By Jay Holben, August 21, 2007
The AG-HPX500, introduced by Panasonic at NAB this past April, is the new big brother to the popular AG-HVX200 P2 camera. The full shoulder-mount HPX500 is a 2/3” 3 interline (progressive capable) CCD high-definition camera with a 14-bit A/D converter with 19-bit internal processing. Like its smaller sibling, the tapeless camera utilizes solid-state P2 cards, in this case four of them up to 16 GB each. The HPX500 can record 1080, 720 or 480 line resolutions in DVCPRO HD (100 Mbps), DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO or DV. This is also a true “world” camera that can switch between 59.94 and 50 Hz systems with a mere menu change. In 720 line resolution, it features VariCam-like variable frame rates from 12 to 60 fps. Four discreet 16-bit 48 kHz audio channels are available via XLR inputs (two rear, two front), each featuring line or mic settings and +48V phantom power.
Testing
My first impression of the camera, pulling it out of the case, was that it was heavy for a unit without a tape drive mechanism—about 15 lb. with a Fujinon 17x (XA17x7.6BERM-M58B) lens and Anton Bauer Dionic battery. It’s an odd distribution of weight—not unbalanced, but not entirely comfortable either. Moving around with the 500 for a while, it seemed to settle in, but it never rested on my shoulder as comfortably as a Betacam or HDCAM.
Settings-wise, the HPX500 delivers everything I want in a relatively inexpensive HD camera. It can shoot everything from DVCPRO HD 1080 (4:2:2) down to standard-def 480. It can shoot off-speed, like the VariCam, in 1280 x 720 mode, with several gamma selections and a focus assist system that blew me away.
I put all cameras through the same set of tests whenever I do a review. Working first with my favorite color chart, Gamma & Density’s Gamma=2U, I check for color fidelity and camera sensitivity (ISO/EI).
As a former cinematographer, I’m generally looking at scripted applications for cameras—not ENG or video applications—so I’ll nearly always set my defaults at 24p. In the case of the HPX500, I started with 1920x1080 24p, normal HD gamma, “mid” knee, normal matrix and 180 degree shutter. The Panasonic unit can switch between “film camera” and “video camera” modes, which translates shutter angles to fractions of a second and sets the time code base to 30 frames (except in 24pN mode or 25 frames at 50 Hz).
The HPX500 performed extremely well in color fidelity, tight representation of colors on the waveform with little bleed. Monitoring through HD SDI into the Panasonic BT-LH2600W 26” LCD monitor, I found the reds and greens to be slightly desaturated, but hardly noticeable. I changed the gamma setting from “HD Norm” to “Cinelike D”, which compressed the gamma range slightly to bring the blacks up and the whites down (as expected). “Cinelike V” raised the blacks and lowered the highlights, but kept a pleasing contrast and didn’t compromise the blacks as much as “Cinelike D” did. I preferred “Cinelike V” setting much better. Moving into the “Cinelike” gammas, the color saturation increased slightly and was nearly dead-on to my eye when comparing the Gamma & Density chart—with the reds slightly oversaturated in the higher contrast “Cinelike V” mode.
After testing, I put the camera’s base ISO/EI at 500. In the “HD Normal” gamma setting, I found the camera’s latitude to be 8 1/2 stops, with 5 stops underexposure to loss of detail and 2 1/2 stops overexposure to loss of detail. At 5 stops under, it was too noisy for my taste. In the “Cinelike D” gamma setting I found the same 8 1/2 stop overall latitude, but with a more even dispersement of 3 1/4 stops over and 4 1/4 stops under range. “Cinelike V” mode, quickly becoming my favorite, yielded the same total 8 1/2 stops, but slightly more high-end at 3 1/2 stops overexposure detail and 4 stops underexposure. From this point forward I left the gamma at “Cinelike V.” In the “Cinelike” modes, even at 4 and 4 1/4 stops under, the image remains clean with little noise.
All of these tests were, of course, conducted with 0 dB of gain. There is no negative gain setting on the camera, which is somewhat disappointing. The low gain switch cannot be assigned—it is always at 0 dB. One minor quibble I found—I’ve seen this on many other cameras, and have never really understood why—is that the gain selector switch runs counterintuitive: the high-gain setting is at the low point of the switch and the low-gain setting is at the high position. Generally when I find this, I merely assign low as high and vise versa, ignoring the labeling—but as the low setting is un-assignable on the HPX500, I didn’t have that choice. Mid and high gain are both assignable and can be set from +3 to +12 dB. Surprisingly, +12 dB is not as noisy as I’ve seen on other cameras—it’s a setting I may actually use. In addition, +18 dB is available when shooting in 60i/p or 50i/p modes.
The HPX500’s image is clean and sharp. Like the HVX200, it employs a spatial-offset algorithm to achieve full 1920x1080 resolution, but with the larger chip size and 4:2:2 sampling, there is no discernable image degradation.
Settings and controls
Switches and controls are easy to reach and well placed—though I would have liked to see some kind of safety cover on the standby switch, which is positioned precariously next to the gain switch. (The camera will continue to record if you accidentally hit the standby switch while shooting.) Sliding doors conceal another three user-assignable buttons.
A six-scene preset dial provides quick access to up to six different “looks” that have been set in the scene file menu. An SD memory card slot is available to save and load scene file settings. Menu controls are clear and somewhat intuitive to navigate: I found myself going into the “Camera Setup” mode to switch things like frame rates and gamma settings, only to discover (time and again) that I needed to go into the “Scene File” menu. I finally understood that all changes in this menu could be saved and easily accessed (so why not put all the main adjustments in there?). But while the menu structure may take some getting used to, the degree of controls is exceptional. Of note is the ability to easily adjust white balance settings in 15 steps (-7 to +7) for each of the two assignable white balance settings. In addition, the camera represents the white point in Kelvin temperature numbers. The preset white balance is only assignable to 3200K or 5600K; I would have liked a few more selections, from 2900K to 3400K and 5000K to 6500K, but I’ll take what I can get. Seeing color-temp numbers on custom white balance gets me a long way toward more control over my white points.
The camera’s ND filter wheel is a nice feature, although I’d rather the filters be designated by their density numbers (0.3, 0.6, 0.9 etc.) instead of the video lingo of 1/4, 1/16 and 1/64.
I appreciate the fact that the focal plane is indicated on the camera—a small consideration you rarely see on ENG-style cameras. I’d have been even happier to also see a measuring tape hook here, but at least I know where the focal plane is.
Monitoring
The 1 1/2” CRT viewfinder is somewhat disappointing. Not only is it black-and-white, but it’s small. I appreciate the fact that I can flip up the viewfinder magnifier and look directly at the CRT, but it’s so tiny, and so far recessed into the viewfinder tube, that it’s impractical to use in this manner. Generally, when I’m rolling through menu settings, I like to be comfortable and away from the camera. This viewfinder doesn’t allow me to do that.
Click To Enlarge
The CRT viewfinder disappoints: it’s small (just 1 1/2”), recessed far into the viewfinder tube, and perhaps most surprisingly, black-and-white only.
|
The rubber eyecup is surprisingly uncomfortable. Operating without my glasses, I would need to have a chamois on at all times. Contrast and brightness range of viewfinder are good. I found the peaking range to be somewhat lacking—not horrible, but not as much as I would prefer.
For what the viewfinder is lacking, two additional features on the HPX500 more than make up for it. The first is a 3 1/2” flip-out LCD screen positioned in the rear portion of the operator’s side of the camera. From here, you can easily see the menu options, and even use it as a viewfinder to operate from when the camera is on a tripod or dolly. The LCD has solid adjustment range, including a backlight adjustment that helps considerably in bright sunlight. Nearly all of the information available in the viewfinder is available on the LCD screen. The positioning of this screen makes it viable for a camera assistant or audio engineer to utilize it while shooting in handheld mode, as it pops out right behind the operator’s neck when the camera is shoulder-mounted. This can feel a bit awkward at first, but I got used to it rather quickly. With this little screen, an assistant or engineer can easily see monitor levels, exposure, zoom, timecode—any number of factors that will be beneficial to those positions.
Secondly, the HPX500’s focus-assist system is the most exceptional I have ever used. Instead of being an overblown colored peaking system, the Panasonic focus assist brings up a histogram-like display of frequency distribution that represents the area of the frame in sharp focus. It’s easy to use, easy to see out of the corner of your eye, and incredibly effective. At one point, I was almost leaving it up constantly while working handheld.
Going native
I was working mostly in 1080p24 for the majority of my technical tests, but switched down to 720p24 to play with the camera’s variable frame rates. The HPX500 features 11 speeds from 12 to 60fps. Recording straight to the P2 cards offers a new feature, “pN” frame speeds, which are progressive “native” frames. Instead of constantly running at 60fps and “flagging” frames for a given rate—as is required by a tape system such as the VariCam—”native” mode records only the given frames for a selected speed, thereby eliminating redundant information and expanding the record times on the P2 drives. In 1080p24 (60i), each 16GB P2 card yields about 16 minutes of footage (64 minutes with four cards). In 720p24 “native” (pN) mode, each card yields 40 minutes of recording time (160 minutes with four cards).
As with all P2 technology, the cards are hot-swappable while the camera is recording to a separate P2 drive—thereby extending your recording time infinitely (that is, over as many P2 cards as you can cycle through). The PCMCIA P2 cards utilize free software and drivers from Panasonic, can be read by any PCMCIA reader (included in most modern laptop computers). The camera also includes an internal intervelometer for time-lapse photography and a one-frame setting for animation.
Click To Enlarge
In the new 720p24 “native” (pN) recording mode, each 16GB P2 card yields 40 minutes of recording time.
|
Working for my first time with P2, I was surprised at how simple the solid-state technology was to operate. Playback in the camera is incredibly quick and easy. Every time you start or stop the camera, a “clip” is made with a thumbnail for the clip. Surfing through the clips to review is fast and intuitive.
Integrating footage into Final Cut Pro v5.0.4 on a Mac PowerPC G5 dual 2 GHz system was simple. Hooking the camera directly to the system via IEEE 1394 6-pin FireWire 400, the transfer of both 1080 DVCPRO HD and 720 DVCPRO HD footage was seamless. Final Cut controlled the camera and, depending on the setting, went directly to the 720 or 1080 footage on the cards without prompting.
Conclusion
Possibly the most exciting feature of the Panasonic AG-HPX500 is its price. With the package I tested (four 16GB P2 cards and a Fujinon XA17x7.6BRM-M58B lens) available at a price of $27,815, I can see these things flying off the shelves. The camera’s versatility—recording in more than 30 HD and SD formats—and excellent performance definitely set it apart in its price range. This is a package I didn’t want to send back!
Discuss this story in our Forums
|