Erich Roland
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Dear Panasonic (part 2)
I’ve never written to a manufacturer before, or ever felt the need. P2 is not a mature record medium and many producers and cameraman DO NOT want to use it. I believe you needed to (begin) to phase out tape with combo (P2/tape) camcorders for a period before eliminating the tape option once P2 is clearly mature. I don’t know how many of these cameras you have sold, but I’d venture to guess that it would be 20-30% more if you’d combined a tape transport into these new Varicam products. I know a lot of people who feel the same way.
If designing a camera system were my responsibility I would clearly define what part of the market each camera is designed for and take away competing cameras out of the line up. Tape is not dead, and I think it’s a mistake for Panasonic to try and force it out before its natural time to go.
This is what you should be selling right now.
– High end (45-50k). A 2.2 million-pixel camera that records to both P2 and tape, that also has higher frame rates. There must be a way to offer a higher frame rate (maybe120fps) while giving up resolution or adding compression (when using higher fps) to keep the data rate down… and all in the SAME camera. I look to RED as to what’s possible. For those who prefer tape they could shoot all the 24/30 shooting to the tape drive, and when its time to over or under-crank you switch to P2 and do your “Native” off speed or variable rates with the higher data rates possibly being more compressed, etc.
– Mid level (25k). A 1.1 million sensor with both tape and P2, maybe with less cine gamma function or other bells and whistles to keep the 2 cameras further apart and define clearly their market position. Up to 60FPS on the mid level.
If you had these cameras available above I would make an order TODAY for 2 of each, but instead I am frozen in fear of buying the wrong product because currently each camera offered is too specialized, or not adaptable enough and has competing models in the same space. Having the P2 broadcast versions (2000, 3000) come out before the Varicams has confused our market. Then offering the lesser pixel camera (2700) with higher frame rates has made the decision of which camera (if you were to just buy one) a very difficult choice, because who doesn’t want the 2 mil pixels?
It’s never too late to be smarter about your product line.
Just one guy’s opinion.
Sincerely, Erich Roland
Dc-cameraErich Roland
http://www.dc-camera.com
HD camera rentals, Washington DC -
I’ve been thinking about this post and wanted to extend one more this morning.
The logical conclusion to my problem of which P2 Varicam to possibly purchase (for rentals) is to buy neither because our customers will have the same problem making that choice, and because weve seen almost zero demand for 2/3″ P2 products.
The more logical camera for our customers will soon be the Sony PDW-700. Unfortunately the 24p function is still coming (spring 09 they say). The optical disc also solves the flash memory problem of having to transfer footage in the field, and they are cheap enough to keep your footage on these same disc’s as the archive copy (just like tape!). And the disc’s still have the same ability to transfer as data and random access ability to erase clips, time lapse, etc as flash recording. The one big downer is a motor, and power consumption, etc. But maybe its a better system when you weigh all pluses and minuses. Id guess they will soon offer the same camera with all SxS cards to record, or who knows, maybe they will jump to the next flash record product we don’t know about yet. Maybe there is a reason Sony is not jumping all over the SxS in 2/3″ cameras like Panasonic has?
Hate to say it, because Ive been po-poo’ing Sony’s products for 5 years now (except the F900), but now with the EX mini cameras (that are quite good), and what on paper looks to be a good system coming with the PDW-700, I think Sony may now take back what they lost when the varicam show’d up years ago.
I’ll repeat what I said earlier, look to Red for whats possible. I for one don’t want to buy a RED product (yet) because its still too buggy and not ready for prime time (I had ordered one a year ago but canceled when my number came up). By the time the new Scarlet’s hit the street it might all be working better, and priced for the mass market. But these guys are paving the way for whats possible, and our Japanese camera makers can look to where the bar is raised to (by Red) and just follow behind. Its a great position to be, because they can see what people are wanting, talking about, and buying then swing in with Asian mass production, innovation, sales and service facilities all over the world, etc…. should be an easy steal of Reds product ideas. But…. then Panasonic comes out with (2) different P2 Varicams that together would still come up short of what Red has achieved… WTF… ???
Erich Roland
http://www.dc-camera.com
HD camera rentals, Washington DC -
hey Jan, thanks for (quickly indeed) straightening out my misunderstanding on the HDX sensor. I heard early on the HDX’s CCD chip had funny business going on behind the scenes but that must have been about the 720 lines issue. But This is true for the HVX and HPX-500 uprez’d SD sensor, no?
Chris, your right the HDX has killed the resale value of our Varicams, but for those who have an eye for a good picture the HDX has boosted the true value of the Varicam because its a better image, and now you can buy them so cheaply in the used market, great value!
I hear you on the “race to the bottom”. Whoever was cleaver enough to design the Varicam must be gone from Panasonic because they are missing the boat these days, or the marketers have taken the helm. I’ve been Panasonic’s biggest cheerleader the last 5 years or so, but I’m pissed about the new products. Oh well, other companies will be happy to step in as (I believe) Pany will loose market to those a bit hungrier to steal the position they have enjoyed with better innovation and most (if not all) contemporary features in ONE camera.
I took a hard look at the 2 new Varicam’s and could not decide on which one would best suit our needs, so I would need both. Well which do you bring on a shoot…. same tough decision, bring 2 camera’s everywhere? Guessing I’m not alone in this quandary. Sorry Pany, but this is a ridicules choice to have to make in this day and age!
best, Erich
Erich Roland
http://www.dc-camera.com
HD camera rentals, Washington DC -
From a small rental house perspective the HDX’s have been very busy the last year mostly because the hub on the street suggest it looks like a Varicam but costs less. (now that you can buy a used Vari for so cheap, that’s the great buy!)
The Varicam has been the gold standard for a pretty good run now (in this fast changing digital world) for 6-7 years now, in the doc market anyway that we (Dc-camera) mostly provide to. The Varicam is not dead yet and I believe needs to be considered going forward for a few good reasons.
The HDX’s have a up-rez’d SD sensor, and as John mentioned doesn’t have the dynamic range, or “pleasant filmic look” the varicam has. The HDX is very hard edged looking for my taste. One can convert the varicam’s 720p image to 1080 if needed and you will basicly be in the same place that the HDX will get you to (lines wise) but with a better looking image.
what about the new P2 Varicams? (and P2 in general)
We’ve had 2 full size P2 cameras for a year now and they are not working much (HPX-3000, and 500). The hvx’s go still go out a lot but slowing. This “favored” position the HVX’s have enjoyed for about a year is now being taken over by the new small Sony products like the EX-1, and EX-3. They look much sharper, bigger sensors, On Board monitor that look great, lower light sensitive, cleaner image, cheaper cards, cards that fit into the mac-books…. HVX’s in hind sight are not very good at all next to these new Sony’s (sorry Pany).
For “long form” 2/3″ inch cameras, our clients are not going for the solid state yet its not mature enough. Nobody wants to deal with all that file transfering in the field when your shooting hours of materiel day after day. When its time to archive I know people who transfer back to tape… and that’s just crazy. Until features show up for flash recording that cannot work with tape which will force the move to flash, tape still works great, and your not going to accidently delete the footage. Right now the time lapse and over/undercrank is all that works better on solid state. The perfect solution is a tape based camera, with a card slot that you could switch to record to CF card when needed for those time manipulating shots. (Pany, anybody listening?) Panasonic needs to bite the bullet and go to CF cards, turns out P2 was a bad move, which is going to begin to hurt them soon. They have all the egg’s in the P2 basket, as no new tape cameras have come out. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for that decision, yikes!
Don’t get me started…(OK, I will) Panasonic who have done so well with the Varicam, and Sdx-900, and Dvx-100, (all fantastic) ever since have messed up big. HVX is a dog. HDX is a cheat. and now…. why on earth in 2009 do we have to choose between a bigger sensor (3700), or smaller sensor but higher frame rate (2700)? How does red achieve a huge sensor, and higher frame rates… and all this can record to a compact flash card! But Panasonic wants us to buy 2 different cameras to equal (sort of, not really) what red has done with one, and at a cheaper price! (hello Panasonic…whats up over there?)
I think Panasonic has blown it myself. They had a very good market position going into the this last wave of what should have been raising the bar, but they have not. I think P2 is going to go down in flames if they don’t start dropping the price of the media fast and come out with better, cheaper, faster, easier support including an archive system for flash media shooting. (by-by Panasonic! you came up fast and from no-where with the Varicam, but may also disapear again if you can not keep up)
ok, that’s enough for me today. Going to look at Sony’s new 700 cause I’m too disgusted with Panasonic right now.
Oh, and Canon’s Mk2 (shot across the bow) might be putting them all out of business soon if Canon or Nikon are smart enough to play this new concept for all its worth. Interesting times for sure!
Erich Roland
http://www.dc-camera.com
HD camera rentals, Washington DC -
Keep your eye on the used market, and HD lenses can be found for 7-9k. HighDef.com and ebay are places they show up frquently.
Its a wallet hit for sure but I agree its smart money spent. You dont want to have to make excuses for the weak link in the system.
Erich Roland
http://www.dc-camera.com
HD camera rentals, Washington DC -
Apparently CCD technology and “lit pixels” go hand in hand. The Varicam is notoriously bad for pixel burnout. I have had to replace 2 CCD blocks out of 4 varicam’s because of pixel “clusters” a bad ratio. Panasonic has lost huge on the replacement cost of these blocks (25k) and works very hard to NOT do these replacments. Its an issue Panasonic likes to down play, must be working very hard to try and reduce. Im hopeing the HDX will be better, although I have had to send in 2 of my HDX’s for manual compensation already. Cross our fingers!
Erich Roland
http://www.dc-camera.com
HD camera rentals, Washington DC -
This is what Ive been told by Panasonic. The warning is about tape alignment relative to the recording heads. The warning sensor/indicator is much more sensative then what would cause a problem in the recording.
The tape path aligment needs tweaking.
Erich Roland
http://www.dc-camera.com
HD camera rentals, Washington DC -
Also HVX camera’s available in the DC area…. have cases will travel.
Thanks, Erich
http://www.Dc-camera.com -
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For light wieght ENG style, the O’conner 1030b is much nicer than the Sachtler 20. The Sachtler 18 is too light for good camera work.
Solid legs a must. The heavier Carbon fiber Sachtler sticks might be the ticket, along with the 1030b head to bridge the gap between heavy VS light.
good luck, Erich Roland
http://www.Dc-camera.comErich Roland
http://www.dc-camera.com
Digital camera rentals, Washington DC