About all you can do with the 1/3" CCD cameras is open the aperture wide, go to a faster shutter or ND, shoot at maximum zoom, and hope for the best. Conversely, 2/3" CCD cameras use longer lenses for an equivalent field of view, and therefore offer more depth of field control. One of the biggest weaknesses of this camera, as with all 1/3" CCD cameras, is that it's very hard to throw the background out of focus unless you get very far away from your subject. I find that I use this frequently to reduce depth of field. The three-position switch for Neutral Density ND 1/64, 1/8 and off corresponding to 7.5, 3 and 0 stops of light reduction. When the aperture is set to auto, you can still adjust it manually with the knob, but when the light changes auto will take over and reset the F-stop. For example, right over the Iris knob is the ND switch, and just behind the knob is an auto-manual Iris button. There's nothing superfluous and the controls are clustered by function. Although this camera has an enormous amount of flexibility in its adjustments, I find that the controls on the outside of the camera are ones that I am always using. All controls are large, well-placed and well-thought-out. I find the ergonomics of the HVX-200 very satisfying in this regard. I want to be able to operate the camera manually and make any adjustments quickly and by feel.
![panasonic p2 cam panasonic p2 cam](https://mediagear.ee/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/P2-HD-professional-camera-Panasonic-AG-HPX500P-used-5.jpg)
From my still camera use, I have always preferred a camera such as a Leica that has controls that can be differentiated by touch rather than requiring that you actually look at the knobs and buttons. This is a consistent characteristic with all controls on this camera. The F-stop is displayed in the viewfinder so you can adjust the iris without ever taking the camera from your eye. It is large enough to be easily accessible. The Iris Control (I'll always think of it as aperture) is a knurled knob on the left side of the camera just behind the lens. 6 adapter, which snaps on the front of the lens in place of the lens hood, and I found minimal vignetting and an acceptable level of barrel distortion, given the very wide angle of view. To my eye, the lens shows no objectionable qualities at any aperture. All in all, the lens quality is excellent and the add-ons sufficiently flexible that I don't believe I'll miss having a removable lens. These would give you an effective 35mm range in your bag of 19mm to 675mm. 75 adapter and fisheye adapter to follow. 6 wide-angle adapter and 1.6 tele-adapter with a full-zoom. The fixed-mount lens itself is a Leica Dicomar 13X with a 35mm equivalent range of 32mm to 422mm. I found this effective, although I could focus a bit easier using the EVF rather than the LCD screen.
PANASONIC P2 CAM MANUAL
Above the auto-manual switch is a focus-assist button, which opens a zoomed-in window on the viewfinder to obtain a sharper manual focus. Below this button is a momentary button to force an autofocus. When set to manual, you can give it a momentary push to zoom-to-infinity. There's an auto-manual focus button just behind the lens. The focus ring is smooth: although I'd prefer a physical stop on it. My shooting style is mostly manual and the HVX makes this very comfortable. The camera fits in a smaller case than the XL-2 and feels more rugged as I'm carrying it around. Compared to the Canons, the HVX-200 is more handheld and less shoulder-mount. It looks, feels and operates like a chunky DVX-100.
![panasonic p2 cam panasonic p2 cam](https://shop.texasmediasystems.com/assets/images/products/panasonic/aghpx600/panasonic_ag-hpx600_a_web.jpg)
Users of Panasonic DVX cameras will be much more at home with the HVX. Before using the HVX, I'd been shooting with a Canon XL-1 and XL-2 so I'll be comparing a bit with the controls and features of these cameras. It's got an industrial, almost military feel about it.
![panasonic p2 cam panasonic p2 cam](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61ygTYgRxML._AC_SL1200_.jpg)
It feels bigger than the other cameras I've used but also seems much better balanced. The HVX-200 is in my comfort zone.įirst the ergonomics: The HVX is beefy. I like simple, rugged cameras that produce gorgeous pictures. That said, I come to the task of evaluating the Panasonic HVX-200 with a particular point of view.
PANASONIC P2 CAM FULL
For music videos, I frequently have a whole car full of equipment for multi-camera shoots. Now, as a burgeoning documentary maker, I find myself loaded down with bags of lighting, tripods, sound equipment, and cameras. My idea of a camera has always been a Leica M6 hanging over my shoulder, and extra rolls of film in my pocket. I should begin by pointing out that I'm fairly new to video.