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P2 sounds good but why not a HD
Hi all,
This camera sounds exciting except the high price and short record time of P2.
First of all memory is so fast why couldn’t regular SD memory be used instead? Non proprietary, cheaper and readily available. You could just pop in to Fry’s or any store and pick up a couple extra on the way to the shoot.
Second. Why not have an option for small hotswappable hard drives. These could be used for lock down shots where you know the camera won’t be moved around or even for handheld shots. With the price of HDs falling even faster than memory it would seem a shame not to include this option.
It may take awhile for the broader market to adopt this camera until the P2 prices come down ALOT and capacity goes up. ENG and indie film makers are likely to be the early adopters and the rest of us will wait until it’s more practical.
Of course this could all be moot if there are some surprising annoucements at NAB.
Cheers,
JS -
13 Replies
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[js33] “First of all memory is so fast why couldn’t regular SD memory be used instead? Non proprietary, cheaper and readily available. You could just pop in to Fry’s or any store and pick up a couple extra on the way to the shoot. “
Actually, it’s not just the cost of the SD memory that accounts for the cost of P2 cards. I think someone here calculated that based on the cost of the high-speed SD modules, a 4-GB P2 card should cost only $600-$700. It’s a combination of value-added technology (there is additional circuitry that configures the SD meory into a RAID) and, well, greed. I’m sorry, but assuming the RAID circuitry added $100 to the P2’s cost, nothing else could account for the extra $800-$900. (And that assumes Panasonic pays $600-$700 for the constituent SD, which it obviously does not.)
“Second. Why not have an option for small hotswappable hard drives. These could be used for lock down shots where you know the camera won’t be moved around or even for handheld shots. With the price of HDs falling even faster than memory it would seem a shame not to include this option.”
If the hard-disk solution incorporated a RAID, then hot-swappability wouldn’t be that necessary. It might be a little bulkier, but if it had multiple drives, it could hold several hours of DVCPro-HD footage, so there would be less of a need to swap out disks while shooting.
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Yeah I guess since it is only made by Panasonic at the moment they can charge what ever they want. But I just hope their greed doesn’t cripple their chances with this technology.
A mini raid would be cool. I imagine if there is a USB2 or firewire port some one will come up with a mini hd pack that can be attached the camera somehow.
Cheers,
JS -
Couldn’t the P2’s edge connector be used as the interface?
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Hey guys,
Why not let the camera be introduced and then you can decide if you need to make a workaround. 😉
Best,
Jan
Jan M. Crittenden
Product Manager, DVCPRO, DVCPRO50, AG-DVX100
Panasonic Broadcast & TV Systems -
[Jan Crittenden] “Why not let the camera be introduced and then you can decide if you need to make a workaround. ;-)”
But Jan, what fun would that be? 😉
All the best,
– Peter
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I think P2’s record time limitations are great. Reminds me of shooting 100′ spools of film with an ARRI S. Makes you THINK before you shoot. I find younger “dv” directors/shooters like to gather 100 times more footage than they would ever use in the edit.
Chris Bell
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Touche, Jan!
Speaking for myself, I just hope there will be an affordable solution (for us little guys) that, if by some miracle our stuff makes it to the “Silver Screen” or equivalent, the A/V quality will contribute to the story rather than detract from it.
Thanks from all of us for Pana’s and your contributions to that end.
Regards.
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[Chris Bell] “I think P2’s record time limitations are great. Reminds me of shooting 100′ spools of film with an ARRI S. Makes you THINK before you shoot. I find younger “dv” directors/shooters like to gather 100 times more footage than they would ever use in the edit.”
Yes, but perhaps this results in Super Smart DV Directors/Shooters because of their having had 100 times more practice thinking compared to their film counterparts. Or, maybe not. 😉
But I know what you mean, Chris!
It is amazing how radio storytelling originally had a similar advantage over TV, and hand-written storytelling over film, and oral storytelling before all.
I’m constantly amazed by classic stories people were (are) able to write & tell without aid of word processors or any kind of electronic device.
Myself, I’m looking forward to a self-powered video camera with a squeeze-lever on the side, like one of those new-fangled “emergency” flashlights or radios! 🙂
OK, I’ll stop now that I’m behind …
All the best,
– Peter
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Sorry, Jan, I wasn’t trying to conceive of a workaround, just considering the possibilities. I fully expect Panasonic to offer practical solutions.
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Hi Lawrence,
Don’t worry, no apology necessary. This has been a common outcome on many threads.
Best,
Jan
Jan M. Crittenden
Product Manager, DVCPRO, DVCPRO50, AG-DVX100
Panasonic Broadcast & TV Systems
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