A Wide Range of Options in Sub-$10,000 Solid-State Camcorders

Unsurprisingly in an economy that has everyone running their ROI numbers over and over again, trying to make sure their purchases are in line with potential revenues, the pre-NAB camera action this year seems to be focused on hitting that sweet spot in your wallet. New solid-state cameras from JVC and Panasonic are geared to cram as many high-quality features as possible into pro cameras that hit pre-defined price points.
Arguably the most aggressive entrant in the sweepstakes right now is JVC’s new GY-HM100U ProHD model, which offers dual-SDHC memory-card recording to Final Cut Pro-ready .mov files for the easiest possible shoot-to-edit workflow, no intermediate codecs required. It lists for $3995.

No interchangeable lenses at that price point, but it’s built with a Fujinon 10:1 HD zoom that works in manual- or auto-focus and manual- or auto-iris modes and has a macro setting for close-up work plus optical image stabilization. The sensor configuration is a newly developed ¼-inch three-CCD affair, and images are processed through a new 1920×1080 progressive DSP.

Image resolution is dependent on bandwidth – at a bit rate of 35 Mbps, the camera records up to 1920x1080p/24, /25, and /30, or 1920x1080i/50 and /60. Recording at 25 Mbps will get you up to 1440x1080i, and 19 Mbps limits resolution to 1280x720p. With two 32 GB SDHC Class 6 memory cards loaded, the camera can record more than six hours of footage in the 19 Mbps mode. Audio recording is two-channel 16-bit/48 kHz uncompressed LPCM via XLR inputs.

That might not be the camera you want if you’re out to make an impression as a hardcore shooter – at little more than 14 inches from head to toe, and weighing barely over 3 pounds with battery and mic attached, it’s an unobtrusive piece of kit. If you’re looking for a shoulder-mounted camera, JVC will step you up to the GY-HM700, with its 1/3-inch three-CCD imager and a detachable 14x Canon KT14x4.4KRSJ HD lens. Like the HM100U, it offers direct-to-edit recording.

In an unusual instance of cooperation across the camera industry, JVC has teamed up with Sony to offer recording to an optional SxS solid-state media recorder in .MP4 format – you can use those files in any NLE system with presets for recordings made with Sony’s XDCAM EX cameras. Features include a pre-record mode (continuous recording to an on-board cache so you don’t miss the shot), a continuous clip mode that enables in-camera editing, combining multiple takes into a single clip, and most of the same bandwidth/resolution/frame-rate combinations found in the HM100U.

It weighs about eight pounds, including lens, viewfinder, mic and battery. Suggested list price? A still thrifty $7,995.

For more information:  www.jvc.com/pro

Panasonic HPX300
Also this month, Panasonic announced the new AG-HPX300 ($10,700), its latest AVC-Intra enabled salvo against the MPEG-2 contingent. The new 1080i/p/720p camera, slated to start shipping in March, is built around a 1/3-inch, 2.2-megapixel progressive-scan imager with an included interchangable 17x HD Fujinon lens. It records video in variable frame rates in the AVC-Intra, DVCPRO HD, DVCPRO and DV formats.

The lightweight, low-profile shoulder-mount camera was designed to handle interchangeable lenses without being awkward for the operator. It has a ½-inch LCOS color viewfinder and a 3.2-inch LCD monitor on the side panel, and new focus-assist functionality. The camera can record variable frame rates in 720p mode, in steps between 12p and 60p. In its 1080/480 24pA mode, it can be set to employ 2:3:3:2 pulldown, which makes it easier for NLEs to extract 24-frame footage on ingest.

Also in Panasonic’s NAB line-up will be the previously announced AG-HPG20 P2 HD Portable Recorder/Player – the company bills it as a “bridge” device for shooters who want to record from HD-SDI camera outputs to AVC-Intra on P2 cards, – and the new AJ-HRW10 Rapid Writer ($9,995), a portable recorder that pairs a five-slot P2 memory drive with space for two 3.5-inch removable hard disks for quick and easy data-offloading in the field.

For more information: www.panasonic.com/broadcast