mean a sub-$5k Panasonic DVCPro HD camcorder in the DVX form factor. That would be most interesting, wouldn't it? -->>>


Folks, I think we are dreaming too much!

If something like that comes along, it will take at least a year and be closer to the $10K price range, not $5K.

That doesn't mean I wouldn't wish to be wrong...


Carlos

There are rumors all around, but until NAB, it's just rumors.

heath

<<<-- Originally posted by Chris Hurd : Bob, you mean a sub-$5k Panasonic DVCPro HD camcorder in the DVX form factor. That would be most interesting, wouldn't it? -->>>

That would be nice. I want everything under $5,000. Under $3,000 would be even better. I'm sure they can work out some of the problems.

Chris don't you think and that was really my point is that now that Sony has come out with the Z1 that both Canon and Panasonic will be coming out with some soon?

Bob, in my experience, "Canon" and "soon" are mutually exclusive terms. They sort of cancel each other out. There is no such thing as "Canon" and "soon." It's strictly an either/or proposition.

As for Pansonic, they're not part of the HDV consortium and I get the impression that they have no desire to become part of it. I know they have their P2 flash memory format for video recording, but while flash cards are dropping in price, I have yet to see them in capacities large enough for HD video at a practical price point. So that's why I'm thinking that they're leaning towards a lower price range for DVCPro HD.

JVC will have the next HDV entry. But this is all getting way off topic for a Z1 thread...

Thanks Chris.

<<<-- Originally posted by Chris Hurd : Bob, you mean a sub-$5k Panasonic DVCPro HD camcorder in the DVX form factor. That would be most interesting, wouldn't it? -->>>

It would indeed...

... especially since they've announced their intention to do exactly that. Except that instead of "sub-$5k", I think they've been tossing around the $3000 figure.

But until an actual camera is announced, it's just speculation. They've shown a prototype, and the only two things they've said definitively, recently, is that it will use DVCPRO-HD and that it'll be priced competitive with the Sony (although... I'm not sure if they said competitive with the FX1 or the Z1, they may not have specified).

The only date I've seen tied to the new Panasonic was something like a Sept 2006 release. It'd be nice to see some sort of official timeline soon.

"Soon" will most likely be mid-April (of this year); as Panasonic tends to put out its new product announcements on the eve of NAB.