The era of having to buy or rent separate cameras for each type of
production seems to be coming to an end. The Panasonic AG-HVX200 acts
as the poster child for media convergence by placing the affordable
ENG-style and cine-style production paradigm into hyper drive and into
your hands.

Keeping in mind that my office is located on the beautiful and diverse
central coast of California, I was able to put the HVX200 to the test
by taking it straight out of the box and into a myriad of challenging
environments. I shot along the windy seashore, in the dusty
oak-encrusted mountains, in downtown San Luis Obispo, indoor ENG-style
interviews and along the Big Sur cliffs and tide pools. I also tried it
out at wine festivals, classic car meets and at other similar events.

The vast majority of my testing had the camera in "run and gun" mode,
with no aftermarket accessories for the camera. I shot every format and
frame rate available on the HVX from 480/60i and 1080/60i for reality
look news-style footage to 480p (24, PA, 30), 720p (from 12-60fps) and
1080p (24, 30). I didn’t have any cine-style accessories, but it was
obvious that the HVX would be adept at cine-style production. Add on a
wide-angle converter lens (see page 12 for more on what Century will
release at NAB), matte box, follow focus, filters and lens attachments
to achieve shallow depth of field, and "voila," you’ve achieved
affordable cine-style production for smaller budget features, indie
"films," commercials, music videos, business videos and dramatic
television- in HD or SD.

As I used the camera, I started to notice certain features that really
stood out. For instance, the size and weight of the HVX200 helped
enable mobile production. I also found it well-balanced for high and
low handheld applications. The record button and three-speed zoom
rocker switch on the top handle make a lot of sense.

Since focus is so critical in high definition, I really appreciated the
focus-assist function. It worked well, and I’ll discuss that a bit more
later on in the review.

For professional-level production, manual controls are a necessity. The
HVX has manual control options for basically every function. The HVX’s
1/3-inch CCDs did quite well in low-light situations. The 13x Leica
zoom lens performed quite well in the field, manually and via servo.

While shooting with the camera, I used P2 cards for DVCPRO-HD and
DVCPRO-50 recording, and used Panasonic DVM63MQ MiniDV tapes for
recording DV footage. I couldn’t help but notice that the P2 cards
filled up fast! Using P2, the HVX is quiet and you end up hot swapping
the cards when they’re full- something film shooters will already be
used to. I used a small battery-powered FireWire enclosure to dump off
footage from the P2 cards. In the HVX menu, you simply program the
camera for P2 Host mode, format the drive and dump the footage. It’s
really pretty easy. For high-definition long-form productions, I’d want
larger capacity P2 cards, and a CinePorter CP-2 HDD for real mobile
production. Or a FireStore FS-100 HDD for more stationary productions
would also do.

(Note: P2 cards have already began to decrease in price and they’re
also forecast to rapidly increase in storage capacity. Go to
www.studiodaily.com for NAB pricing updates.)

In just one word: stunning. I viewed it on the impressive Panasonic
BT-LH1700W 17-inch HD/SD LCD monitor (read our review online at
studiomonthly.com/6140.html). For comparison, I
also viewed the footage on a 1080i/720p/480i capable consumer HDTV.
High-definition footage was viewed via the HVX200’s analog component
output. Standard-definition footage was viewed by using the S-Video
connector. I found the DVCPRO HD footage in both 720/24p and 1080/24p
to be pleasingly filmic. My over-cranked (surfing) and under-cranked
(highway traffic) footage in 720p yielded smooth slow motion and
effective fast sequences. For shallow depth of field, I used the ND
filters, and set up as far from the subject as possible. A 1.6x
tele-converter or Mini 35-like attachment would have helped achieve
shallow DOF. The HVX200’s ability to adjust gain, gamma, detail and
profiles are a major plus for the camera. I was able to tweak the
HVX200 to satisfy the "look" requirements of any kind of ENG-style or
cine-style project.

If you’re interested in an affordable camcorder for nearly every genre
of professional production, the HVX200 just may be the perfect choice!
I’m very picky, but I had a real hard time finding fault. Once
accessory HDD units ship, and higher capacity P2 cards are available
and affordable, the HVX will be an excellent choice for almost any type
of production- ENG- or cine-style.

Menu Controls: The Menu reside under the top handle.
For low-level hand-held shooting, I loved having the record and 3-speed
zoom rocker on the top handle. A wide collection of connection
receptacles clusters around the Mini DV tape drive.

Lens Control: The Leica 13x lens performed quite
well. It’s large in size- 82mm. The action, whether manual or servo,
seemed quit smooth. The controls for focus assist, filters, iris and
white balance are conveniently located close to the lens barrel.

Control Buttons: Necessary professional control
buttons are located behind and below the LCD. They’re easy to use and
located in a logical pattern. The LCD mount seemed a bit loose, but
then again, a rigidly mounted LCD is easier to break away from a
camera. Outdoors I used an LCD hood, with good results.

P2 Cards: There are two P2 card slots below the
viewfinder. I found the cards easy to insert, remove and use. They
seemed to be solid and durable. P2 was easy to use via the HVX200’s
menu system. But watch out- the 4 GB cards fill up fast! Lower cost,
higher capacity P2 cards, reportedly available soon, will seriously
improve the utility of the HVX200.

Mode Controls: Below the P2 slots you’ll find easy
to use rotary dials for scene files, audio levels, a viewfinder detail
button, a P2/tape selector switch and a simple button to switch between
camera mode, VCR mode and dubbing mode.

Weight: Approx. 5.291 lbs. (excluding battery and
accessories)
Dimensions: 6-11/16 inches x 7-1/8 inches x 15-3/8
inches
Formats: DVCPRO HD, DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO, DV
selectable
HD Recording Formats: 1080/60i, 1080/24p, 1080/24pA,
1080/30p, 720p (variable frame rates)
SD Recording Formats: 480/60i, 480/24p, 480pA,
480/30p
CineSwitch technology for variable frame rates in 720p
mode: 12, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 30, 32, 36, 48, 60fps
1/3-inch 16:9 native high-sensitivity progressive 3-CCD with 1080/60p
scanning
16:9/4:3 switchable for standard definition recording, 16:9 native for
HD
Lens: Wide angle Leica Dicomar HD lens with optical
image stabilizer (motorized/manual mode switchable)
Thumbnail display for easy searching and file information
Auto/manual focus with focus assist (even during recording)