Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co., with U.S. headquarters in Secaucus, N.J., reported that its new AG-HVX200 hand-held high definition solid-state memory camcorder will begin delivering to resellers on Dec. 29. The development of the camera was first announced last spring at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention, and the interest level was particularly high from the independent film community. This latest news came at a press conference last week in Los Angeles.
Panasonic boasts that the HVX200 can capture images in mutiple HD and SD video formats, multiple recording modes and variable frames rates, and can record to its DVCPRO HD tape format or its P2 solid state memory recording, all in a compact camera that weighs roughly five pounds. Pricing starts at $5,995 for the camcorder only, and scales to $6,995 for the camcorder and two 4GB P2 cards, and $9,995 for the camcorder and two 8GB P2 cards.
It’s clear that Panasonic has also been thinking about the workflow, as representatives from Apple, Avid Technology and Canopus were on hand at the press conference to announce support from third-party nonlinear editing systems including Apple Final Cut Pro; Avid Newscutter XP, Newscutter Adrenaline FX and Xpress HD; and Canopus Edius HD. “Clearly the future is tapeless and clearly it will be HD,” said Kirk Paulsen, senior director of pro marketing at Apple.
To demonstrate the camera’s capabilities, Panasonic screened work from director/DP Mike Caporale, who used a prototype camera for a primarily green screen shoot for a music video promoting the song “Boom, Baby Boom” from singer John Brannen of Sly Dog Records. It was lensed in 720p/24 using the P2 technology, and edited with Final Cut Pro to demonstrate the workflow. Caporale said what impressed him the most was the camera’s resolution–what he called “phenomenal.”
