The New Panasonic HPX-300...

[Barry Green]

Originally Posted by Peter Moretti

There is a raging debate in the EX forum over if the EX1/3 supply 10 bits of meaningful color info out of their HD-SDI ports or if they just supply 8 bits of color info padded with two zeros. There seems to be no definitive answer, as of yet.

I would go on record and say that it definitively, definitely DOES supply 10 bits out of the live feed. Look at the footage on a vectorscope and it's very easy to see the difference between the recorded footage played back, and the live feed. You can easily see the 8-bit quantizing going on in the recorded playback footage, vs. the smoother 10-bit live output.

The XLH1 is 8-bit with padding. The EX1/3 output 10 bits live; when playing back footage they take the 8-bit data and pad it with two zeroes to make it 10 bits.

[Phil Bloom]

Originally Posted by Simon Ash

This camera looks nice but yet again a 1/3" chipper. I wonder if Sony have something around the corner in a 1/2" shouldermount to fit between the EX3 and the F350 camera price range. I hope so as I have a large investment in the SXS cards.

Simon

they must do...there is a niche that has to be filled. Also Sony haven't brought out a new camera this week yet, so maybe tomorrow!

No one ever makes the perfect camera and perfectly affordable camera - hasn't happened yet!!! Why would they?!

Ohh but please let Sony NOT announce an EX4, proper shoulder mount, SDHC, 1/2" bundled with a Senny 416 for £8k and a couple of batteries in 2 weeks time, as I need that HPX301 for 4 shoots next week and need to STOP hiring now (well, I said THAT 3 months ago!!!!) ;-)

Call me a Panacynic, but why do they not disclose S/N or max F stop on the HPX301 though? Sony are quite open about both stats on the EX3. Fishy, very fishy...

BD

[Phil Bloom]

Originally Posted by Ben Digedig

Ohh but please let Sony NOT announce an EX4, proper shoulder mount, SDHC, 1/2"
BD

You mean the EX5? That will for certain happen. Who knows when though. Sony don't do even numbers.

[Christian Magnussen]

I doubt SDHC, why introduce sxs? And the fact that SDHC drops frames above about 35fps or so, or at least from what i've read on the web.

But a proper shoulder mount Ex would be a direct competition to the other 1/2" size xdcams...

[Daniel Epstein]

Originally Posted by Phil Bloom

You mean the EX5? That will for certain happen. Who knows when though. Sony don't do even numbers.

Technically Sony when using multiple digits in the names has had even numbers very often. (a 400 in both DVCAM and Betacam, a 600 plus the 500 to name but a few) Now in the single digit names I don't remember any even numbered Sony cameras.

[Barry Green]

Originally Posted by Ben Jones

Call me a Panacynic, but why do they not disclose S/N or max F stop on the HPX301 though? Sony are quite open about both stats on the EX3. Fishy, very fishy...

I don't think they've ever quoted an S/N number on any of the AG series (DVX100, HVX200, HPX170, HMC150, or HPX500). I may be wrong, but I don't remember seeing it, it seems like it's just something they don't do.

As for max f-stop, I assume you mean minimum iris opening (as in, how wide-open can I get this lens?) It's f/1.6, IIRC.

[Phil Bloom]

i mean i expect them to leave the sdhc ability to record on the camera, but yes you cannot overcrank to sdhc.

[John Novotny]

After reading the first few pages of this thread, I thought I would post some reviews by Philip Bloom, and lo and behold here you are. Thanks for the nice reviews Philip.

Philip Bloom CVP TV: Review of Panasonic HPX 301e

Being quite charitable to the HPX 301, still a very good review of this camera, but after seeing footage for this camera panning I believe I'll stay away from it.

SonyEX3 review.
Sony XDCAM EX3 review HD on Vimeo

Currently I'm looking for a camera to shoot outdoor footage, mostly wild life and scenery at 3 nature perserves. There will be some indoor shooting of lectures and interviews as well. I like the picture the EX3 makes but am concerned about the CMOS problems. I'm considering going to the Panasonic HVX200 for safety. Thoughts?

[Simon Wyndham]

If they don't release an EX4 and choose EX5 instead it will be because 4 is an unlucky number in Japan. Notice we had Z5 and Z7.

The 300, or rather 301E looks like a great camera. I am very impressed that Panasonic have worked on a firmware that solves the issue with stobing flashes and the CMOS. Jan has also said over on DVX User that they are also looking at the CMOS skew thing as Barry Greens' tests appear to show that it has around 70% more skew in 24p mode, but slightly less skew than the EX in other modes.

Frankly in all my shooting with any CMOS sensor, even my initial tests with my new cute little Sanyo WH1 knockabout camera, I've never had an issue. Zooming in a long way and having lots of high frequency vibrations can cause a problem, and having an extreme telephoto with lots of panning and tilting following birds for example might cause an issue too.

[Gary Nattrass]

Ive just ordered a 301 and the skew and cmos doesnt bother me as I am away of it and dont push the camera too much.
I also shoot everything in 1080i 50i and do 25p in post so that will not affect me either, looking forward to testing it when it arrives next week and I also have four 32gb E cards coming too.

I have always been a big sony fan but this 301 is such a flexible camera that I have bought one, it can do SD all the way up to avcintra 100 so is covering a lot of ground in one camera, OK its 1/3" chips but at the end of the day I feel that will be the least of my worries as I am used to the S270 now.

[Dan Brockett]

Let us know what you think once you get some shooting under your belt Gary. Personally I find the 300/301 an amazing camera and a great value IF your work doesn't rely on the limitations that the camera has.

Dan

[John Novotny]

Choosing a sub $10k camera is turning out to be a little more difficult than expected. At first I assumed I'd be getting the HPX300 or HVX200. But it's not so cut and dried.

My preception is the AVC - 100 fromat is a bit of a waste on the HPX300 with 1/3 sensors, although it has excellent features. I've also heard the noise and cmos issues are worse than EX1/3. Image quality on the EX3 and sdhc recording may win the battle.

[Jan Crittenden Livingston]

Originally Posted by John Novotny

I've also heard the noise and cmos issues are worse than EX1/3. Image quality on the EX3 and sdhc recording may win the battle.

Hi John,

Just go try out the camera. It really is a great camera for the money.

Best,

Jan

[Gary Nattrass]

My take on it is from a broadcast perspective so I need a shoulder mount camera that has a robust shooting format and offers some compatibility with broadcast specs.

The EX-1 and 3 are not shoulder mount and the SDHC card route just isnt robust enough for my liking. OK SXS is better but the flash raid on the P2 cards is more to my liking, it is also what my ex colleagues at Talkback Thames are using on The Bill and the BBC use avc intra 100 as their archive format.

I also have an S270 HDV/Dvcam camera so wanted to keep everything in 1/3" The applications for my kit dont need large sensors and besides once it is in the mac's it is all pro res 422 and the chip size becomes irrelevant.