Jeff Regan

Panasonic's product manager, Jan Crittendon Livingston has tweeted that the US list price of the AG-AF100 is $4995.00. This will have implications for Sony EX1R future sales and isn't that much more than a Canon 5D MkII w/HDMI portable monitor. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

Dolph, You're right. I have an HPX2700 and I have to go the long way for the last thumbnails as well. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

Gavrosh, That depends upon the look you are after and whether or not you want to "bake it in" on set vs. post. The best starting point would be to download "Digineg" scene file that is set up for REC 709 color using Chroma Du Monde chart, this will give you proper color points for primaries and secondaries. Beyond that, any scene file available from Panasonic is an aesthetic choice based upon what serves the look you are after. Remember, if you go for a real stylized look in-camera, you are committed to it vs. shooting a flat, neutral setup that would lend itself to post grading and color correction. I don't think Panasonic offers downloadable scene files for the HDX900, last I checked. You could, however use HPX2000 matrix and color correction values for Digineg to get you pretty close, I would think. http://www.panasonic.com/business/provideo/scene_files.asp?model=HPX2000 Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

I think it depends on which Panasonic cameras you're speaking of. When it comes to codecs, DVCPRO HD and especially AVC-Intra 100 are superior to 4:2:0 Long GOP formats. Intra is 10-bit, 4:2:2, full sample, I-Frame, 100Mbps. You've got to step up to HDCAM SR to get that with Sony, about a $100K difference vs. HPX300. Most Panasonic cameras are CCD, which are not as sensitive, usually not full raster, and not as quiet as the newest CMOS sensors. CCD's do not have CMOS rolling shutter artifacts, however. Regarding ergonomics, it is hard to imagine a camera with worse ergonomics than an EX1, and when I think good ergonomics, RED does not come to mind either. I'd much rather shoot with a proper ENG camera like the HPX300, 500, 2000, 2700, 3000, 3700 cameras. The 300, 2000, 2700, 3000, 3700 do not pixel shift. The 300, 3000 and 3700 are full raster 1080 cameras. For around $8K, the HPX300 offers full raster, 10-bit, 4:2:2, I-Frame, 100Mbps recording. If you want any of those things, you've got to spend a whole lot more with Sony. The new HPX370 will be better in low light and have less noise than the 300, while keeping the superior AVC-Intra 100 codec. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

I think Panasonic will provide some answers at NAB. I fully expect them to embrace full raster CMOS cameras going forward. The HPX370 is already their second generation full raster CMOS camera. I have sources who tell me that Panasonic will show a large sensor AVCCAM camera at NAB--this could be 2/3", micro 4/3's or? Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

Frank, I had an HDX900 and currently have an HPX2700. Advantages that an HPX3700 would provide are the native, full raster 1080/1920 CCD's vs. native 720X1280 CCD's of the 2700. Disadvantages of the 3700 would be no shooting over 30 fps(no over cranking), a bit slower in low light, higher power consumption, no 720P modes. The 2700 and 3700 have Film-Rec up to 600% dynamic range, which records all the latitude the CCD's can provide. If you use DRS, this will override any other gamma, including Film-Rec. DRS 1, 2 , 3 are dynamic versions of Film-Rec as far as highlight handling, ie; DRS 3 is the same as Film-Rec 600% for highlights, but DRS changes shadow detail scene by scene. Film-Rec and DRS can lower sensitivity a bit and add a little noise, but the latitude of Film-Rec 600% with AVC-Intra 100 is 10-11 stops. I sometimes use black stretch with Film-Rec, which is similar to what DRS would provide for shadow detail. Leave High Color off if using Film-Rec. Panasonic 2/3" cameras tend to be optimized for Asian skin tones, and are a bit green and cyan deficient. It is best to use the matrix and color correction circuits, along with a Chroma Du Monde chart and HD vectorscope in expanded mode to set correct color points for REC 709. Or have someone email you scene files if the camera you're using is at factory settings. With the 2700, if I want to do off speed easily, with ramping during a take, I set a User switch for VFR and a second user switch for Frame Rate, and preset one for 24 or 48 fps, another for 48 or 60 fps, depending on what effect I want. It is important to set the shutter at a fractional rate of 1/60th or 1/100th vs. 180 degree or half so that you don't see an exposure change when changing frame rate during a take. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

I have had good results using our Letus Ultimate and B4 Pro 2/3" relay lens with Nikon 35mm SLR primes and HDX900, HPX2700. Less chromatic aberration issues than with many HD ENG zoom lenses, less focus breathing as well. Unlike 2/3" primes, the 35mm DOF adapter will give you the shallow DOF of 35mm Academy size frame. Downsides would be some light loss, some softening, size and weight, complexity. Our rental clients have been very happy with the results and I have done side by side testing with the P+S Pro35/Zeiss Super Speeds with comparable results. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

After owning a 2700 for three months, I can certainly say I am more impressed than I expected. I didn't expect the camera to be such a step up from my HDX900, but it is. Film-Rec up to 600%, DRS 1-3, AVC-Intra--a true progressive, native codec that doesn't have to be limited by compatibility with legacy tape formats. Fast, ASA 640, 10-11 stops latitude in Film-Rec 600 with AVC-Intra 100, the tonality and colorimetry that Panasonic and the original Varicam is known for, except cleaner and much more information is recorded due to 10-bit depth and full sample, square pixel codec. I heard from a DP who was about to buy a 2700 on Dec. 30th, to be in time for the trade-in deal. He had sold an HPX3000 and now wanted a 2700. I feel that the native 720P CCD sensors are kinder to talent and faster than the full raster CCD's in the 3000, 3700. Again, it has that Varicam look that so many DP's find to be amongst the most film like of any 2/3" video camera. Anybody buying a P2 Varicam, should consider attending Varicamp, it is a great way to get the most out of the cameras. The co-instructor said that the 3700 should not have been called a Varicam due to its lack of overcranking ability. It's the 2700 that is the true successor to the original Varicam. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

Yes, and the 2700 and 3700 now have 600% Film-Rec and Video-Rec gamma options, which allows the entire dynamic range of the CCD's to be recorded in a linear fashion. I just returned from Varicamp 2.0 and have more respect for the P2 Varicams capabilities, as well as AVC Intra, a fantastic codec. AVC Intra is the first native, progressive codec Panasonic has produced with no legacy tape compromises. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

Steve, Same situation with my 2700 and HA18X7.6, CAC is not making a perceptible difference, neither did it help an XA17X7.6, although that lens had less CA error. I've seen CAC work well with HPX500 and low end Canon HD zoom, as well as with HPX300 and included low end Fuji lens. Was really hoping to see the circuit do some useful error correction. Going to Varicamp next week, will check out 3700's and 2700's there for CAC improvement. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

Have you selected an HD resolution and frame rate, such as 720/60p or 1080/24p? Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

Yes it's true. The FS-100 must have firmware 4.0 to record P2 or QT Native. Final Cut Studio 6 is required for Quicktime Native. It works well with my HDX900, but I always back up with tape. It is stable, but vibration can cause dropouts. The FireWire cable can get loose or unplugged. You can pickup used FS-100 100Gb models for around $1K, so that's not much more than a single 16Gb P2 card, while having six times the recording capacity. I have two FS-100's and while I normally use P2 cards with my HPX170, it's a great option for a long form project. P2 is more convenient as far as form factor, very reliable, but the FS-100 can be a viable option depending on the types of projects you do. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

The sensitivity is different at 720p vs. 1080p, from my quick tests. The EX1 was down 1/2 stop in 720/24p vs. my HDX900 with shutter at half and gain in -3db in both cases, 1 1/2 stops down at 1080/24p. The ISO on the HDX900 is 500, but it's noisier than an EX1, so one could gain up to +3 and still have a clean image with the EX1 and improve the sensitivity. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

Thanks for the screen grabs Ralph. I look forward to seeing a stream of your short. I'd like to hear how your DSR-450 has worked out for you, both in dramatic shorts(compared to your DVX 100) and day to day bread and butter jobs. I would also like to talk to you about using a 35mm DOF adapter designed for a 1/3" camera on a 2/3" camera. I like your idea of using a Fuji 20mm prime as a relay lens and would like to know if you have tested it. The Brevis 35 looks interesting to me, along with the Red Rock M2. Here's a stream of a video I shot at the Bonneville Salt Flats with the DSR-450. I think it looks like a '70's 16mm documentary: 24P Sample #1 Here's a trailer for a feature by DP Dan Schmeltzer shot with my 450 and a Pro 35/Zeiss Super Speeds: 24P sample #2 Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

Michael, I find the D30, D35, and DSR-500, 570 cameras to be inadequate as far as camera control parameters. The DSR-450 has a completely different user interface, it uses a menu wheel like the broadcast cameras such as newer Digital Betacams, and HDCAM. The 450 has an incredible array of menus and setup options, more like a broadcast series studio companion camera than an industrial series camera. The flexibility of setup options of the 450, plus the one million pixels per chip and multiple film gammas separate the 450 from any of the previous Sony industrial camcorders. It compares favorably to the SDX 900 in many areas, IMO. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

Michael, My experience reflects yours, as a long time Sony rental house. I have always found the Sony BVP, BVW, DSR models to be more plus magenta than Ikegami or Panasonic. I have BVP-550WS, DSR-500WS and 450WS cameras and did an emulation of an SDX 900 and DVX 100A for DSR-450 scene files. I used a MacBeth chart and did an overlay on a vectorscope and was able to get very close to the SDX 900 colorimetry via the 450's matrix. The SDX 900 was much more plus blue and cyan than the DSR-450. I also found the 900 to be a tad softer than the 450, it was about the same difference as an SD camera with and without a Pro35 adapter. The DVX 100A was so plus green that the multi-matrix was necessary(or what Panasonic calls color correction). It used to be that I could take a camera like an Ikegami HL-57 and a Sony BVP-550 and turn off matrix on both and get a good colorimetry match on a MacBeth chart. Those that say that they can't get a specific look from another brand of camera just don't know how to use the tools available on modern DSP cameras, IMO. Of course there are plenty of lens differences and differences in saturation in FIT vs. IT chips, but all of these can be corrected for as well as gamma, knee and detail. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

Walter, I think your dismissal of all Sony tube and CCD cameras as looking "pastel" is a sweeping generality and not very technical. If that means desaturated, there are simple means of addressing that such as chroma, matrix, and gamma. There are certainly other differences between Ikegami, Panasonic and Sony cameras, such as; detail enhancement, imagers, knee circuits, but if one is discussing digital CCD cameras and color points, I believe that it is possible to duplicate the colorimetry from camera to camera and brand to brand. The original poster said the he and his partner thought the two cameras looked pretty similar with some exceptions. An example would be a DIT friend, who has always been a big Ikegami proponent, brought his HL-57 to my shop and we put it next to a Sony BVP-550WS. When shooting a MacBeth color chart with matrix off on both cameras, the color points on a vectorscope were exactly the same. Hue and chroma matched color for color. I have done Ikegami and Panasonic colorimetry emulations on Sony camera scenefiles many times using the matrix and multi-matrix circuits. This is one of the points of a digital processing camera. The F900 in its various versions has a great reputation around the world. One need only look at the list of commercials, episodics, sitcoms, documentaries and feature films to see the positivie impact this camera series has made. But it is 1999 technology vs. an HDX 900 with 2006 technology. Just for the record, I own a video equipment rental facility in the SF Bay Area and have been in business for 25 years. I started with Ikegami HL-79DA and HL-79EAL cameras, which were great. You are right, it's the tape built into the camera that made Sony successful in the camera business, along with the CCD era, where Sony had the advantage of manufacturing their own imagers vs. Ikegami having to source them from other companies such as Matsushita. Panasonic did very well with the SDX 900 because they offered a 4:2:2 tape format for considerably less money than Digital Betacam. The Varicam was successful because of lower price point vs. HDCAM and variable frame rate. Here's an Ikegami sales horror story: A competitor of mine bought four HL-79E cameras from a Southern California dealer. An $18,000 deposit was paid to the dealer who then went bankrupt. Ikegami USA would not even offer the four cameras at the Ikegami USA manufacturers cost. The rental facility was told to just find another Ikegami dealer and pay their price on top of the $18,000 they already paid to the original Ikegami dealer who Ikegami didn't stand behind. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

I agree with Stephen and would further recommend you consider Detail OFF for a natural, artifact free, filmic look. If you are using more than one lens, check your white shading and consider doing manual adjustment as the 450 does not have auto white shading. You might also experiment with Knee Saturation if you choose to use the Knee circuit, but it should be used carefully, just like Knee Point and Slope to avoid compression of flesh tones and phony saturation in same. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

Thank you Tim and Chris, I will pass the compliments on to the DP. I don't know what the budget is and the feature has not been edited yet. There was no DIT on this project, just an AC who had recently graduated from SF State. The DSR-450WS is a very powerful tool, amazing menu driven setup capability. I've got three pages of scene files programmed onto the memory stick, it holds 99! Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

The Pro 35 is what gives the shallow DOF of 35mm, with some help from the Zeiss Super Speed T1.3 primes. I think the DSR-450WS has very good latitude, is a bit sharper than the SDX 900, but the 4:1:1 color space puts it at a disadvantage for some content, especially if ending up on DVD for distribution. Using the SDI output to a 4:2:2 recording device would look great, but at that point it would make more sense to shoot with the SDX 900. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

I had a similar situation with my 450. The camerman recorded bars but didn't check playback and continued shooting an interview. When he checked the tail there was no footage, even though the tape advanced, as did time code and record light was on for the duration. When he ejected the tape, it snapped the tape. I got it back, spliced it, but the cassette mechanism(Sony PDV-64N) hub seemed like the brake was on. It was transferred to another cassette shell and mechanism, but no videosignal or timecode or audio. Other tapes put into the camera immediately after the bad cassette recorded fine. No problems since. The problem with digital tape formats is that there are only two heads. Very different from Betacam SP which had separate video record and playback heads and fixed audio heads and RF sensors that would warn of head clogs. The only way the 450 or just about any DV transport would signal a record error is when stopping and starting, the transport tries to do a backspace edit. If it doesn't sense control track, then it should show an error. None of the above explains why it didn't like the cassette you used the first time, but recorded properly the second time. Due to the experience I had, I now recommend all my clients use my nNovia on-board hard drive to double record. The nNovia is faster and easier to capture with than tape, so tape becomes the backup and archival storage medium. I've had a Sony DSR-500WS since 2001 and never had any record issues except tension errors when the camera frame was damaged, thereby misaligning the transport while in the hands of some NYU student filmmakers. If I'm shooting something important that does not allow me to check playback for long amounts of time, I double record on the nNovia--it's cheap insurance from a rental perspective and very easy to bring into Final Cut Pro. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

Here is a link to the trailer of a low budget indie film called "Our Feature Presentation" show with my DSR-450WS and a Pro 35 adapter with Zeiss Super Speed lenses by SF DP Dan Schmeltzer. Camera was in 24P, film gamma 1, with an SDX 900 colorimetry emulation: Our Feature Presentation

Jac, yeah, I brought 4'X4' silk, shower curtain and negative fill with me, didn't use anything. Never got to shoot the faces at the time of day I wanted, but I am more convinced than ever that with film gamma, the knee circuit is not necessary. Yes, detail off helps tame a myriad of artifacts and most of the footage was natural looking. I haven't got the nerve up to shoot with detail off for corporate work, but on this piece I wanted a '60's documentary look. Some things I learned: DSR-450WS doesn't have an extender lens file unlike my BVP-550WS's. This gave me white shading error when on extender--no hiding it on the salt. I would have had to create a separate extender file and call it up everytime I wanted to use the extender--what a pain that would have been. Trying to make the 60i/4:3 elements match was not easy, my editor spent a lot of time trying different work flows with After Effects. I would like to try the Nattress plug-ins next time. 4:1:1 recording with red cars does not look good on DVD, ending up as 4:1:0 color space. Peter, Congratulations on your move, sorry we didn't get to meet while you lived in the Bay Area. Ambient temps were in the '90's, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but that bounce from the ground made it seem hotter. I didn't protect the camera except for keeping in shade when possible. I was also recording on an nNovia hard drive the whole time, didn't have any issues with tape or drive. Best of luck in Portland! Phil, Yes, hard to aim the camera in any direction and not have a cool shot on the salt flats! Very cinematic part of the earth. Thanks for the feedback, everybody! Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

Here is a link to a five minute piece I shot at Bonneville Speed Week in Utah last month. I shot with the Sony DSR-450WS, 16:9, 24Pa, film gamma 1, knee off, detail off. Ferrari F40 Bonneville 2006 Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com

In the US, B & H Photo had 450 PAL versions for sale at a low cost and a $3K Sony rebate. The 450 is a fantastic camera, best SD camera I've owned in 25 years of owning Sony and Ikegami's top cameras. Jeff Regan Shooting Star Video www.ssv.com