Where to buy the Panasonic AG-HVX200E (PAL version) in the USA?

[Noah Kadner]

Try one of the authorized dealers like Abel, B&H and EVS. They can probably find you one though it will likely be a bit more expensive than an NTSC model.

Noah

[Uli Plank]

Are you sure you want that right now? In case you are editing with Final Cut Pro, it won’t be able to handle 25p or 50p yet. Plus, the camera lacks the 24p for film transfer. I’m sitting in Europe and I’d rather buy a US model 😉

Regards,

Uli

Author of “DVDs gestalten und produzieren”, a book on professional DVD-authoring in German.

[Jay Wolf]

Could you explain how you would put a NTSC model to use in Europe, Uli?

Regards,

Wolf

[Uli Plank]

Our main use would be for film transfer, so I’d be better off with 24p anyway. But even for video the only way I could use a European model right now with FCP would be 1080i50, which is quite a waste of space on the P2 card. The resolution of the HVX 200 is best in 720p, you don’t gain much (if anything) from 1080i.

I would edit the whole project in 720p24 and speed up the final version to 25p (or PSF) for video, as it has been done for many years with film in Europe.

Regards,

Uli

Author of “DVDs gestalten und produzieren”, a book on professional DVD-authoring in German.

[Jay Wolf]

Uli,
For PAL-people not going to film and working with FCP 1080i50 is the best they can get out of the camera, right? I’m in a dilemma because I don’t expect to go to film but I am in the market for an HVX. Initially to shoot a doc in SD DV 16×9 in progressive mode, down the road to be able to offer HD to my clients.(not to mention my own experiments with 720p)

Would you advice against buying a HVX200 at the moment? (For one reason: because by the time FCP 6 allows working in 720p, the HVX300 is closeby?)

Thanks for the response and sorry if I misunderstood some things- I am foremost a storyteller, not a tech-type.

Wolf

[Uli Plank]

That’s what a camera is meant for: storytelling!

Don’t get me wrong, this camera is a fine instrument. And someone else here gave this wise advice: if you need it now, buy it now! There’s always a better camera, computer or software around the corner.

With the very high degree of flexibility the HVX 200 offers, you can start working right now. Things can only improve when Apple is finally supporting 25p or 50p. Just be prepared that 1080i50 will be eating more space for the time being.

Regards,

Uli

Author of “DVDs gestalten und produzieren”, a book on professional DVD-authoring in German.

[Jay Wolf]

There’s need and there’s greed- my position is somewhere in the middle, slightly leaning toward the right;)

Thanks for the response, Uli.