• Panasonic Cameras

  HPX2100E still in common usage?

  Posted by Oliver Graham on July 27, 2014 at 8:42 am

  Hello,

  I’ve been charged by the production company I work for with looking into potentially updating our camera gear. As part of this process I am trying to gauge where our current gear fits into the overall production landscape.

  I’m comfortable with the knowledge that our Canon 5D Mkii and Canon c300 are still widely used and have a place in broadcast work.

  I’m on much less stable ground when it comes to the Panasonic HPX2100E and so I was wondering how many people are still using it as a main camera and if not why people might have moved away from it?

  Essentially I am trying to establish whether they would be any definite reason to recommend us buying another camera or whether we should stick with it?

  It was a big investment for the company three years ago and to my knowledge although it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of today’s cameras there has never been any complaints about the quality of the images from broadcasters.

  Sorry for the long post. I would be hugely grateful for any advice anyone has, as I say I’m a bit in the dark on this camera.

  Thanks,

  Oli

  Sam Lee replied 11 years, 9 months ago 2 Members · 1 Reply
• 1 Reply

• 

  Sam Lee

  July 29, 2014 at 5:31 pm

  Essentially you’re talking whether the 2/3″ format is obsolete or phasing out. Well, I’m still using the HPX-3100s, PX5000s. The broad 2/3″ lenses and flexibility still keep them going. It will be very hard to get completely get rid of them to favor 4K. 2/3″ format is great for doing live events where you need continuous servo focus and zoom control capability. Try doing that w/ the Canon 5DM2 and non-cinema lenses. Panasonic P2 2/3″ cams are widely used with national level broadcasters (NBC, ABC).

  For me, 2/3″ is great for non-dramatic type of production (live events, live broadcast feed, sports, wildlife docs). But when it comes to dramatic and cinematic style, large sensor is more suitable. So it depends on your production genre. In other words, it just doesn’t look right if you’re using the HPX2100 for dramatic reenactment. It just looks to realistic and news like.

  While many are going 4K, they’ll be in a huge lens price shock as they get more involved. A 75-300mm PL will set you back about $120K. 2/3″ lenses and 1080p still have practical uses and place. For example, it’s now just not possible to get a super telephoto lens beyond 500 mm for PL mount. There’s just no optical stabilizer in PL mount. Good luck shooting outdoor scenes w/ light winds or other natural elements. You can get at least 1000 mm and a very high quality optical stabilizer (Fujinon HA25x16.5 & TS-P58A) on native 2/3″ format.

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