Panasonic AG-HPX370 - Camcorder HD Séries P2

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

I upgraded from Panasonic AG-HMC150 and HVX200 to this camera after using a HPX300. The form is perfect. I worked in news for over 15 years and this camera is the lightest ENG/EFP camera I ever used. Many are concerned about the 1/3 3cmos chip. Yes it is not 2/3.. But the image quality is stunning. It has all the big boy camera qualities. AVC-Intra full 1080p chip with 4:2:2 sampling 10 bit 100Mbps variable frame rate etc. It is truly dream come true. BUT... the image out of the box is shockingly bad. My HMC150 has better quality. Which is really pain in the behind. After many HOURS of playing with P.O.P and Scene files... internal settings and customizing the buttons .... Now the camera is producing the right results.... What's up with that Panasonic? I am using BBC scene files setting for video and film along with several scene files that I created. The result is great... So if you buy this camera ... power it up and immediately go into it's settings and start changing them...

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

This camera has turned out to be more then I expected. It does very well in low light despite the fact that it is only 1/3" camera. Great value, great camera.

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

My only reason for it not being a 5 star rating is the mfr's price is too high when compared to its hand-held sibling cam the brand new 250. Its price point is about $3k less (incl lower grade lens and mic). Albeit it has a few more pro features, the price disparity isn't justified, IMO.

BUT, make no mistake, this IS a professional camera! The features and configurations are so in-depth, it's mind-boggling. It took several days to get up to speed on all of its functionality. It is comfortable to use and impressive to be seen with. Most of all, the images are stunning.

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

I use the HPX370 camera for ENG and studio work. I had heard that this was the upgraded version of the HPX300 and a possible replacement for the HPX500 - but it is far better than that! The HPX300 was Panasonic's first attempt at a CMOS camcorder and it just looked terrible. The HPX500 wasn't full raster, and was quite noisy in low light. This camera has an all together different sensor, that despite being 1/3", is best in class for color and light sensitivity. In fact we have used these as a "b" cam with the HPX3700 with minimal difference.

There are three negatives, but I don't really think they're that important:

1. HDMI output - there is none. As far as I'm concerned, HDMI is not a professional interface with its distance limitations, non-locking connectors (which are expensive and break easily in the field), and HDCP issues. The camera does, however, include 2x HDSDI connectors - more reliable and higher quality than HDMI anyway (you just have to use a pro monitor).

2. The lens included isn't exactly pristine and is hard to back focus. True, but it is better than some cameras' lenses at the same price. No doubt a 2/3" HJ lens on a HPX3700 is sharper, but considering those lenses go for 5x this price, a slightly softer picture is to be expected. Also, pros will feel right at home, as it is a manual lens with zoom, iris, and focus in the standard places.

3. The scan rate of the R, G, and B are offset in the viewfinder. This can create an irritating "rainbow" effect as you look from one side of it to the other. I suspect this is how they got the price so low. If it bothers you, you can make the viewfinder black and white.

In short, it is not a perfect camera, but an incredible camera for the money and a HUGE improvement over the HPX300 and HPX500!

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

This camera is rated high because it has so many format outputs? Be aware that they are all digital except for a single nitzee monitor output via BNC! If you want to bring an HD flatscreen monitor out to the field with you, as anybody who shoots long-format, event, recital, seminar, or other field prodctions - you don't even get an HDMI output!! God forbid you need to dual-feed to a projector, closed-circuit simulcast, whatever, as I often do. NO S-video, NO RGB, NO HDMI... [*]

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

When it comes to getting a lot of bang for your buck, this camera certainly qualifies. Shooting AVC-Intra 100, images are beautiful.

Now for the reality. The camera comes with the lens unattached, with the back focus way out of whack. A small Siemens Star is included, but let's face it, this camera is near impossible to set the back focus due to the tiny 1/3" chip. Simply put, it is impossible to tell when the camera is out of focus at full wide, even on a 17" Panny pro monitor.

Additionally, ergonomics are bad. With a viewfinder that can't be swapped/changed out, even when it's fully slid to the left, it is extremely difficult to get a straight view through it, thus not being able to see the left side of the EVF screen. There is also extreme "rainbowing" on the screen, a significant distraction.

Codecs: Although this camera has AVC-Intra, it has less DVCProHD choices than the HPX170.

Also, there is no HDMI out.

I originally purchased this camera as an upgrade from the 170, in that I already had P2 cards and even AB batteries from another camera.

Hindsight is 20/20, but I should have bought the Sony EX1R instead.

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

We are upgrading from SD 4x3 to HD and have been using prosumer handheld cameras. These blow those old cameras away(to be expected). We are impressed with the features and the quality that we got for the price that we paid. I don't know how we ever survived without P2 cards.

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

Best Camera for the money in the industry

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

i bought it only for [$] great quality amazing body and lens this camera just blown me away with the specialprice and picture

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

ENG,Studio Production

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

Video Production such as: Documentaries, cinema verite style sow, commercials, promos, broadcast television.

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

We just got this cam and we love it. We also have Sony DVCam and the Panasonic just so simple. The picture quality is so high. we took it out the other day for an outside shot and it was so light, saving my shoulder. When we brought it back to the house with the card and it was so simple to put into are editor. so far have not found anything with it have not used it long enough to make a comment on that.

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

I shoot a lot of low lights events and I am so please with the footage that came from a test I did on a ballet show. So far It dose what I was expecting.

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

Very comfortable for 'run and gun' style shooting in low light conditions. Ergonomically, it doesn't get any better than this. Fantastic picture quality for 1/3 inch imagers. Extremely good as far as skew with rolling shutter effect (much improved - best I've seen for CMOS). The new Panasonic PAP firmware update gives you the choice of higher sensitivity with some trailing noise reduction (type 1), or slightly less sensitivity with no trailing noise reduction effect (type 2). I find both choices very useful for different shooting situations.

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

There is so much to love about this camera.
However, 24p is not even a real world option as the images are just mushy. If fact, in most modes, pans turn the image mushy. Not a great choice for someone whole demands quality in their work.

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

This is a high performance, high quality camera. I usually don't post reviews but I felt the need to share. Since I work at a university in marketing, I am shooting in ALL KINDS of environments — many of which are uncontrolled, low light settings such as: auditoriums; gymnasiums; chapels; dorms; and sporting events. I have had this camera for about a week now and have put it through a few telling shoots. One was in a low light museum, the other was outdoors at a football game. The HPX 370 handled the motion of the football game with ease. Something I was concerned about before purchasing this camera. The clarity and colors were crisp. In the low-light museum I used the Anton Bauer Ultra Light. That combination of the two was sensational. It wasn't too bright with harsh shadows but instead a soft light that gave off just enough fill. WIth the Anton Bauer Dionic 90 Battery I was able to leave the light on constantly and the battery lasted the entire shoot (2-and-a-half hours) and I still had 40 percent remaining on the battery life. After subsequent accessary purchases: two Dionic 90 batteries; two 64GB P2 cards; a card reader; a Porta Brace bag; tripod plate; the Panasonic SUPER-DIRECTIONAL PHANTOM POWERED MIC; the cost was about $14K ... but still very, very worth it. In my former life, 10 plus years ago, I was a news director & one-man-band for a local TV station. This camera outproduces the old, $50K to $75K Betacams I used to use — in every aspect: functionality; design; picture quality; and workflow. There is no going back to tape or Mini DV. The P2 workflow with an Apple Power Mac is very seamless once you get used to the simple ingesting process. I really can't say enough about this camera. I have posted the three videos on youtube at: [@] The "Handmaids of Charity" video was something that came up at the last minute so I didn't get a chance to prep for the windows in the background ... so they are blown out in the background. Chalk that portion up to operator error. All in all, this camera rocks in all facets of performance ... & cost value.

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

Upgrading from an HVX-2000 I expected to see an improvement in night images but I was blown away by the sensitivity of the chips being full HD and only 1/3". A large part of the improvement is due to the increased aperture of the lens, which does not begin to close up at full telephoto, although no inbuilt extender is included.

The minimum shutter speed is just 1/6, which makes time lapse recording appear smooth right from the camera.

The focus assist I found usefull on the 2000 does not operate the same way on the 370, and does not function when the camera is recording. I found the color viewfinder to be as sharp as a B+W viewfinder, and it can be set to B+W only.

There are 3 ND filters, none of which include a 5.6k filter.

Overall I am very pleased with the images and I expect them to get better with more experience with the camera.

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

Big enough to work well as an ENG and powerful enough to capture broadcast and film quality images. The multiple HD settings set this camera apart from other camera's offered by Panasonic. It fixed all the little problems in the HPX-300. The HPX-370 is worth the extra money.

Comments about Panasonic AG-HPX370 Series P2 HD Camcorder:

We are a small indie production company of 3. In using the camera for Doc work we were very impressed. EVERY button and switch is EXACTLY where it should be, which makes shooting on the fly easy. The image quality straight out of the camera is remarkable from color down to detail. This camera shows off the texture off a log and the reflection in a skyscraper window equally immaculately.

Paired with an Anton Bauer battery and 2 64GB P2 cards we can shoot all day without recharging or offloading.

I highly recommend