Panasonic AG-HPX500
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The AG-HPX500 is equipped with everything professionals need to create high-quality content. The camcorder’s bayonet-type lens mount accepts a variety of professional lenses, including the 2/3-inch zoom lenses that allow the operator to capture the shallower depth of field often used in professional video. The camcorder’s 2/3-inch progressive 3CCD system features a large light-receiving area that enables incomparable sensitivity, and its ability to scan at full 1080/50 (or 60) progressive frames per second provides the capture quality critical for professional-grade production. A high-performance DSP with 14-bit A/D conversion and 19-bit inner processing provides superior image quality in subsequent P/I conversion, line conversion, or downconversion to the appropriate format.
With user-selectable 60-Hz and 50-Hz operation and support for 1080i/720p/480i/576i HD and SD formats, the AG-HPX500 accommodates broadcast standards and formats used worldwide for news production, dramatic series production, independent filmmaking, and other demanding video productions. The camera provides a choice of DVCPRO50, DVCPRO, and DV video quality for SD recording and relies on the well-established DVCPRO HD codec for first-rate 1080i/720p HD recording.
When the AG-HPX500 is used in 720p mode, its frame rate can be set from the conventional 25p/30p to any of 11 steps between 12p and 50p (or 60p). This variable frame rate functionality allows for a truly cinematic quality, with higher-rate shooting used to add drama to fast-moving scenes or lower-rate shooting used in combination with a slow shutter speed to emphasize slower, more fluid movement. Like Panasonic’s VariCam HD Cinema camera, the AG-HPX500 allows for creation of fast-motion and slow-motion effects through undercranking and overcranking effects adapted from film cameras. When paired with production HD lenses, these capabilities make the AG-HPX500 the most versatile camcorder in its class.
Eight gamma modes give AG-HPX500 users greater creative latitude in different shooting scenarios. Among these settings are two Cine-Like Gamma modes which offer the warm tone characteristic of film, and a News Gamma function which ensures crisp detail needed for news gathering and highlights. During recording in 1080/24p or 480/24p at 60 Hz, the camera offers a 24pA (advanced) mode that performs 60i conversion using 2:3:3:2 pulldown, rather than 24p with 2:3 pulldown, and thus maintains higher image quality in nonlinear editing.
Panasonic’s P2HD product line features solid-state reliability that makes the AG-HPX500 resistant to the usual wear-and-tear and environmental threats that can cause dropouts, missing time codes, or other damage. The camera holds up to four P2 cards for recording times ranging from 64 minutes in DVCPRO HD in 50p/50i or 128 minutes in 25pN to 256 minutes in DVCPRO. These figures are based on 16-GB P2 cards. Key interfaces include IEEE 1394, USB 2.0, HD SDI/SDI, analogue, component, and four audio XLR inputs. The camera provides instant access to media, is supported by all major nonlinear editing systems and workflow products, and brings high-quality IT/HD production into the reach of productions from all areas of content creation.
Panasonic AG-HPX500 Reviews
DVXUser has a first-look review of the Panasonic AG-HPX500 and writes, “Performance is noticeably improved over the 1/3†camera, as you’d expect. The big beefy 2/3†chips give a substantial improvement in low-light performance. The HPX500 is about 1.5 stops faster than an HVX200; that means it can deliver comparable image brightness in 1/3 as much light, and it puts the ISO of the HPX500 at approximately 960. And dynamic range is equally improved; my preliminary tests put it at 10 stops, about 2 stops more than the HVX200. When you factor in that the gain is noticeably cleaner, the overall impact on low light performance is dramatically improved; the HPX500 can cleanly render a scene in low light conditions that the HVX200 struggles with at 12dB of gain. When you consider that the HVX200 is no low-light slouch (being one of the most sensitive of the 1/3†HD camcorders) the HPX500’s performance in this regard is simply remarkable. The HPX500 also renders images more sharply than the HVX200 does.” Link.
Panasonic AG-HPX500 Reviews
Digital Camcorder News reviews the Panasonic AG-HPX500 and writes, “DV has a Panasonic AG-HPX500 review posted that takes a thorough look at the shoulder-mounted big brother to the Panasonic AG-HVX200. I imagine it would be hard for a $27,000+ camcorder to score poorly in a review, and the Panasonic AG-HPX500 did not disappoint. The only things the reviewer seemed to find lacking were the small, black-and-white EVF and the way the HPX500 felt when shoulder-mounted…Other than that, the Panasonic HPX500 seemed to make a good impression on the reviewer who found it to be, “a package I didn’t want to send back!”” Link.
Digital Video has a review of the Panasonic AG-HPX500 and writes, “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 XA17×7.6BRM-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!” Link.
HD Broadcast Room reviews the Panasonic AG-HPX500 and writes, “The HPX500 is an outstanding camera, and is a great “step-up” from handheld DV and HD/HDV camcorders. It can be used in a wide variety of shooting situations. The P2 workflow is easy to use, and the less compression and 4:2:2 sampling of DVCPRO HD, along with multiple frame rates and SD/HD resolution options, makes this a great camera. The price without a lens is $14,000 USD, and with a Canon KJ16ex7.7B IRSD PS12 16X w/2X CAC lens and other accessories, the camera can go for around $27,000 to $32,000. There is also an optional Fujinon lens. For more, visit www.panasonic.com.” Link.
