MIAMI BEACH - I've been hearing all about the Panasonic HVX 200 camcorder since this thing came out. I had seen a few P2's that friends had bought, but I had never had the chance to evaluate the camera under real working conditions until this past week. Im working on the second season of a hit tv show for a network that used to play music videos. Multicam show with (3) P2 cameras.
Im not gonna waste your time talking about resolution or sharpness. Im sure some other nerd blog has all those charts and graphs. I'm more about - What happens when you roll 4 or 5 tapes a day through (3) of them for a week?
Talk about being the most hyped camcorder in years, I just heard Kevin Rose's Sidekick on DIGGNATION drooling all over the idea of having a P2. The P2 is overbuilt in all the wrong places, and the few places that aren't overbuilt, are underbuilt and toyish. With the zoom through Century wide angle adapter the P2 is a real tendon fucker, so I threw it on the VSB1 Video Camera Shoulder Brace that we modded out with a single post pistol grip and an additional accessory box on the back.
The huge motherfucking problem. The cameras we are using do not hold sync. The 4pin firewire jams them but the drift is unreal. It would be funny if it wasnt so pathetic. My phone can keep time, but a camcorder can't? WTF? Panasonic, listen up and get this right. Take whatever chip is in my phone, and put it in the camera. Seriously, the cameras are drifting several seconds in just a few hours. That means we have to slate the takes with an hold school handclap.
The onboard Panasonic battery system is weak! We already ordered the Anton Bauer adapters and that problem is taken care of with a shoulder mount or a backpack. I know I know, your thinking, "Thats what HDX900's are for you Tech-tard" And my answer is noooo shhiittt. But I dont count beans, I just keep it raining tapes. I know what to expect from a real camera, and what the limitations of Consumer gear are. But I dont think a smart battery system and a accurate clock are too much to ask for in a fixed lens souped camcorder.
Also its easy to hit the top handle REC button on accident. I could probably disable it in the settings, but the menus are also torture and Im lazy. The coating on the viewfinder is soft and cheap so only wipe it gently with a soft clean microfiber cloth.
In conclusion. The Panasonic P2 Camera is an awesome piece of technology. Its got serious limitations as a workhorse for shoots that will be rolling alot of tapes each day handheld, and in the field away from the comfort of a studio and endless power supply. The P2 would not be my first choice in good affordable camcorders to shoot a documentary or in a multi cam reality environment.
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