Panasonic AG-HVX200 1/3" 3CCD 16:9 HD/DVCPRO/DV Cinema P2 Camera

We just received an AG-HVX200 and I tell you, it's got more menus than a powerhouse Chinese restaurant. It's not for people who enjoy the pyro-friendly camera; there are menus with the depth of a 15-layer cake. The reason is because the camera can be configured into over 100 different ways of shooting.

The HVX200 gives the new user a challenge to sink or swim, because it thrusts you into deep water. If you've ever shot with the DVX100, you'll adapt to the HVX quite well, from other reviews I've read. I'm a still shooter for a major city daily newspaper, and we're moving towards high definition gear to shoot movie clips and pull frames for news print. With this in mind, the camera's color retention are quality. But I wish the configs were a bit simpler. It will take time to learn a new format of news-gathering, but I see the potential with this gear.

One big drawback that I see is that the menu buttons are on top of the camera, beside and beneath the handle. Try shooting in the field and change your recording format, and it's an awkward feat to accomplish, since you're looking through the viewfinder (or watching the fold-out screen) as you scroll through the layers to figure which is the best recording format.

Would I consider giving this camera up? Hail, no. It's a powerful tool, and the result is what the image quality is about. The color shift with reds and greens and blues are minimal, unlike other samples from competing cameras that I have seen. This, coupled with the ability to drop files into a PowerBook with Final Cut Pro makes it a fast and efficient companion to get files changed to .mov format to drop them into ftp for web publication.

Delete unwanted files as you record. Drop the files onto a hard drive and wipe your P2 card to shoot some more. But you'd better have your software and hardware in order before you plunk down $6,000 retail,, just for the camera (and no mounted boom microphone sold as an acc). A 4gb card sells $600, the optional 100gb Firestore costs $2,000 (which is about the same price as a couple 8gb P2 cards), Final Cut Pro 5 costs $1,000, and you aren't even talking about the need for a GOOD fluid head tripod ($500), wireless microphone system ($500), blue ray DVD burner (for the multitude of gigs of recording files), extra batteries and perhaps a large external drive to store clips as you figure how to keep all the hundreds of gigs of files from overloading all your open drive space. The HVX eats drive space like a great white eats people. It doesn't think, it just does, and at up to a gigabyte per minute.

Even with working for a newspaper, we still have to adjust our budget royally to get what's needed for one HVX camera. Add filters or a 4x4 filter system and, yeesh. Or, kerching. It's bling bling for the developers, while you've just spent the same amount for your camera, just to get it up, and running.

**Rule of thumb, boys and girls: plan to spend double the camera's cost to outfit a system; aka, you'll have to fork out over $11,000 to effectively shoot in the field and edit in-house.**

For those in the pro field, it's probably worth it. For the casual user, or someone just getting into indie film making or trying to make money off the business, it might be worth it to wait. The HVX200 is a groundbreaking camera, like digital cameras revolutionized photography. Tapeless production will be adopted and will change the face of video production in the coming years. The price will drop as others compete for market share.

Being a professional videographer/producer.... I anxiously awaited the release of the HVX200. Having rented the 100Kplus Varicam for 1500 per day plus 600 per day for the deck.... I was head over heals when I read about the HVX coming out. It's DVCPRO HD codec is Professional. Not HDV consumer quality codec.. but real big boy stuff here. Sure, it doesn't have interchangeable lense, and a 2/3 chip... but man it's Sexy. Man it delivers the goods for a very reasonable price. One week or more of renting the Varicam and this baby is mine. It's my daily shooter.. my hammer and it's allowing me to deliver broadcast quality results without breaking the bank. Great for indi filmmakers and those looking to up their quality without killing their savings. It's also REVOLUTIONARY. Truly Tapeless and that's a God send. Tape is DEAD. Film is nearly dead and this camera is the harbinger of good things to come. It's not a pick up and shoot cold kind of cam. There's a learning curve... there some post considerations.. but all in all it's a 16mm film killer. Quality on par with 500 dollar for 10 minutes of Film kind of quality. It's variable speeds and timelapse is un-parralled. Ask anyone shooting tape to compare their Post affected slow motion with your real 60fps slow motion. It's just glorious.. as well is the 4:2:2 color. A must for green screen and high end work.

Best piece of technology that I've ever bought.... and I'm sure it'll be serving me well for more to come. Already had it for a year and still excited about shooting wtih it... been a while since I could say that...

Buy Panasonic AG-HVX200 1/3" 3CCD 16:9 HD/DVCPRO/DV Cinema P2 Camera Now

Our company has purchased four of these HVX200's and we're very happy with their performance thus far. We're shooting a half a dozen HD (720P at 24fps) shows and all of our users seem happy and impressed. Be warned, however, that this camera is BIG and is not easy to use as a hand-held, particularly if you're using it with an external monitor with related battery.

The images we're capturing with the HVX200 are great. (Lighting, of course, is vital. These are not low-light cameras.) Learning how to shoot tapeless onto the P2 cards is a bit daunting at first, but, once you catch on, it's not difficult and has been reliable. We set up a laptop on location and use it to import the footage into Final Cut. Shooting at 720P/24fps, we can get about 20 minutes of video on each of the 2 P2 cards. So, it is optimum to have 4 of the cards for EACH camera. (So you can be loading the media onto the hard drives while shooting on the other two cards. It takes about 15 minutes to load one full card's media onto a hard drive.) At $1500 apiece just for the P2 cards, setting up one of these cameras is expensive. Check out Zacuto at

We're pleased.

Read Best Reviews of Panasonic AG-HVX200 1/3" 3CCD 16:9 HD/DVCPRO/DV Cinema P2 Camera Here

Don't get me wrong, the video quality of this camera gets a five all the way, as do the functions of the camera. My disappointment with this camera is just the fact that it is an extremely pricey camera to operate. My point is, with a 32GB p2 card being over $1,000 (which will give you roughly 30 minutes at the highest quality of footage), you could purchase a firestore device with 100GB (or more maybe now, I have not looked at options in awhile) which will give you much more recording capability. I have used this camera for recording graduations, amateur band performances, and just about everything possible, and if you are a professional who knows what you are getting in to with the purchase of this camera, by all means, you should have already bought it. BUT, if you are an amateur film maker who lacks training with this or a similar camera, look elsewhere and work your way up, or have a professional show you the ropes of this camera.

I also recommend "The HVX Book" By fiercely Independent Films. It comes with a cd-rom showing you how to operate the menus, and a very nice 200-some page booklet.

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