I've begun to look into a new camera purchase and the 200A has much to recommend. One concern I have is whether and when a successor might be introduced. Any opinions on when this might happen? (Also, not sure when the 200A was brought to market.)

Thanks

Isn't the HPX170 the successor?

I will be surprised if there is ever an HVX200B, the technology has moved on. The 170 is basically the successor to the 200 along with the 200A. And to be honest, as much as I like my 170, the era of 960x540 imagers with pixel shifting is coming to a close, as is DVCPRO HD, the future of Panasonics medium to high end is obviously AVCINTRA.

Next camera in this price range will undoubtedly be full raster CMOS, AVCINTRA 100, will still use P2 cards and will be basically a lower end, fixed lens HPX300, I predict. The again, with the immense mania around DSLRs, and the possible introduction of Scarlet (if it ever comes out) maybe Panasonic will freak us all out by introducing something with the specs of the HPX3700 for $5k at NAB 2010, who knows?

Dan

Exactly- the 170 is the update to the 200. Mainly because Panasonic opted rightfully to remove the DV deck entirely from the 200 configuration- thus 200B doesn't quite make sense because it's a major change. So yeah you'll likely never see a 200B...

Noah

I would hope Panasonic doesn’t waste their time developing an HVX200B. That tape drive adds extra bulk and weight which makes your shooting less stable especially if your not using any type of stabilizer.

Forget about getting the HVX202 - I went from that to a HPX172. The HVX202 is heavy (about 1kg heavier than HPX172) ... and the balance is way much better on HPX172.