HPX3000 vs. HPX2000; VFR

[Jess Dunlap]

I'm shooting my first full 1080p HD short in a couple of months, and we've been budgeting and planning for the HPX3000. However, since discovering that there's no 720P option for slow-motion on the HPX3000, as is common with most 1080 cameras, I'm starting to rethink my options. The HPX2000 does have this option, correct? What would the drawback be - is the sensor not full 1920x1080? The short is a Japanese samurai and I'm willing to sacrifice some things for VFR, and 60P would be amazing.

 

Also, on the topic of Digiprimes vs. Pro35, if having enough light is no problem, it seems like there really aren't any other disadvantages to using the adapter. I guess there could be some softening due to the added glass, but isn't this sometimes desired when shooting full HD? Or is the softening effect not comparable to one achieved with filters (classic soft, etc.)?

 

Thanks!

 

Jess Dunlap

Boston, MA

[Michael Nash]

I wouldn't say 60P is "common with most 1080 cameras" -- the Genesis/F950/F23 with an SRW-1 deck will do it, and the Red, but that's about it. Everything else is pretty much 1080/60i or 720/60P.

 

The HPX2000 can record 23.98, 25, 29.97, 50, and 59.94P, all at 720x1280. The chips of the camera are 720x1280, so even when you record in 1080/24P mode you're still getting that same native resolution from the camera.

 

It's not really necessary to use a 35mm lens adapter on 2/3" chip cameras unless you really need an extremely shallow depth of field and are willing to put up with the image degradation (light loss, softening, lowered contrast, white-shading errors, etc..). If you use good quality HD glass at low f-stops you'll be making the most of the image quality that the camera can deliver, with nice "cinematic" results. 35mm lens adapters are tools that help 1/3" chip cameras achieve a shallow depth of field they can't otherwise get. Beyond that, they're just a pain in the a$$ that rob the camera of its performance...

[adam berk]

I'm shooting my first full 1080p HD short in a couple of months, and we've been budgeting and planning for the HPX3000. However, since discovering that there's no 720P option for slow-motion on the HPX3000, as is common with most 1080 cameras, I'm starting to rethink my options. The HPX2000 does have this option, correct? What would the drawback be - is the sensor not full 1920x1080? The short is a Japanese samurai and I'm willing to sacrifice some things for VFR, and 60P would be amazing.

 

Also, on the topic of Digiprimes vs. Pro35, if having enough light is no problem, it seems like there really aren't any other disadvantages to using the adapter. I guess there could be some softening due to the added glass, but isn't this sometimes desired when shooting full HD? Or is the softening effect not comparable to one achieved with filters (classic soft, etc.)?

 

Thanks!

 

Jess Dunlap

Boston, MA

 

 

When shooting in 1080p mode on these panasonic cameras to the internal dvcproHD recorder, you actually get more resolution recorded to tape. DVCPROHD/1080 is 1280x1080, thus retaining the full horizontal resolution of the sensor. DVCPROHD/720 is, I believe, only 960x720.

 

About the lens adapter, I always highly recommend against it. I've yet to have an experience with either the mini or the pro that didn't leave me disappointed. It kills a lot of the lenses' resolution, limits your shutter angle/spped options, and adds a layer of noise. My main issue has always been the noise. Since it's generated by the ground glass spinning, it creates this layer of noise that constantly repeats. It is not random like film grain. It ends up looking like you've got a piece of dirty plastic over the front of your lens. Digi-Primes will be much more expensive, but there simply is no comparison to a film lens adapter. I'd also look into a good canon or fuji HD zoom. I've had better results with a 10 year old Fuji SD zoom on an HDX-900 that I have with the same camera + Pro35/Superspeeds. Those adapters are basically the same thing as taking your awesomely awesome HD camera, and sticking it down the viewfinder of a 35mm camera. A video tap made from an HPX-3000 ;)