News
New Panasonic PX270
Mar
Last Wednesday Luis Ochoa and Marco Odasso of 709 Media Room were at the presentation of Panasonic’s new camera, the AJ-PX270. AJ-PX270.
Jaume Miró, product specialist, spoke about the new model, which happens to be the first one capable of using the AVC-Ultra codec family and also on microP2 cards.
The PX270 camera joins the Pro Av range, intended primarily for broadcast and news environments. Its 1/3″ 3MOS sensor offers true 1080p recording with full raster codecs and a host of recording possibilities to give the user the greatest possible flexibility.
It has a new compact 22x zoom lens ranging from 20mm to 616mm (the equivalent of 35mm) and three rings that allow manual adjustment of zoom, focus and iris. In addition, there is a zoom knob on the handle with which different speeds and smooth control can be achieved.
It includes an OLED viewer and an LCD monitor for quality control.
Codecs and recording media
As mentioned above, the PX270 uses the new AVC-Ultra family of codecs and allows simultaneous recording on two cards for different “qualities” or instant backup.
The new AVC-LongG has been incorporated, which achieves extended recording and fast transfers thanks to its compression type, with the possibility of recording at 50, 25 or 12 Mbps (the first two in 4:2:2 at 10-bit).
The recording capabilities of Panasonic’s new product do not stop there, but we can also use AVC-Intra 100/50, AVC-Proxy and AVC-Intra 200, to generate files with mastering quality.
These proxies can range from 800Kbps to 6Mbps (in the latter case with Full HD resolution) and if they are recorded simultaneously with the high resolution clips, the editing or streaming processes can be facilitated through wireless networks.
A curious feature of the camera is that, once these files have been sent to the editor, they can send us back an EDL and “conform” it in-camera to have only the images that we are actually going to use.
The variety of recording media also helps the camera’s flexibility, with a choice of P2, conventional SD (for formats no higher than 50Mbps) or microP2, which, although they have an SD structure, do not require an adapter. There are two microP2 and one P2 slot.
Wireless networks and streaming from camera
Although not all network functions will be available at first, from the launch date we will be able to send files via FTP and live streaming (with a one-second delay) by connecting the camera to a WiFi or LAN network.
Several (free) firmware upgrades are planned over the next few months, which will enable 3G/4G and LTE connection.
Connections
The PX270 features 3G HD-SDI output for 1080/50p, HDMI output and the necessary connections for multi-camera systems, with genlock input, as well as timecode input and output.
In addition, it includes a USB 3.0 port to which external hard disks can be connected to make copies of the cards directly from the camera.
Audio
Its two XLR inputs, in addition to the built-in stereo microphone, allow the recording of 4 audio channels at 24-bit, if we are using AVC-Intra, or at 16-bit for the rest of codecs.
Other functions
Other features include a variable speed function, in 1080/50p, ranging from 1 to 50fps, or up to 60fps in 60Hz mode.
As for color, it offers different gamma curves and a 12-vector corrector with 3 independent settings for skin tone, in addition to Chromatic Aberration Compensation, DRS for leveling high-contrast situations and FBC for compensating the effect of flash light.
The PX270 camera will be available at the end of March for €5,840 (excl. VAT). The microP2 cards, with 64 GB Raid and password, will be available for around 300 €.
