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Preview of new Panasonic AG-DVX200 camera
Sep
Panasonic was kind enough to invite 709 MediaRoom to the presentation of their new camera, the Panasonic AG-DVX200. They organized the event at the Groucho Club, in London’s Soho, on September 1st. First of all I would like to thank the kind treatment we received from all the guests who came from all over Europe.
It is a handheld, fixed-lens camera with excellent performance, aimed at television, documentary and fiction productions with moderate budgets. The camera will be presented next week at IBC and will be available from the end of October 2015. The price guidance we have been given is €4,699, a really interesting price for a piece of equipment with these characteristics. Let’s see it in detail.
| MANUFACTURER | Panasonic |
| MODEL | AG-DVX200 |
| SENSOR | MOS, 4/3, 12.7 Mpx. [17.3 x 13.0 mm.] |
| RES. (MAX.) | 4096×2160-24p, 3840×2160-59,94p |
| DYNAMIC RANGE | 12 F-stops (according to manufacturer) |
| LOG | V-log L |
| RAW | No |
| CODEC (MAX.) | 4K, 4.2.2, 10 bit, with external recorder. Internal UHD 59.94p, 4.2.0 8-bit (150 Mb/s) MP4/MOV recording. |
| SUBM. | 4.2.2 for HDMI output and 4.2.0 for internal recording. |
| MORE INFORMATION | http://pro-av.panasonic.net/en/dvx4k/ |
The equipment is designed to achieve a cinematic-looking image with a fixed-optics television camera (Leica zoom) that is fast and agile to operate. That is a 4K medium sensor, selective focus, logarithmic gamma curve recording in a camera that is as fast and easy to use as ENG cameras. The price of the equipment is located in the range of electronic journalism cameras, however it incorporates some features of cinematography cameras. This is the differential element of the equipment that we think can be interesting for many productions.
The sensor is a 4/3 MOS, i.e. it is four times larger than the 2/3, with an actual resolution of 12.7 million pixels and a size of 17.3 x 13.0 mm. It is smaller than Super 35 mm sensors, but it is a large sensor when compared to those usually put in TV-oriented cameras.
In 4K (4096×2160) it can record at a frequency of 24p. In UHD resolution (3840×2160) it reaches 59.94p. And in Full-HD it can record at up to 120 frames per second.
The highest quality signal that the equipment can give is achieved through the HDMI output, using an external recorder. With this configuration it is possible to record 4K in 4:2:2 at 10 bits. For internal 4K recording, H264 compression and color subsampling at 4:2:0 is used with a transfer rate of up to 150 Mbs, giving the option of packaging the codec in MP4 or MOV files. If we are working in HD it can be recorded in INTRA at 200 Mbs.
In dynamic range, up to 12 f-stops of contrast are achieved using the V Log.L log gamma curve (the same log curve used in the Varicam 35 or GH4). Other gamma options oriented to television (HD Gamma) or cinematic looks (Film-like) can be selected. These are the data provided by Panasonic.
The lens is a LEICA DICOMAR 4K 13x zoom lens from 28mm to 364mm with a maximum aperture of F2.8 – F4.5. The advantage of a fixed lens, besides the agility of operation, is that the engineering team has been able to correct in-camera some of the shortcomings of this specific lens. The result is a very clean, low flare, distortion-free image where chromatic aberrations have been electronically compensated.
The lens has a very powerful 5-axis stabilization system that combines electronic and optical procedures.
For the auto focus they have developed a new focusing motor (Micro Drive Focus Unit) that operates on the lens assembly of the optics and allows a very fine focus adjustment.
It also integrates 1/4, 1/16 and 1/64 neutral filters.
The camera has a viewfinder and a fairly large LCD touch screen monitor (4.3”).
It has two SD card slots that can be used with four recording modes:
- Relay Rec: records on the first card and when it runs out of space it automatically switches to the second card.
- Simultaneous Rec: record on both cards at the same time.
- Background Rec: on the first card it is continuously looped all the time. When it is full, it overwrites the beginning. The second card only records when the REC button is pressed. It allows you to recover a shot that you have arrived late, because everything is on the first card! This is a very interesting option for sports, action and documentaries.
- Dual Codec Rec: allows recording in two different formats on each of the cards. For example, one in Ultra HD and the other in Full HD.
Cards for internal recording at more than 100 Mbs must be UHS class 3. For example, Panasonic micro P2 cards meet this standard, but other manufacturers also sell them. For HD recording, more common SD cards can be used.
At the presentation we had the chance to chat and see the work of Emilie Auje, Mari Yamamoto and Sebastian Wiegärtner, three cinematographers who had tested the camera and were present at the event.
On Sebastian Wiegärtner’s Vimeo channel you can watch and download in 4K the piece he recorded in Kyoto to test the first prototype. https://vimeo.com/134622078
More information about this camera is available at http://pro-av.panasonic.net/en/dvx4k/
