What modifications do you want to see on the HVX-200"a"
by Rennie
on
Aug 11, 2006 at 7:12:58 am
I was thinking enough people have had their cameras long enough now and the "a" suffix will likely appear on this camera eventually so why not discuss it a bit before it's too late to incorporate the users ideas in the design too, other than just the panny engineers.
There was a recent thread where a number of people reported the weak battery mount tabs that have been breaking. Are there any other ideas or wishes for improvements from the current users? Obviously we need to restrict these suggestions to ones that are "do-able" by panny. Bigger chips or removable lenses are probably not going to happen as changes of that signifigance would warrent a whole new model. Speaking of which I was thinking of crossing a Canon XLH-1 whith the HVX-200. If the Canon had DVCPRO25; 50 and 100 panny formats on p-2 it would be a killer camera with HDSDI outs with gen lock and interchangeable lenses. I also like the still capabilities they built into the canon. 3.1 MB stills on an sd card or 2MB stills off the tape. Originally I thought 3 - p2 card slots would be good but then the cards should get bigger soon and that should allieviate such a need.
So there you have it, I opt for:
HDSDI out and gen lock
Still image capture
Battery mounts
Re: What modifications do you want to see on the HVX-200"a" by Bill Marcellus on Aug 11, 2006 at 11:22:02 am
It would be nice to be able to disable the on camera microphone when using exteranl mics. Perhaps our DP and sound guy have just missed it but they swear they have checked the manual and the camera and have found no way to turn the on camera mic off. Meanwhile, I am stuck in post deleting the 2 extra tracks of unusable audio.
Also, lens markings would be very nice for follow focus.
Re: What modifications do you want to see on the HVX-200"a" by Noah Kadner on Aug 11, 2006 at 2:34:03 pm
Lens markings are impossible with a servo controlled lens because they are not fixed. That's why they are notated on screen instead. Personally I'd love a beefed up battery holder on the camera so I can be a bit less delicate when swapping out batteries.
Re: What modifications do you want to see on the HVX-200"a" by Stuart Cummings on Aug 11, 2006 at 2:45:03 pm
Well lets see-
Less noise in the picture (adds to film look but give me a break)
Sharper picture (higher rez chips) I too am spoiled by the sharper picture of the Canon
HDSDI out w embedded audio
External Headphone level adjustment
a better quality LCD ( heck even a TRV 900 has a sharper better viewing angle)
Bigger more affordable P2 cards
Bigger more affordable P2 cards
oh i said that already
A affordable P2 card reader for hooking up to my workstation ($2500 for a 5 slot reader is just WAY to much) and make it with both Firewire and USB 2.0
A P2 store with a decent size hard drive and a price thats not the same as a good Laptop!
Flipping picture function without having to hach it (for those who need it M2, Red Rock,etc.Underwater housing builders)
This is just of the top of my head but its a start
Re: What modifications do you want to see on the HVX-200"a" by doka15 on Aug 11, 2006 at 10:33:35 pm
I'll toss my 2 cents in.
1. Delete last clip button!!!!! (Not in the menu but a button on the camera)
2. View the last clip button. The camera has something like that but it is only a few seconds of the last one.
3. PUT A QUICKTIME DOWNLOADABLE CODEC ON YOUR WEBSITE FOR MAC AND PC!!!!!! So people who don't have FCP can still work with the footage and view it. Just make it a readable codec and not writable if you are worried about people using that codec to write too, but viewing the footage it COME ON!
That is what I would like to see above and beyond what other people have talked about.
Re: What modifications do you want to see on the HVX-200"a" by Jan Crittenden Livingston on Aug 14, 2006 at 11:28:32 am
Already done refers to the fact that a modification has been made to cameras coming off of the assembly line today. They have beefed up the battery mount. To those that have a problem with a camera made before the modification on the assembly line, I understand that it is being handled as a warranty repair.
Hope that helps,
Jan
Jan Crittenden Livingston
Product Manager, DVCPRO, DVCPRO50, AG-DVX100
Panasonic Broadcast & TV Systems
Re: What modifications do you want to see on the HVX-200"a" by HarryD on Aug 14, 2006 at 9:26:34 pm
New layout for the menu buttons as if a normal person did it. I've now gotten used to it, but it really seems sideways to me (push left to go down... ugh).
Beefier ac adapter.
Cheaper P2 cards (have them made in China like every-damned-thing else). Or at least one on which I can shoot for min 40- 60 minutes of HD for $1100 or less. I like the format, but the price is a bit much.
Photo shot button on the camera rather than only on the remote. This is useful to take a reference shapshot of the lighting setup, and other things.
Some way (guidance, really, or new thought on the P2 model) to "lock in" the footage. This is really a workflow issue, but since we're all considering the P2 footage as "masters," I find I need a secure way to store it better, more permanently. I offload my footage to laptop HDD, so maybe I need a laptop that burns DVDs, but this takes too much time. Considering the old model of tape, and that DV tape is equivalent to 12GB for $3-7, it seems like both a value and a convenience, since the info is hard coded on the tape already.
Replace the tape drive with a pod for a removable HDD in the camera, using standard 2.5" SATA drives. I have yet to use tape in the this thing, BTW. Or maybe include a HDD controller inside the camera, so that an off-the-shelf external drive can be connected directly to the camera and the card offloaded that way? Or recorded to directly?
Re: What modifications do you want to see on the HVX-200"a" by dgadirector on Aug 15, 2006 at 3:18:35 am
"New layout for the menu buttons as if a normal person did it. I've now gotten used to it, but it really seems sideways to me (push left to go down... ugh)."
Harry, that's perfect. I just bought my camera last week. I'm REALLY surprised that the buttons are positioned the way they are. It would ONLY make a LITTLE sense if the screen flipped out 180 degrees and tilted upward - which it obviously doesn't.
Re: What modifications do you want to see on the HVX-200"a" by wade bobbitt on Aug 18, 2006 at 3:12:46 pm
The HVX200 has a lot of useful features and it's being used in a lot of high profile productions. With this in mind I think the features should reflect the cameras potential. Things that would help:
Genlockable time code in/out
HDSDI out
Full control of matrix, RGB control of gamma, gains, pedestal (at this point a external paint box would be great) I would also like the option of a HD backup tape record.
Re: What modifications do you want to see on the HVX-200"a" by Rennie on Aug 20, 2006 at 9:17:31 pm
[wade bobbitt]"I would also like the option of a HD backup tape record."
Pannasonic stated early in the design stages this is not do-able as the cost of the hd tape transport and hd heads is $13,000.00 (I believe that is for the varicam). I've compiled your other suggestions along with the others and will make a new post with the results.
Thank you all for responding, there are a lot of common desireables here as well as some great new ideas.
