For FCP editors, which HD camera would be the best choice?
They're now almost identical in price... so if someone handed you ten grand and said buy a camera, which one would you buy?
I would buy the HPX, but that's a matter of personal preference for Panasonic over Sony. Both of them work perfectly with FCP, so if compatibility is what you're asking about, there's not much of a difference.
Both are CMOS so are prone to ROLLING SHUTTER (wiki that). But the HPX-300 shoots 10-bit 4:2:2 I-Frame (individual frames) AVCIntra...which imports as ProRes in FCP. XDCAM is Long GOP 10 bit 4:2:0 color space...very processor intensive and lacking color depth.
Discovery Channel just gave AVCIntra the GOLD STANDARD for Discovery Productions. XDCAM EX is Silver while the full XDCAM is GOLD.
The HPX-300 is shoulder mounted, while the EX is not...not without accessories.
P2 cards, the ones Panasonic makes, are expensive. However FUJI just announced their own line that are half the price.
I just saw that Panasonic announced a firmware update at NAB that is supposed to help with the rolling shutter thing.
Also, the 300 has 1/3" chips if I'm not mistaken, compared to 1/2" on the EX. (I could be wrong) I don't know how much that buys you, maybe someone else could add some insight on that.
If it is action footage that requires fast pans when zoomed in, or music videos with strobing lights, then both cams will present issues with skew and jellovision.
This can be compensated for, but you need to be aware of its potential.
Here is another opinion and option, go with the EX3 (or EX1 $6099,00) and instead of purchasing any SxS cards purchase the MxR adapter that allows you to record to SDHC cards for all those talking heads interviews and this will save you a ton of money. Then with the saving purchase the Convergent Design Nanoflash HD-SDI/HDMI Compact Flash Recorder for all those project you need 4:2:2 color space and 100 Mbps all i-frame recordings for, this will really take advantage of what the EX series camera sensors have to offer. Mpeg-2 is an extremely efficient compression codec even at the EX series HQ (35 Mbps 4:2:0) level and the Nanoflash allows you to choose the bit rate that goes way beyond either of these two cameras recording levels. Another great feature of the Nanoflash is it can record with Quicktime .mov wrappers so you can import directly into Final Cut Pro 6.0.2 and start editing without transcoding to ProRez like you must do with the AVC-I.
Most people don't realize that Mpeg-2 has i-frame capabilities and looks amazing at these high bit rates.
IMO the EX3 and the NanoFlash will make much better images than this HPX-300.
Well now...here is an opinion from a professional cameraman...Z1. I know him, and he is very knowledgable. About cameras. Now, sure, GOP can be 4:2:2 with the Convergent design box...which is a pretty cool box (I tested it too). But now let's talk about POST. Because all shooting leads to POST...which is easier in post.
The GOP format is very processor intensive. Working with it is fine...but then render...or convert to another format (say h.264 for client or DVD), and your render times start really climbing. And then let's look at 24P with the Convergent Design. It records 24p...but to remove the pulldown you need to convert to ProRes...you cannot reverse telecine GOP formats (Z1 told me that himself!).
Look I think the EX1/EX3 cameras shoot GREAT images...and the most important thing when looking at a camera is the lens. And these cameras have good lenses, and can swap out lenses. So can the HPX-3000. But the AVCIntra codec is individual frames...and needs to be converted to ProRes, but that again is I-Frame. The CD box said it was I-Frame, but I couldn't reverse telecine. Unless they changed something. Did they?
We should have connected in Vegas, so we could have talked about this.
OH, and want to avoid P2 cards? The KiBox by AJA records directly to ProRes on hard drive...both moving part and solid state. Although that is due out later...not now.
"The GOP format is very processor intensive."
From what I've learned Long-GOP is processor intensive to encode with software but it is extremely easy to decode. As we all now know you can edit Mpeg-2 and set the sequence to render to Pro Rez and you will avoid the conforming times that was once a huge problem.
"And then let's look at 24P with the Convergent Design. It records 24p...but to remove the pulldown you need to convert to ProRes...you cannot reverse telecine GOP formats (Z1 told me that himself!)."
"The CD box said it was I-Frame, but I couldn't reverse telecine. Unless they changed something. Did they? Yes
At the time I lent you the Flash XDR CD box it didn't have the ability to record 24p and it also didn't wrap the files in a Quicktime .mov, so now you won't need to remove pulldown now that these features are enabled.
"So can the HPX-3000"
I'm sure this is a typo as even I would love to have this camera. I'm sure you meant 300.
"OH, and want to avoid P2 cards? The KiBox by AJA records directly to ProRes on hard drive...both moving part and solid state."
This is another great device that is hitting the market very soon,"Ki Pro" from AJA. I believe the price and size of the Nanoflash will make it an easier choice once people finally see the merits of these recorders. BTW the Nanoflash is due out at the same time as the Ki Pro.
Shane why don't you take the XDR for another spin?
I'm also considering 2 options, maybe 3, I'm interested in buying the SONY EX3 or the PANASONIC HPX300
Well, i'm still confused about overall costs, image quality, Mbit transfer etc.
Being a film maker for some years now, shooting 16mm, super16 and even super8
It's hard for me to understand and to compare digital cameras, what attracted me to the Sony EX3 was the 1/2 sensor, against the 1/3 of the Panasonic, but i recon both record with 2 million pixel resolution, i've heard horrible things about Sony, and my friends always talk about Panasonic, and their main argument is the Discovery channel grading, making the Panasonic a safer choice,
Well, i need a camera that is versatile, has great image resolution, in high lights and shadows, because i'm shooting a documentary in amazonian jungle in July and then in Morocco, i really need a good camera, rugged, and simple to record with, expensive cards might get to be a problem, by the way Z1, i've heard about the adaptors for SDHC cards for Sony EX3, but, with an adapter can i shoot any format with safety? I guess ther might be some disadvantages, or else, everyone will forget about SxS cards right?
Well, i'm very inclined to follow your recommendation on buying a EX3, but the HPX300 seems a good temptation too,
I forgot to say that my budget might be around 8000$
Maybe JVC has a good choice too, but i'm still more inclined to Sony or Panasonic...
The SxS cards unload very quickly and there is NO processing before you work with it - I love that. Also the Express card slot on a MacBook Pro will read (and write) the SxS card so you do not need to carry a reader when you're on the road. The video plays perfectly and does not load the processor at all. I can also edit the video and the RUN IT BACK INTO THE SxS CARD (try that with P2) - this allows you to play it out through the SDI port on the camera and feed the video to the networks or other equipment that is not connected to a computer.
The low light abilities of this camera blows me away. I shot our local capital rotunda from 3/4 of a mile away at night, without any gain - in fact I had to close the iris down a bit! The blacks are black without any noise.
Battery life is great - about 3 hours on a 1.95AH small battery. Plus if you want to "Run and Gun" you can still get away with it using this camera - it is not too big.
Another really great thing about the EX3 is the viewfinder. People like Robert Primes (CSA) says this is the best viewfinder he has ever seen. You can actually use this camera without a large monitor. You really need to check one out in person. Mr. Primes talks about the EX in two different videos on a Sony web site at:
