G&T Productions bought two Panasonic P2HD HPX-174 cameras from official
Panasonic distributor Avmark Systems at the end of 2010, and recently upgraded to
the Panasonic P2HD HPX-250.
“All the features that the P2HD format provides give the user a wide range of
practical and arty options, making the camera a pleasure to use,’ notes G&T
Productions’ Colin Taylor.
“We at G&T Productions looked into purchasing new high definition (HD) broadcast
capable cameras for some time, and did a lot of research. As the broadcasting
industry was moving towards HD we realised that HD was the only way to go,’
explains Taylor.
“In October 2010 we decided on the Panasonic P2HD HPX-174 camera and purchased
two of them as we were embarking on a new HD series for international distribution
which was to become the first privately produced HD series supplied to
SuperSport.’
“The programmes that we produce are sport related, so one of the reasons, among
others, that we chose the P2HD HPX-174 was because it was relatively small and
compact and could be handheld where necessary,’ says Taylor.
Each of the 64 GB memory cards can record one hour’s worth of high quality HD
footage shot in 1080/50i or 1080/25p at a 100mbps. A further option is to record at
720/25pN which will allow two hours of recording and the option of doing in camera
slow-mo at 50 frames.
Taylor notes that they decided to invest in two updated Panasonic P2HD HPX-250
cameras in November 2011. “They offer virtually the same features as the P2HD
HPX-174, and more.’
The P2HD HPX-250 includes the AVCINTRA codec, which gives a much higher
recording resolution, either in 50 or 100mbps and it comes standard with a 22x
optical zoom lens.
According to Avmark’s Renato Acquisto, Panasonic’s P2HD recording format was
recently honoured with a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award.
“The P2HD HPX-250 has also been approved as meeting the technical standards for
delivery to broadcasters such as National Geographic and Discovery, and is becoming
very popular among the wildlife documentary fraternity,’ adds Acquisto.
Screen Africa magazine – May 2012
