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Words by Shad Lambert. Footage by Chase Masterson.
Will Panasonic Punk Sony?
For the last ten years, The Sony VX series of video cameras have been skate cinematographers undisputed weapons of choice . Just check any skate session and you’ll see that from the average Joe to the paid pros the Sony VX 1000s and 2000s are getting the job done. But it seems that after all those years a new player has quietly snuck onto the scene —say hello to the new beast on the block, the Panasonic HVX200.
Now when we say “Beast” we really mean it. The HVX200 is the first camera under $100,000 that’s loaded with those fancy features that makes filmer geeks freak out. We’re talking Leica Lens! 1080 HD and 720p! Native 16:9 recording! Frames rates of 60p, 30p,and 24p! Tapes, cards, hard drives! And, and …uhh, yeah! All that stuff might sound confusing, so we’re going to try to break the HVX200 down for you.
Optics
For starters, this baby is strapped with a Leica 13X lens, which is pretty gangster since everyone knows that Leica makes they best glass around. It is a fixed lens, which means you can’t use other interchangeable lenses, but that’s also probably a factor that kept the price down. All the filmers questioned were happy with the auto focus, but they all seemed to be really impressed with the ultra smooth manual focus ring, it works great for shots where you had to have precise focus control. And here we go, the answer to the question every skate cinematographer wants to know… drumroll … yes! There is a Death Lens (fisheye) available! But we’ll get to that later.
Variable Frame Rates
All the filmers I asked agree that one of the greatest features of the HVX200 is the variable frame rates you can choose from. Finally you can achieve those amazing 12 or 24 frames per second shots that made film cameras look so sick. But cinematographer "Simi" Mike did mention, “The 24p for skating seems weird, because it misses the flip. So I usually use for lifestyles or getting artsy.”
So what about those epic slow motion hammers? No problem, the 60p setting means you’re really in for a treat. At sixty frames per second, this is double the normal frame rate, so filming at 60p is like filming in slow motion. This makes for some interesting possibilities — imagine taking that 60p clip then slowing it down even more on your computer? Since editing programs tend to stretch frames for slow motion clips, more frames means you end up with a better slow-mo image . However, one drawback that some video guys mentioned was that when filming in 60p you can’t capture audio. Sure you could capture the audio from other source then sync it to the track later, but it means more work. Oh yeah, and in case you get bored, remember you can also film in the normal 30 frames per second
Holdin’ Cards
As mentioned earlier, to use the variable frame rates and full HD 1080 resolution, you have to record onto memory cards instead of tape. At first I thought some filmers would be bummed on this, but what I found out is that it can actually speed up the whole footage logging process. Just like you can delete a bad photo from your digital camera, you can now delete all those bails and useless footage instantly—right in the middle of a session. This allows for “on the fly” edits, which can save tremendous amounts time as you don’t have to sift through 45 minutes of footage for a 10 second clip, because you already deleted those suckers. Instant editing, instant access, instant gratification! Although some drawback are the fact you you have to back up your footage on extra hard drives, and that the current cards only hold about 16 minutes of footage, but there’s also the option to hook up a hard drive to the camera, and cards are getting bigger, which seems to indicate that the days of tape might be numbered.
Why It’s A Beast
So yes, the HVX200 image quality does visually beat the crap out of the Sony VX, but all those extra features come with a price. If the $5800 cost of the camera doesn’t hurt your wallet, the cost of the memory cards ($900 for 16gigs) or hard drives (100 gigs for $2000) might make it feel like you just got mugged. And don’t forget that the increase in size is going to strain your muscles. Why? Well remember that Death Lens I mentioned earlier? Not only does it cost about $3000, but it’s also bigger, and almost weighs three pounds. Plus you actually have to get 15mm support rods to support the weight of the Fisheye, so it doesn’t rip off the camera. So try holding that filming lines for a coupl3 hours! According to cinematographer Chase Masterson “It’s a whole different ball game when it come s to filming lines. At first you’re so used to the VX that you’re just chopping off heads, legs, but then you get used to it. But the image quality is so sick, it’s just one of those things where you have to deal with it.” After watching the Panasonic montage that Chase made, I’d have to agree.
So in the end the Panasonic colors, frame rates, and death lens look incredible. Alas, if you’re just filming Youtube clips with the homies you might want to stick to the Sony VX, but if you’re a serious cinematographer trying to step up your game, this might be the new beast in your bag.
*Check this sick video by cinematographer Chase Masterson to see some of the cameras capabilities. Skaters by order of appearance: Jimmy Cao, Robin Stoddard, Andrew Pott, Arron Snyder, John Lupfer, Shaun Gregoire, and Billy Roper.
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